Dancing With The Stars Announces Season 23 Cast

[Primetimer]

Ryan Lochte is definitely on the list. No, that wasn't just a rumor.

View the full article

[legaleagle53]

Sadly, neither was Rick Perry.

[humbleopinion]

From Marilu Henner wiki

Her mother was president of the National Association of Dance and Affiliated Arts and ran the Henner Dance School for 20 years. Henner took her first dance class at age two then went on to teaching dance at her family's studio when she was 14 and choreographed shows at local high schools and colleges until leaving the Chicago area during her third year of college.

Paired with Derek...of course.

[legaleagle53]

Just now, humbleopinion said:

From Marilu Henner wiki

Her mother was president of the National Association of Dance and Affiliated Arts and ran the Henner Dance School for 20 years. Henner took her first dance class at age two then went on to teaching dance at her family's studio when she was 14 and choreographed shows at local high schools and colleges until leaving the Chicago area during her third year of college.

Paired with Derek...of course.

I'm only surprised that she wasn't signed on as a pro, because that's what she really is.

[mtlchick]

This is a who's who of WHO? (I have never heard of half of the cast) and "Why? Whatever."

 

Quote

Paired with Derek...of course.

I really don't think it's a given she's a lock to win or even make the finals.  I think Laurie being paired with Val is going to make it interesting. 

 

Rick Perry HAS to be the first week boot, right?

[humbleopinion]

Rick will pull a hammie to have a graceful exit before the first show once he finds out how grueling it is to get his body fit enough to dance. 

[galax-arena]

Rick Perry? Excuse me while I vomit. 

[kitcloudkicker]

Snap judgements, now that the cast is officially (if anticlimactically) revealed:

Tops:

Laurie and Val - She's got charisma for days, more natural rhythm than Aly, and is the most naturally comfortable in front of the camera than any gymnast they've had on yet. I've been saying Val hasn't had an athlete yet, and this is a good one for him. And when Val has the young one he can't lean into his boring comfort zone of sultry and overly intense, and the sassy Val that usually results is more fun for me to watch.

Promising:

Calvin and Lindsey - For all the hardworking less showboaty football reasons, plus I think Lindsey's become one of the top pros, for teaching style and choreography.

Jana and Gleb - Definitely the prettiest couple. She seems to have a lot going on right now though and I could see it becoming overwhelming. Or fuel to do well, we'll see. 

Marilu and Derek - They're going to get on like gangbusters, are you kidding me? Have you ever seen him with Shirley Ballas? He's going to Eddie Haskell his way right into her heart.  (And cmon dudes, she's in her 60s, that's not an advantange. And who-is-or-isn't a ringer is the Most. Boring. Conversation. Anyone. Could. Ever. Have.)

James and Sharna - I don't know the most about him, but he seems to have the potential to be the likeable-easygoing-and-hardworking-if-not-the-best-dancer one, a la Helio and that rodeo guy that's married to Jewel.

 

Could go either way?

Amber and Maks - They could be great or they could clash spectacularly, I have no idea. I also don't know what to expect from her, will she be stiff and awkward a la Kim K, or really turn it out and be unexpectedly charming? I only know her from passing tabloidy crap that makes me roll my eyes, but willing to give her a chance.

Vanilla Ice and Witney - Tempted to put this as a hot mess, but people are saying he was on another reality show and was humble and hardworking? Could be unexpectedly Tommy Chongish?

 

Potentially lost in the shuffle:

Maureen and Artem - Kind of head to head with Marilu on the nostalgia vote, and as much as I like Artem, I think there's a chance they could be overshadowed. Also, based on nothing, she seems like she might have the sort of nervous energy like Danica McKeller had.

Terra and Sasha - Not sure if the lack of name recognition will hurt her. 

Jake and Jenna - Rumors are he's kind of a dick. And is "youngest, least recognizable sibling on Disney show that's been over for a while" the biggest draw for their younger crowd?

Babyface and Allison - I kinda keep forgetting about them? That's probably a large part of my own pop culture biases - I mean I know him, but mostly through stuff he's produced. I don't know his on-screen personality much at all.

 

Gonna be a hot mess:

Ryan Lochte - The only way he has a shot of being forgiven is if he comes off as crazy hardworking and humble. Cheryl has a better chance of getting that out of him than anyone, I think. But it's a looong shot, and just judging by how stiff and awkward he is in interviews, I have a hunch he's going to be a seriously bad dancer.

Rick Perry - Ryan Lochte if we aged him 50 years and gave him political power. Even if he wasn't a trash bag of a human, how long would he even want to stick around for? I can't see him being interested for longer than a week or two.

[withanaich]

Quote

This is a who's who of WHO? (I have never heard of half of the cast) and "Why? Whatever."

For real, though. I don't watch the show, so the most enjoyable part for me is guessing which is the dancer and which is the "celebrity" for at least half of the teams when the cast gets announced each season.

[humbleopinion]

If Cheryl is currently single then Ryan will be her new boy toy, Rawr!

Kym must be so glad she's retired or she would have been saddled with the ex gov.-she can just dust her diamonds and do commentary if she wishes.

Edited August 30, 2016 by humbleopinion

[mtlchick]

Quote

Tempted to put this as a hot mess, but people are saying he was on another reality show and was humble and hardworking?

He was on The Surreal Life way back when he did have some rage issues. Currently has the Vanilla Ice Project on DIY where he remodels home and he does come off as more likeable and clearly knows his home renovations.

[truthaboutluv]

Quote

Jake and Jenna - Rumors are he's kind of a dick. And is "youngest, least recognizable sibling on Disney show that's been over for a while" the biggest draw for their younger crowd?

He was actually in a more recent hit - ABC Family's The Fosters but well, he was such an ass that he got fired and the part was recast. That's kind of when all his shitty behavior because known to the public so it will be interesting to see how Jenna handles him, this being her first time as a Pro. 

[Drogo]

2 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

I'm only surprised that she wasn't signed on as a pro, because that's what she really is.

She's Derek's new Jennifer Grey.

[Wyndsong]

As usual, I was more interested to hear which pros were returning than anything about the so-called stars. Bummed that Mark is sitting out. I couldn't stand him at first but he's really grown on me. I also used to like Val and Maks but both have started to bug. Not happy Maks has returned. Glad to see Gleb back, especially if it means that Tony finally takes a season off. Derek...sigh. He's never going away is he?

Also very happy Emma has returned. I just wish she'd be given a contender just once. Sadly, she'll probably be the first out. Cheryl and Ryan will be interesting, though possibly not in a good way. I'm going with Rick Perry as first out, which makes me sad for Emma but glad he's gone. No one in the cast really excites me but that's usually how it goes. As the season goes on, I'll find a favorite.

[legaleagle53]

8 minutes ago, Drogo said:

She's Derek's new Jennifer Grey.

The difference is that unlike Jennifer (who never really thought she had an aptitude for dancing until she did the show, even though she's Joel Grey's daughter), Marilu has been dancing from the time she could walk and even taught dancing at her parents' studio up until her early 20s. She's also choreographed many dance routines over the years.  If that's not the definition of "professional dancer," then I don't know what is.

Edited August 30, 2016 by legaleagle53

[sinkwriter]

I'm sure she can dance, so she's more ringery than most of the rest of the cast, but I wouldn't necessarily hold up that Taxi routine as some master example of her being a fantastic dancer. Most of what she did was strutting / walking around or doing very basic grapevine or other general swaying moves that we did back when I was in show choir in high school (and I'm no major dancer, not at ALL). I kept waiting for her to pull out all the stops (especially when they changed outfits) but she really didn't do anything fancy in that routine.

Plus, as some noted, she is 60, so even if she's an amazing dancer, there are things you can't always do anymore than you could do in your 20's, so... I'm just looking forward to seeing her dance. We'll see how it goes!

Side note: part of me doesn't want to watch until after Rick Perry is gone. I don't want to give that guy a moment of my time.

[PTVjones]

An older person has never won the show. They may make it to a finale but be honest, they can BARELY dance and they get there on nostalgia/likability, and in comparison to the other finalist, the older contestant never really stood a chance of actually winning. Marilu has dance training, but maybe she needs that to actually have a fighting chance to win. Marilu is no spring chicken but it'd be nice to see an older person on the show who can actually dance and is not a joke. 

[legaleagle53]

17 minutes ago, PTVjones said:

An older person has never won the show. They may make it to a finale but be honest, they can BARELY dance and they get there on nostalgia/likability, and in comparison to the other finalist, the older contestant never really stood a chance of actually winning. Marilu has dance training, but maybe she needs that to actually have a fighting chance to win. Marilu is no spring chicken but it'd be nice to see an older person on the show who can actually dance and is not a joke. 

Ahem.  Jennifer Grey and Donny Osmond both won in their respective seasons, and they were both over 50 at the time.

[truthaboutluv]

I'm a little amused at the reaction over Marilu Henner. Is Derek and a 64 year old woman that intimidating?

[jennifer6973]

3 hours ago, kitcloudkicker said:

 

James and Sharna - I don't know the most about him, but he seems to have the potential to be the likeable-easygoing-and-hardworking-if-not-the-best-dancer one, a la Helio and that rodeo guy that's married to Jewel.

 

 

 

Re:  Ty Murray and Jewel, they are no longer married.

[sinkwriter]

4 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

I'm a little amused at the reaction over Marilu Henner. Is Derek and a 64 year old woman that intimidating?

I'm looking forward to seeing Marilu dance. I like her. She's kind of nutty and boisterous, so I think she'll be entertaining.

[Jaye]

From a Wikipedia bio: “Her parents owned a dance studio, and she was brought up dancing ballet, jazz, and hip hop…”.  Marilu Henner’s bio?  Nope, it’s from Paige VanZant’s bio.  I don’t recall people in these forums complaining last season about the 22-year-old VanZant being a ringer.  And yet somehow Marilu Henner (who is 64 years old for heaven’s sake) is the ringer of all ringers?  And as so-called proof of this, we’re shown a clip from 1980 of Henner singing and strutting (not really dancing)?

 

I, for one, am looking forward to watching Marilu Henner dance this season -- much more so than I did any of the actual ringers that have appeared on the show such as Paige VantZant, Meryl Davis, Kristi Yamaguchi, Shawn Johnson, Aly Raisman, or this season’s Laurie Hernandez, all of whom were/are very young (younger than that 1980 Taxi clip!), athletic, and professionally trained in moving to music and memorizing choreography.

[PTVjones]

Pretty sure both Donny and Jennifer were like what... 50-52 at the time of their season... that's not the same as 64-65. 

[vavera4ka]

1 minute ago, Jaye said:

From a Wikipedia bio: “Her parents owned a dance studio, and she was brought up dancing ballet, jazz, and hip hop…”.  Marilu Henner’s bio?  Nope, it’s from Paige VanZant’s bio.  I don’t recall people in these forums complaining last season about the 22-year-old VanZant being a ringer.  And yet somehow Marilu Henner (who is 64 years old for heaven’s sake) is the ringer of all ringers?  And as so-called proof of this, we’re shown a clip from 1980 of Henner singing and strutting (not really dancing)?

we must have been on different boards then... there was a lot of talk about how much of a ringer Paige was and how little of information the show was giving about it. They addressed it towards the end, but yeah... people complained.

[Uke]

1 hour ago, legaleagle53 said:

The difference is that unlike Jennifer (who never really thought she had an aptitude for dancing until she did the show, even though she's Joel Grey's daughter), Marilu has been dancing from the time she could walk and even taught dancing at her parents' studio up until her early 20s. She's also choreographed many dance routines over the years.  If that's not the definition of "professional dancer," then I don't know what is.

I believe Jennifer was a lifelong dance student, including attending schools to focus on dance and acting.  I believe she was 50ish when she won, so she was no Spring chicken.  She was hampered by the lasting side effects of the whiplash injury from a car accident but she was no neophyte by any means.  

My first thought hearing about Marilu was, yes, she's the new & improved Jennifer or the more likeable Nicole S. - dancer/teacher/choreographer.   I gather from the comments that she did some sort of dance on Taxi?  Wouldn't that be a little dance appropriate for the storyline and character she played and not necessarily a full display of her all her skills?  I was only a sporatic watcher of Taxi and don't recall her dancing on that show.

Anyway, I don't expect the show to mention Marilu's dance background and if they mention anything, it'll be downplayed - it's not in keeping with the way they like to portray Derek.

[truthaboutluv]

The show never mentions celebrities' dance background. As stated above, we heard nothing about Paige's background during the show. People knew because everyone can Google. The same way they said nothing about Riker's dance background, which even included ballroom, or that Corbin was a good enough dancer that he appeared on one of the Macy's Stars of Dance performances. And even with Meryl, she was just referred to as the Olympian even if you couldn't get around the fact that she was an ice dancer. The show never makes a point of spotlighting the celebrity's dance history, whatever that may be.

[blackwing]

They finally pair Derek with the "older lady" contestant, but it turns out she has a huge dance background is probably going to be a huge threat.  And when I say older, I mean older.  Those who are 60+ - Betsey Johnson, Valerie Harper, Patti LaBelle, Paula Deen, Gladys Knight, Florence Henderson, Cloris Leachman.  I can't stand Derek and I think it's terrible that he is a professional partner while his sister is a judge.  I fully agree they are not even going to mention her dance background.  They're going to portray her as this older woman known for being nutty and crazy, and Derek is going to be her muse and unlock her potential.  Gag.

What happened to Tony Dovolani?  When I heard that Emma Samms was a rumoured cast, I assumed that they would give her to him.   Although Maureen McCormick would be the typical Tony partner.  Will be odd to not see him on the show, I hope they haven't decided to get rid of him.

[FormerMod-a1]

Truly curious and not trying to make any point, but when did Marilu last dance or choreograph professionally?  For a show of some kind (TV, broadway, etc) or last teach dance.

That said/asked - I have never minded the "ringers", we all know the judges score on a curve.  I just enjoy watching everyone.  Heck, I even like all the pros including Derek and Maks and Mark, and Cheryl and all the others that are less "controversial".

[chocolatine]

Poor Emma! Having to dance with Rick Perry sounds worse than not getting to dance at all.

Just a few days ago, Jana Kramer announced her separation from her (third) husband as he enters rehab for an undisclosed condition so that she could "focus on her daughter". What better way to focus on a 7-month-old than to do a tv show that requires full-time rehearsals!

[Uke]

11 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

The show never mentions celebrities' dance background. As stated above, we heard nothing about Paige's background during the show. People knew because everyone can Google. The same way they said nothing about Riker's dance background, which even included ballroom, or that Corbin was a good enough dancer that he appeared on one of the Macy's Stars of Dance performances. And even with Meryl, she was just referred to as the Olympian even if you couldn't get around the fact that she was an ice dancer. The show never makes a point of spotlighting the celebrity's dance history, whatever that may be.

My memory is a little foggy since I didn't pay much attention to Corbin but at the finale/semi? I believe they showed a quick flash of the Macy's dance along with a tribute from one of his famous dance teachers. So they did somewhat reveal, but not till the very end of the season. 

With Paige, she was very open about her dance experience in interviews but on the show I think they were very careful - it was a sensitive topic regarding the cause of the bullying and why the family closed the dance studio, picked up and moved out of state.  

[simplyme]

4 hours ago, mtlchick said:

This is a who's who of WHO? (I have never heard of half of the cast) and "Why? Whatever."

I actually knew who most of the "stars" were, and I kind of like the weird representation this season. Certainly I could do without Lochte and Perry, but the show casts people for different reasons. Villain and cannon fodder are roles, too. ;) And who knows, someone I think I dislike may surprise me. I had no idea who either Nyle or Paige were last season, but I'm glad they were on.

4 hours ago, mtlchick said:

I really don't think it's a given she's a lock to win or even make the finals.  I think Laurie being paired with Val is going to make it interesting. 

One thing that hurts Laurie is her age. There is a significant voting bloc that thinks under-18s shouldn't be on DWTS. Personally, I would argue that at the point where she's trained for hours a day for years, had injuries to rival an NFL player, handled Olympic stress, and pretty much not had a typical childhood, we might consider her an adult for a dancing show two years early.

But pretty much I'm going to wait and see how people actually do before truly picking my faves.

[sinkwriter]

I think it's too soon for Ryan Lochte to join the cast. I'm not in a mood to cheer him on after his behavior and his bullshit apologies that weren't really apologies.

[Uke]

15 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

Poor Emma! Having to dance with Rick Perry sounds worse than not getting to dance at all.

Just a few days ago, Jana Kramer announced her separation from her (third) husband as he enters rehab for an undisclosed condition so that she could "focus on her daughter". What better way to focus on a 7-month-old than to do a tv show that requires full-time rehearsals!

Re Jana, everyone seems to know who this gal is except me!  I had to google her.  Reading her wiki, yea, she's got some kinda rocky personal life, that's for sure.  I also looked at her website. She's touring and has a sold out show in Lubbock on Mon. 9/26.  How's she going to do this?  Lubbock is 2 hrs ahead of California time, the show is at 630pm (430pmPST), DWTS is live at 5pmPST.  It's not like her show is at 11pm and she can race to the airport and take a private jet.   All I can guess is that the show will allow her to dance in Lubbock and Skpe it or something. But for Kim Z, they said rules stated she had to be physically in the ballroom.  I can't imagine she'd cancel a sold out concert.

[superdeluxe]

2 hours ago, Kail said:

As usual, I was more interested to hear which pros were returning than anything about the so-called stars. Bummed that Mark is sitting out. I couldn't stand him at first but he's really grown on me. I also used to like Val and Maks but both have started to bug. Not happy Maks has returned. Glad to see Gleb back, especially if it means that Tony finally takes a season off. Derek...sigh. He's never going away is he?

Also very happy Emma has returned. I just wish she'd be given a contender just once. Sadly, she'll probably be the first out. Cheryl and Ryan will be interesting, though possibly not in a good way. I'm going with Rick Perry as first out, which makes me sad for Emma but glad he's gone. No one in the cast really excites me but that's usually how it goes. As the season goes on, I'll find a favorite.

He wasn't there last season.

51 minutes ago, Jaye said:

From a Wikipedia bio: “Her parents owned a dance studio, and she was brought up dancing ballet, jazz, and hip hop…”.  Marilu Henner’s bio?  Nope, it’s from Paige VanZant’s bio.  I don’t recall people in these forums complaining last season about the 22-year-old VanZant being a ringer.  And yet somehow Marilu Henner (who is 64 years old for heaven’s sake) is the ringer of all ringers?  And as so-called proof of this, we’re shown a clip from 1980 of Henner singing and strutting (not really dancing)?

 

I, for one, am looking forward to watching Marilu Henner dance this season -- much more so than I did any of the actual ringers that have appeared on the show such as Paige VantZant, Meryl Davis, Kristi Yamaguchi, Shawn Johnson, Aly Raisman, or this season’s Laurie Hernandez, all of whom were/are very young (younger than that 1980 Taxi clip!), athletic, and professionally trained in moving to music and memorizing choreography.

Was Paige VanZant paired with Derek?  No.  She was paired with Mark so her ringer-ness was okay.

Anyway.  I actually know most of the names on the list this time around.  I still laugh for 10 minutes whenever I see Vanilla Ice's name.  If anything, I will check out the show just to see what he does.  I need that daily laugh.

[McManda]

2 minutes ago, Uke said:

Re Jana, everyone seems to know who this gal is except me!  I had to google her.  Reading her wiki, yea, she's got some kinda rocky personal life, that's for sure.  I also looked at her website. She's touring and has a sold out show in Lubbock on Mon. 9/26.  How's she going to do this?  Lubbock is 2 hrs ahead of California time, the show is at 630pm (430pmPST), DWTS is live at 5pmPST.  It's not like her show is at 11pm and she can race to the airport and take a private jet.   All I can guess is that the show will allow her to dance in Lubbock and Skpe it or something. But for Kim Z, they said rules stated she had to be physically in the ballroom.  I can't imagine she'd cancel a sold out concert.

 

I also don't know who she is, so ...

I have a hard time believing TPTB would think she's a big enough get to let her Skype in a performance. If they do then that's a new low for the show, especially with the uproar about  Kim Z's injury. 

[mtlchick]

Quote

I, for one, am looking forward to watching Marilu Henner dance this season

She was someone who didn't grate on the Apprentice and Gary Busey was on her season.  I don't mind her. 

 

Quote

Re Jana, everyone seems to know who this gal is except me!  I had to google her.  Reading her wiki, yea, she's got some kinda rocky personal life, that's for sure.  I also looked at her website. She's touring and has a sold out show in Lubbock on Mon. 9/26.  How's she going to do this?

I can't remember who it was but they did end up canceling a show or two so they can compete.  (I want to say Andy Grammar but not 100%.) And I never heard of her either.  The only country singer on this show I knew of before hand was Kellie Pickler due to American Idol.

Edited August 30, 2016 by mtlchick

[iMonrey]

Quote

I'm a little amused at the reaction over Marilu Henner. Is Derek and a 64 year old woman that intimidating?

Anyone paired with Derek is going to be intimidating. I'm sure he has a contract that stipulates he only be paired with experienced dancers who have a good shot at making the finals. That said, and for that reason, I'm much less bothered my Marilu's participation than I am by Derek's return to the show. I'm tired of him and his same old bag of tricks every season, and I don't think it's right that his sister is a judge. I guess he thinks he needs to keep coming back to promote his brand because it turns out there's not a whole lot of other offers out there for his talents.

[galax-arena]

That said, and for that reason, I'm much less bothered my Marilu's participation than I am by Derek's return to the show. I'm tired of him and his same old bag of tricks every season, and I don't think it's right that his sister is a judge. I guess he thinks he needs to keep coming back to promote his brand because it turns out there's not a whole lot of other offers out there for his talents.

For me, it's a question of, "Would I rather see Demon Hough invading DWTS or Broadway?" I make a lot of snide comments about the Evil Blond One on DWTS, but then again, I actually live in NYC and if the antichrist's defilement of Gene Kelly ever gets off the ground, it means I'll have to put up with seeing this child of the (Mormon) corn's face on NYC billboards. No bueno. So it's a wash for me.

 

 

 

 

(My comment should not be taken seriously. I do not actually think that Derek is the antichrist.) 

[saylubee]

1 hour ago, Uke said:

Re Jana, everyone seems to know who this gal is except me!  I had to google her.  Reading her wiki, yea, she's got some kinda rocky personal life, that's for sure.  I also looked at her website. She's touring and has a sold out show in Lubbock on Mon. 9/26.  How's she going to do this?  Lubbock is 2 hrs ahead of California time, the show is at 630pm (430pmPST), DWTS is live at 5pmPST.  It's not like her show is at 11pm and she can race to the airport and take a private jet.   All I can guess is that the show will allow her to dance in Lubbock and Skpe it or something. But for Kim Z, they said rules stated she had to be physically in the ballroom.  I can't imagine she'd cancel a sold out concert.

It's basically a rodeo show in Lubbock, TX.  The money she would get paid from that probably doesn't even match one episode of DWTS.  I'm sure she'll cancel and they'll find another performer.  Usually shows that are a part of fairs/rodeos have plenty of backups ready that can fill in last minute.

[smiley13]

 I am very let down by the pro list.  No Mark, Tony or Karina??  And we have the ones who left come crawling back, i.e. Cheryl, Golden Boy and Maks.  I could have done without any of them returning.    And Julianne is back too, ugh!!

Of the cast, of course Golden Boy got a trained dancer, Val got a gymnast, and Maks got a stripper type.

The rest of them got fodder.

[The Crazed Spruce]

I recognize more dancers than "celebrities" on that list, and I don't even WATCH the bloody show!

[Princess Sparkle]

I have never heard of Sharna's partner, but WOW, he's hot like fire.  

[halopub]

2 hours ago, sinkwriter said:

I think it's too soon for Ryan Lochte to join the cast. I'm not in a mood to cheer him on after his behavior and his bullshit apologies that weren't really apologies.

This might be a case of him honoring his commitments - Good Morning America pointed out today that Lochte was signed before the brouhaha.

[Uke]

1 hour ago, Saytura said:

It's basically a rodeo show in Lubbock, TX.  The money she would get paid from that probably doesn't even match one episode of DWTS.  I'm sure she'll cancel and they'll find another performer.  Usually shows that are a part of fairs/rodeos have plenty of backups ready that can fill in last minute.

Ohhhh I see. Thanks for explaining.

[friendperidot]

I'm not fond of Derek, but maybe having Marilu might redeem him in my eyes! lol. And I love the episode of Taxi where she dances, it's kind of the show within a show that most comedies try to do. She has a dream to be a Broadway dancer and does a very nice job. Reverend Jim plays to the piano, to the surprise of the cast and to the character. One of my favorite episodes, right up there with Jim's driving test.

[Hiacios]

I'm excited for this new season of DWTS!!! I'm going with James Hinchcliffe & Sharna Burgess and Jake T. Austin & Jenna Johnson!

[iMonrey]

For what it's worth, I know who six of the celebrities are, never heard of another six of them, and kinda-sorta heard of one. That's roughly 50/50 for familiarity and it beats the heck out of last season's cast as far as who I knew then. Thank God for the Olympics, I guess.

[BW Manilowe]

9 hours ago, kitcloudkicker said:

Snap judgements, now that the cast is officially (if anticlimactically) revealed:

Tops:

Laurie and Val - She's got charisma for days, more natural rhythm than Aly, and is the most naturally comfortable in front of the camera than any gymnast they've had on yet. I've been saying Val hasn't had an athlete yet, and this is a good one for him. And when Val has the young one he can't lean into his boring comfort zone of sultry and overly intense, and the sassy Val that usually results is more fun for me to watch.

Promising:

Calvin and Lindsey - For all the hardworking less showboaty football reasons, plus I think Lindsey's become one of the top pros, for teaching style and choreography.

Jana and Gleb - Definitely the prettiest couple. She seems to have a lot going on right now though and I could see it becoming overwhelming. Or fuel to do well, we'll see. 

Marilu and Derek - They're going to get on like gangbusters, are you kidding me? Have you ever seen him with Shirley Ballas? He's going to Eddie Haskell his way right into her heart.  (And cmon dudes, she's in her 60s, that's not an advantange. And who-is-or-isn't a ringer is the Most. Boring. Conversation. Anyone. Could. Ever. Have.)

James and Sharna - I don't know the most about him, but he seems to have the potential to be the likeable-easygoing-and-hardworking-if-not-the-best-dancer one, a la Helio and that rodeo guy that's married to Jewel.

 

Could go either way?

Amber and Maks - They could be great or they could clash spectacularly, I have no idea. I also don't know what to expect from her, will she be stiff and awkward a la Kim K, or really turn it out and be unexpectedly charming? I only know her from passing tabloidy crap that makes me roll my eyes, but willing to give her a chance.

Vanilla Ice and Witney - Tempted to put this as a hot mess, but people are saying he was on another reality show and was humble and hardworking? Could be unexpectedly Tommy Chongish?

 

Potentially lost in the shuffle:

Maureen and Artem - Kind of head to head with Marilu on the nostalgia vote, and as much as I like Artem, I think there's a chance they could be overshadowed. Also, based on nothing, she seems like she might have the sort of nervous energy like Danica McKeller had.

Terra and Sasha - Not sure if the lack of name recognition will hurt her. 

Jake and Jenna - Rumors are he's kind of a dick. And is "youngest, least recognizable sibling on Disney show that's been over for a while" the biggest draw for their younger crowd?

Babyface and Allison - I kinda keep forgetting about them? That's probably a large part of my own pop culture biases - I mean I know him, but mostly through stuff he's produced. I don't know his on-screen personality much at all.

 

Gonna be a hot mess:

Ryan Lochte - The only way he has a shot of being forgiven is if he comes off as crazy hardworking and humble. Cheryl has a better chance of getting that out of him than anyone, I think. But it's a looong shot, and just judging by how stiff and awkward he is in interviews, I have a hunch he's going to be a seriously bad dancer.

Rick Perry - Ryan Lochte if we aged him 50 years and gave him political power. Even if he wasn't a trash bag of a human, how long would he even want to stick around for? I can't see him being interested for longer than a week or two.

Just a couple of small things in reply:

1. Jewel & the rodeo guy (Ty Murray) divorced, I think, a couple of years ago now. It was publicized, but also kept kinda quiet.

2. Yeah, Vanilla Ice has done some other reality stuff. I think a couple of shows on DIY network having to do with home building &/or renovation, & something more recently that involved the Amish, as I remember (I don't think that was on DIY network, but can't remember which cable channel it was on); I think he had to live as they do, or something similar. He might've been in the casts of other shows, like Celebrity Rehab, etc., but I can't remember. The shows about home building/renovation I'm pretty positive about though; the Amish show I'm not quite as positive about.

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

[BW Manilowe]

5 hours ago, McManda said:

I also don't know who she is, so ...

I have a hard time believing TPTB would think she's a big enough get to let her Skype in a performance. If they do then that's a new low for the show, especially with the uproar about  Kim Z's injury. 

As already said, Jana's an up & coming country singer. And at the end of last week, she announced her separation from her ex-NFL player husband who was entering rehab for treatment of an undisclosed condition. They have a 7-month-old daughter, Jolie. She also was in the TV show One Tree Hill.

[kitcloudkicker]

20 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

Just a couple of small things in reply:

1. Jewel & the rodeo guy (Ty Murray) divorced, I think, a couple of years ago now. It was publicized, but also kept kinda quiet.

2. Yeah, Vanilla Ice has done some other reality stuff. I think a couple of shows on DIY network having to do with home building &/or renovation, & something more recently that involved the Amish, as I remember (I don't think that was on DIY network, but can't remember which cable channel it was on); I think he had to live as they do, or something similR. He might've been in the casts of other shows, like Celebrity Rehab, etc., but I can't remember. The shows about home building/renovation I'm pretty positive about though; the Amish show I'm not quite as positive about.

Upon further reflection, Vanilla Ice's inclusion in the cast seems to substantiate rumors that they were scrambling to fill the last few spots. He seems to be "the guy you call if you have open spots in your celebreality show." He was also on Dancing on Ice in the UK.