S24.E01: Week 1

[OnceSane]

Quote

The 24th-season opener begins with 12 celebrities, including Mr. T; Simone Biles; Nancy Kerrigan; Chris Kattan; Rashad Jennings; Heather Morris; and David Ross.

[McManda]

Well, I had a wall o'text with my thoughts but it didn't paste so ... It boils down to this:

After week one I want to see more of Heather, Nancy, Rashad, and (whhaaat?) Nick. 

I want to like Simone but I still have gymnast fatigue from Laurie. Sorry, Sasha.

[smiley13]

So I watched tonight, not really being interested in anyone.  But two people really stood out to me and caused me to vote.  Rashad and Emma were awesome and so were David and Lindsay.  They were the highlights of the night to me, not any of the ringers.  I also think Nancy did a good job.

Hopefully Charo will go out first.  I could not stand her on The Love Boat all those years ago and still find her very irritating.

[LexieLily]

I see TPTB are already working overtime to temper the backlash for Heather.

[RedFiat]

Horribly boring and predictable with little to no ballroom dancing. Ima going to skip this season, they've already determined the winner. 

[smiley13]

Just now, LexieLily said:

I see TPTB are already working overtime to temper the backlash for Heather.

It certainly seems that way.   I was surprised to see them be so open about her dance background, but I guess it is a pretty well known thing.

1 minute ago, RedFiat said:

Horribly boring and predictable with little to no ballroom dancing. Ima going to skip this season, they've already determined the winner. 

And who do you think it is?  Simone?  At least if it is her, Sasha has never won.

[KLovestoShop]

Was this the first time a judge has ever called a dance raunchy?   I still can't figure out why she is on the show.  Her CD's and videos are way raunchy.

Im surprised they didn't bleep Bonner and his comment about pounding.  He looked freaked out when people started laughing and didn't seem to understand why. 

Was Carrie Ann high?  She sure acted like it at times. 

Chris Kattan is beyond weird and will be the first to go.  I give Mr T credit for trying, but he won't last long   

Simone is adorable, but I thought she was over scored.  I absolutely cannot stand Nick. All he wants is fame, and although he has fans, I hope he doesn't last long.  

[mtlchick]

Quote

I see TPTB are already working overtime to temper the backlash for Heather.

I feel bad for her,  considering she is only the latest of ringiest ringers that ever ringed.  

No one really stood out, though Nick wasn't that bad (I hate the Bachelor, but the fact he was able to nail down Backstreet's Back means I like him a teeny bit), Rashad, Heather, Nancy were good and the rest were just...there.  Outside of that, Peta and Kym are looking good.  Pregnancy and marriage respectively are making them glow. 

 

First one out will probably be Chris.  I can see Charo and Mr T last 2-3 weeks based on nostalgia. 

[pally]

David came across as the Dad next door which should win him a lot of votes.  Rashad can move and he was one of the few that was visibly enjoying himself, now we have to see if he can do ballroom as well as Latin.  If she can be reigned in Charo can do better than this week but she seems to go off the rails too much.  Nancy surprised me with personality as she never seemed to show one when she was skating.  Bullriding dude is a little stiff but is cute so he'll last for a couple of weeks.  

First to go is the SNL guy

Edited March 21, 2017 by pally

[Beyoncheyyy]

Currently reading everyone on Facebook losing their minds over the rodeo cowboy trying to sneak a quick swipe of Sharna's crotch after Peta & the bachelor's dance. I think he went from newest favorite to mostly hated in record time. 

[mtlchick]

Quote

Was this the first time a judge has ever called a dance raunchy?   I still can't figure out why she is on the show.  Her CD's and videos are way raunchy.

I think Len has used the term a few times over some rumbas. salsas, etc.  But I'm wrapping my head around the fact that was an actual SONG.  Never watch a Real Housewives in my life so I have no clue who that is.  But egads, this is why the music industry is suffering. 

 

Quote

Currently reading everyone on Facebook losing their minds over the rodeo cowboy trying to sneak a quick swipe of Sharna's crotch after Peta & the bachelor's da

(blinks) ooh boy.  I wonder if that will be called out next week. 

[escape]

No, no, and no again on Simone.  This will just a rerun of last season with Laurie.   Of course they come with an advantage with their gymnastic training.

I would love to see Rashad make it to the end.  This at least will make up in part for Calvin Johnson.

[shoregirl]

3 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

I feel bad for her,  considering she is only the latest of ringiest ringers that ever ringed.  

 

Why? She's a professional dancer who was hired on Glee for her dancing.  It's not the same ,imo,  as a singer or actor who has dance experience or a skater or gymnast. She literally got her start dancing on stage with Beyonce. Allison only had a little more ballroom experience and she was hired as a pro. Maybe that's their ultimate plan give her some basics and hire her as pro next year.

Simone, David Ross and Rashad Jennings were my favorites. David Ross is not the best dancer but he made me smile throughout the whole dance.

[Beyoncheyyy]

Just now, mtlchick said:

(blinks) ooh boy.  I wonder if that will be called out next week. 

From your mouth to God's ears. I get they're the "showmance" of the season, but c'mon now. Sharna didn't look too happy, but that could be because she's more accustomed to live television and knew it could be seen. Either way, keep it in your pants until you're at home, cowboy, so everyone on Facebook doesn't break out their pitchforks on you. 

[McManda]

Part of me wants to think Bonner's hand placement was accidental, but then Sharna pretty obviously redirects his hand so she's either got more awareness than he does or it's not the first time he's tried that move.

Eh, I'm more into Nick, despite him being the Bachelor. (Yeah, I watched his season. The dude got BSB to be on an episode and I got sucked in.)

Edited March 21, 2017 by McManda

[Callaphera]

12 minutes ago, Beyoncheyyy said:

Currently reading everyone on Facebook losing their minds over the rodeo cowboy trying to sneak a quick swipe of Sharna's crotch after Peta & the bachelor's dance. I think he went from newest favorite to mostly hated in record time. 

Oh, Dancing with the Stars. Already bringing the drama and I forgot to buy popcorn. 

I was a little underwhelmed tonight but that just made it a little more interesting.

[Alapaki]

2 minutes ago, McManda said:

Part of me wants to think Bonner's hand placement was accidental, but then Sharna pretty obviously redirects his hand so she's either got more awareness than he does or it's not the first time he's tried that move.

He starts out with his hand on her waist/belly and seems to intentionally move it downtown.  And she immediately pulls it away.  It was actually kind of creepy.

[Uke]

Welcome back DWTS!  I've been ready for some dancing on my tv again.

Opener - I haven't seen LaLa Land so I was expecting more but it was ok.  Happy & energetic.

Normani:  Cute beginning but it sure took a long time to start quickstepping.  But she looked good, fast, sharp. Nice start to the season.  No apparent first week nerves. Agree with the scores. The 6 was for the slow getting  started I think.  (Val, shut it!)

Nancy:  Why is Artem shirtless on the ice?  There's been a lot of talk about Nancy's alleged "attitude" but she seemed pretty humble to me.  Beautiful extensions but not as smooth as I expected.  Nerves maybe?  Nice start.  (Loved the song but that singer! He spoiled it for me.)  Agree with the scores.

Chris:  What was that!?!? Ohhhhh myyyyyy.  The scores were fair, if a bit generous.  Did he even try?

Nice to see Terra in the audience. I saw in the tv listings that her Little Women show would have some DWTS behind-the-scenes so I tuned in.  She had quite an ordeal - 3 abdominal hernias plus bleeding from one of her breasts.  Alot of this was revealed in LW footage recorded at the DWTS rehearsal studios, often immediately following rehearsals with Sasha.  So DWTS TPTB had to have known, but never revealed any of it - interesting.  She looked good, though, and I hope she's all healed up and feeling well.

Bonner: at one point the guys were doing their cowboy dancing and Sharna was off to the side seemingly not knowing what to do or she lost her spot or something.  I don't really care for that cowboy dancing so I hope this was just to introduce him this week.  There was some cha cha in there, though.  I don't think he's all that "hoooottttt" or oozing - he seems kind of dull to me but... whatev!  Scores were fair.

Charo:  This woman is in her 60s?  LOL!  Time to switch to decaf! Does Keo rehearse with earplugs? She seemed horrified by the scores, which I did think were a bit low.  I would have given her all 6s, maybe one 7.

Nick:  I think he got a little tangled up just before the side-by-side work and at times he looked a bit pigeon-toed and a little out of sync but otherwise he's got potential. Agree with the scores

Heather:  I'm not quite sure what to think about that package. Beautiful performance, as it should be with 2 pros.  I'm a little annoyed that Julianne reinforced the whole "but she's never done ballroom" nonsense.  She's still MILES ahead of everyone else.  Sorry Heather but I hope you're first out - to show TPTB that we don't want  DWTS turning into SYTYCD-ballroom edition.  Interesting they held the scores down for her - how long will that last.  Maybe TPTB were a little afraid higher scores would anger the viewers?

David:  Cute quickstep.  A little slow but enjoyable.  Lindsay does a good job adapting the choreography.  He seemed light on his feet - I think he's got potential.  I had to look him up. He just turned 40 yesterday - and they call him "gramps"? Huh?  I agree with the scores.

Erika:  If she wins she'll give him her Lambo - she'll just get a new one?  Oooookaaaay.  That was her singing?  She's sure not shy but she was rather wobbly at times.  Sorry but she's a turn off.  At least she owns her raunchiness.  Hopefully Gleb will tone it down next week.  I guess I'll agree with the scores - I thought Len might have popped a 5, and I wouldn't have minded.

Rashad:  Good first dance.  I don't know if that was the best dance of the night so far (Julianne has been annoying me all night) but it was good.  I think he was a little off beat here and there and sometimes flat-footed and sometimes up on his toes. But good effort.  8s? Wow! Way overscored. All 7s would have been right though I'm guessing they are winding up for big scores for Simone and this will soften the trip to the top of the leaderboard.

Ha! Laurie turning it on when she notices the camera on her.

Mr. T.:  Ok - he made me laugh.  He did some real dancing there and Kym even trusted him to do a little bit on his own, even if it was off time, off-step, oh well, I enjoyed it. How do you get all 5s and still be well above the bottom? LOL! I hope he sticks around for a while. Scores were fair but I wouldn't have minded a 6 in there somewhere.

Simone:  I hate the dark stage and laser lights setup. Add a flouncy skirt and most of the time I couldn't even see what her feet were doing.  I just hope this is not another gifting-to-the-gymnast season.  Nice scores.  It's hard to critique what I can't see.

So! There we have week one.

[MsPH]

1 minute ago, Alapaki said:

He starts out with his hand on her waist/belly and seems to intentionally move it downtown.  And she immediately pulls it away.  It was actually kind of creepy.

Yeah, that was just gross. I suspect it's not the first time he's been inappropriate judging by Sharna's reaction. Hope he's gone soon.

Rashad surprised me. He was really enjoying himself.

Nick did well considering he seemed totally terrified. Hopefully he'll calm down a bit next week.

I just can't with all the female ringers. Meh. Nancy was beautiful.

[Beyoncheyyy]

5 minutes ago, Alapaki said:

He starts out with his hand on her waist/belly and seems to intentionally move it downtown.  And she immediately pulls it away.  It was actually kind of creepy.

Super creepy vibes, but brings plenty of comedic gold in the comment department. 

[Babalooie]

Keo has his work cut out for him.  After the dance each week (not many probably), he needs to be handed the official DWTS handcuffs so he can handcuff himself to Charo to keep her from hijacking the show.  I could see Chris Kattan doing the same, but he won't be around long enough.

[MerBearHou]

Re the Bonner crotch moment:  I had already noticed in their rehearsal segment that Sharna seemed to put her hand on his front zipper and that caught me off guard.  Anyone else see that?

[McManda]

5 minutes ago, Uke said:

Opener - I haven't seen LaLa Land so I was expecting more but it was ok.  Happy & energetic.

The only inspiration that opening took from La La Land was to have it feature cars and even that was a stretch. 

[RedFiat]

3 minutes ago, Alapaki said:

He starts out with his hand on her waist/belly and seems to intentionally move it downtown.  And she immediately pulls it away.  It was actually kind of creepy.

Yuck, what I hate is these "moments" are designed for maximum effect. The sex stuff is way over the top with Sharna and Gleb already, I get they want to keep their dance jobs, but I hate that the show makes whores out of them in the process.  And it's not just Gleb and Sharna, it's been this way forever.  The upside for pros that pour on the sex is they really don't have to teach dancing. 

[spanana]

I think I'm definitely Team Rashad/Emma.  By far the ones that made me smile the most.

I'm of two minds on Simone.  I didn't enjoy her dance from the performance side as much as the judges did.  However all the Laurie and too many gymnasts backlash is not her fault.  If they don't stop mentioning Laurie every two seconds in future weeks, I will lose my mind (what is left of it).  This should be Simone's experience and not Laurie 2.0.  We have football players every season and nobody is complaining about Rashad.

The other difference to me on the Simone front is she has more competition this season.  Last season while I preferred James, it was clear Laurie was winning from day one.  Her only real competition was James and she came in with such a leg up in the fanbase department.  This season there are other ringers that I don't think it's entirely in the bag.  She's not so far and away above everyone else.  You've got Heather, the ringer of ringers.  You've got Normani with a huge fanbase and plenty of dance training.  You've got Rashad who is a natural mover and charming as heck.

Though I really think Heather could be a shock boot mid season.  Right now I'm thinking finals could be Normani, Rashad and Simone?  Normani is better IMO than what she showed tonight.  She wasn't bad and going first is always tough, but she should be good in the latin.

[jennifer6973]

I loved Nancy and I loved David

Bonner Bonner Bonner - did not like that.

[PTVjones]

Sorry, I know she's an American hero, but I really dislike Simone. Like... for real dislike her.

The cutesy, giggly thing was tolerable on Laurie because she's 16, but on Simone (whom I believe is 20) I just find it really irritating. 

She seems super short even for Sasha so that was distracting during their dance and she gives me like... the worst combo of Laurie and Bindi. 

Edited March 21, 2017 by PTVjones
Simone's age for clarity.

[RedFiat]

I don't dislike anyone in the show, I guess I'm just tired of the formula. 

[PTVjones]

For reference...

[spanana]

7 minutes ago, PTVjones said:

Sorry, I know she's an American hero, but I really dislike Simone. Like... for real dislike her.

The cutesy, giggly thing was tolerable on Laurie because she's 16, but on Simone (whom I believe is 20) I just find it really irritating. 

She seems super short even for Sasha so that was distracting during their dance and she gives me like... the worst combo of Laurie and Bindi. 

IMO it's largely a gymnast thing.  They spend so much time stowed away in a gym that they haven't lived much outside of it.  Aly Raisman was the same way and she was 18 at the time.  Generally I find Simone somewhat more mature than Laurie, so I hope she will get some of it out of her system.  She's less naive than Laurie, though that is the difference between 20 and 16.  

Edited March 21, 2017 by spanana

[chitowngirl]

16 minutes ago, Uke said:

 

David:  Cute quickstep.  A little slow but enjoyable.  Lindsay does a good job adapting the choreography.  He seemed light on his feet - I think he's got potential.  I had to look him up. He just turned 40 yesterday - and they call him "gramps"? Huh?  I agree with the scores.

40 is old for a baseball player, especially a catcher since that's hard on the knees.

[TroopinFairy]

 I missed the Bonner hand placement thing because I'm usually doing other things while I watch this show. I don't like the fact that it seems like I already know the winner already. I have nothing against Simone but, this is Laurie all over again. I liked the baseball and football players. I liked that Kym is back on the dance floor because I missed seeing her dance.(Sadly she probably won't be on for very long though.) I don't like the "Real Housewives..." women. She's seems to be trying too hard and I don't like materialistic people.

Edited March 21, 2017 by TroopinFairy

[Emily-D]

I'll be very surprised if the first elimination is anyone other than Chris Kattan or Charo. Chris' dance was awful and Charo was just downright annoying. I felt sorry for Tom. I also really dislike Bonner, he gives me a really creepy vibe and the attempts at a showmance are boring. Hopefully he doesn't improve and gets eliminated early, not a fan at all. David Ross was absolutely fantastic, such a humble player good hearted guy. Rashad, Simone and Nancy were all great. Erika needs to have a day off on the "sexiness" she's not all that. Mr T made me smile, he should last a couple more weeks on nostalgia value. The producers sure went overboard playing damage limitation on Heather as well. I still think she's a shocking elimination when we get to around the final 6.

[Uke]

12 minutes ago, McManda said:

The only inspiration that opening took from La La Land was to have it feature cars and even that was a stretch. 

Doing the choreography for a movie is great and she's often does well on SYTYCD but Mandy has a platform on DWTS EVERY WEEK! She seems to give DWTS short shrift in the creativity department. I don't understand why.

[Beatrice]

I know my faves Heather and Maks aren't winning this but I just want to see them dance for as many weeks as possible. That dance was so beautiful and they seem like a great pair.

[PBGamer89]

I wish Nancy and Normani went later in the show because they are classic types of dances that got underscored for going in the beginning. Not saying they would've gotten tremendously higher, but maybe two or three points higher which can be a big deal in the end.

It was smart to underscore Heather and keep her dance simple. Coming out all guns blazing with a 10 worthy dance would've been bad, very bad for her. I am excited to see her routines throughout the season.

Nancy also was kind of awkwardly adorable too. If her dancing stays at a good standard, she could be here for awhile cause of the Olympian and 90's nostalgia. Plus all the people who want Artem to go far.

Simone is easily the one to beat. So many things going for her. The biggest name from the Rio games, a pro who's not won or even made the finals, and the typical gymnast movement ability. The height difference could be an issue, but Sasha seems excited to have someone with potential to win.

The men all seem like lost causes except for maybe David and Rashad, those are the only two I could see making the finals.

[mrsmit7]

Thought Normani was pretty significantly underscored, especially with that 6 lol. But she went first and got arguably the worst possible dance for her out the way, so she should be great from here on out.

Heather was a little underscored too. But I though Maks played it safe on purpose.

Thought grandpa Ross was a little over scored but I like him, and I think he's gonna still the general audience votes, and be finale bound.

I think Norman & Grandpa Ross or finale bound and 1 more out of heather/simone/Rashad

Hope chris gets the 1st boot bc I selfishly want to see more of mr.t & charo

Overall OK 1st week, hopefully next week is better

[ladylaw99]

I liked Rashad and Normani.  

I did not see the footage of Bonner until now, wow that is disgusting.  I feel bad for Sharna.  I was hoping this might be her year, I guess not.

Not bad but a little boring.  We will see what next week is like.

[Packerbrewerbadger]

The ringer of all ringers was the Hough's cousin( I can never remember his name) because he actually competed in ballroom as a junior.  That's why I rolled my eyes when Julianne mentioned Heather trained in dance but not ballroom. I like Heather and will enjoy watching her.

Don't they usually hold off salsa did later in the season?  Usually the first week is basically cha cha and fox trot. Surprised there were Viennese Waltzes also.

Still hate all those extra dancers!!!!!!

[JeanneH]

34 minutes ago, MsPH said:

 I just can't with all the female ringers. Meh. Nancy was beautiful.

There's a school of thought out there that says that figure skaters and gymnasts are just as much ringers as dancers (of all styles), due to all the dance training they have. They don't have to be trained in ballroom, just dance in general.

[spanana]

16 minutes ago, mrsmit7 said:

Thought Normani was pretty significantly underscored, especially with that 6 lol. But she went first and got arguably the worst possible dance for her out the way, so she should be great from here on out.

I don't think Normani was that underscored.  I think all 7's would have been fair.  The 6 was too much.  She had tons of dance content and her dance was fast and quickstep is hard, so I give plenty of credit.  But her footwork was messy at times, so in that sense I think 7's are cool for week 1.  Her top half looked nice. I would have upgraded Heather to at least partial 8's and I think Normani should probably have outscored David slightly, but I don't think her scores were that far off.

I agree her getting quickstep out of the way week 1 is beneficial.

Edited March 21, 2017 by spanana

[Uke]

52 minutes ago, McManda said:

Part of me wants to think Bonner's hand placement was accidental, but then Sharna pretty obviously redirects his hand so she's either got more awareness than he does or it's not the first time he's tried that move.

 

Men generally know where they are putting their hands.  I only saw it on someone's tweet. Creepy.

[WhosThatGirl]

I hate it when the early dances have extra random dances right away, but I have a theory that these happen to the not as good dancers. It makes sense as it takes off the focus from them. Like Chris really needed extra people for deflection.

im rooting for heather. I know she's a ringer and Simone was good but Laurie literally just won and ugh. 

[saylubee]

I'm not sure Bonner was completely intentional with his moves.  He's obviously looking in a completely different direction, grabs Sharna from almost behind him and pulls her in, and it seems like his hand is lower then he thought.  I didn't see it live so when it was described here, I imagined the butt to crutch hold with his hand on her stomach moving south.  It's definitely squicky though.  If it was intentional and Sharna was uncomfortable, it should put a stop to the showmance pretty quickly.  But IIRC it was Sharna who said earlier in the week that DWTS wouldn't survive without scandals keeping it in the headlines -- she may be a-ok with it all.

[MsPH]

14 minutes ago, Packerbrewerbadger said:

The ringer of all ringers was the Hough's cousin( I can never remember his name) because he actually competed in ballroom as a junior.  

I wish he was on this season, since the cast seems really unbalanced. All the men are pretty much total amateurs while all the women have obvious dance experience. 

[Ripley68]

Simone suffers from Gymnastic hands/arms.  Laurie didn't have that problem as much as other gymnasts have had (Aly and Shawn both had it really bad).  I was pleasantly surprised by Nick. He isn't a horrible dancer - actually 1/2 way decent.  The baseball players dance was what DWTS used to be, simple choreography with someone who really doesn't have that much dance experience.  Kim sure has the dance around the star moves doesn't she?  Loved Mr. T's attitude though.  Didn't like Normani's dance that much, Nancy was obviously very nervous.  I like Heather, so it's not bothering me too much.  I did love Nick and Peta having a good laugh over the mismatch though.

[friendperidot]

I don't think it's a forgone conclusion who will win. I had high hopes for Simone, but I thought her dance was a little on the hectic side. And someone said she was awfully short for Sasha, uh, he had Terra last season. And speaking of Sasha, he's suddenly looking a lot older to me than he has in the past and he has a very young partner. I'm in the age bracket with Charo, so 20 is very young.

Charo has amazing legs, I didn't care for her dance, but she moves pretty darn well and in those heels! Many of the women over 50 have worn lower heels, so if I were voting, she'd have a vote or two for those heels! I can't wear heels at all any more. 

I never heard of Normani or Fifth Harmony before, so she's not a forgone winner to me either. I thought she danced nicely, it was a little long getting started, but a nice dance. And even though I knew nothing about her, I hate that freakin' song, it's been used in too many commercials and ranks right up there with the most stupid lyrics - right near the top with one from my youth - Be Bop A Lula, and if you don't know the song, google the lyrics, they're dumb.

I thought Heather was beautiful, but I don't see her as the forgone winner either, I was left a little cold by the dance. And is Max the only person who has ever fathered a child? It's nice, but enough already and it's only week one.

I really hated the housewife person. I agree with who ever said above that no wonder the music business is in trouble. But just for reference, I hate all the housewife people and shows.

I thought Nancy did a beautiful job, I'm looking forward to seeing more. I don't think she's a finalist, but will last past mid season. 

For the men, I hated Chris, I didn't care for Bonner, didn't see much of Nick - dogs needed my attention outside and I usually dislike all the Bachelor guys, I don't even understand why that's a show, kind of like the housewife stuff.

The Cubs player was better than I expected but not as good as the scores he got. Rashad seemed to have a rocky start, but did better as he went on.

I think I have a soft spot for Mr. T. He wasn't great, but there was some dancing there, it wasn't good dancing, but he did move. 

[PBGamer89]

6 minutes ago, Ripley68 said:

Simone suffers from Gymnastic hands/arms.  Laurie didn't have that problem as much as other gymnasts have had (Aly and Shawn both had it really bad). 

I saw it a little bit too, Laurie was stating many times by the other girls that she was the best dancer of the group so i wasn't surprised when she was so good. Simone is great too, but I hope the gymnast arms can be smoothed out.

[Stratego]

1 hour ago, shoregirl said:

Why? She's a professional dancer who was hired on Glee for her dancing.  It's not the same ,imo,  as a singer or actor who has dance experience or a skater or gymnast. She literally got her start dancing on stage with Beyonce. Allison only had a little more ballroom experience and she was hired as a pro. Maybe that's their ultimate plan give her some basics and hire her as pro next year.

Simone, David Ross and Rashad Jennings were my favorites. David Ross is not the best dancer but he made me smile throughout the whole dance.

I think Heather also appeared on So You Think You can Dance.

[PBGamer89]

Anyone else catch on to how the four "frontrunner" women (Nancy, Normani, Heather, Simone) all got stuck with Ballroom dances, while every man except for David got Cha Cha?