S25.E01: Premiere

[OnceSane]

Quote

The 25th-season opener begins with 13 celebrities, including Drew Scott; Terrell Owens; Debbie Gibson; Barbara Cororan; Derek Fisher; and Nick and Vanessa Lachey.

[Snappy]

I thought it was a pretty good week overall, but thought TO did a lot better than later dancers who got better scores. Barbara Corcoran needs to go. Drew Scott is wooden. I thought Debbie Gibson was off the rhythm a few times, and while I empathize about her battle with Lyme Disease, I hope she doesn't whine about it every week. Already saw that on a reality show. 

[Callaphera]

I guess they figure that there won't be a lot of crossover from Total Divas, Total Bellas, and Dancing with the Stars audiences. Because anyone who has seen even five minutes of either Divas or Bellas would have laughed until they cried at Nikki claiming that she's out of her comfort zone in heels and dresses because she's so used to body slamming people. I mean, it isn't like both shows have ever shown her ginormous closet filled with expensive designer heels and dresses that she wears everywhere that isn't the wrestling ring. Nice try, though.

[Quickbeam]

Debbie Gibson is already on my nerves. She's the new Marilu Henner. 

[McManda]

You know it's a DWtS tango because lasers.

[MerBearHou]

3 minutes ago, Quickbeam said:

Debbie Gibson is already on my nerves. She's the new Marilu Henner. 

That is the most perfect analogy!  Ugh on both divas - Debbie and Marilu.

Never had heard of Victoria Arlen but I am beyond amazed at what she can do after her years of illness and only learning to walk a year ago.  Lovely, effervescent young lady and I feel that she's in the best care with Val as her partner.  

Also wasn't familiar with Jordan Fisher but he is so wonderful to watch!  Already my favorite.

Keo is a trooper.  Barbara was not good whatsoever and so creepy with her cougar-ness.

Edited September 19, 2017 by MerBearHou

[chocolatine]

Barbara is gross. Sexual harassment is never funny. Her dancing was terrible too, so hopefully she'll be the first one out.

I liked Jordan's dancing the best, but he seems a bit full of himself. Hopefully he dials that down quickly so that it doesn't hurt him vote-wise.

Vanessa Lachey is tedious. Nick doesn't bother me as much, but he doesn't have nearly the personality that his brother Drew has.

I loved Victoria's story, and hope she goes far.

Edited September 19, 2017 by chocolatine

[spanana]

So thoughts...still don't have a 100% obvious winner to me.  Jordan Fisher and Lindsey Sterling, the two ringer-y contestants, are obviously the best and most skilled dancers. They also both have pros who will know how to showcase them and who are hungry.  Will either be a surprise elim? No idea but they both have personality as opposed to Heather last season who was more low key

Frankie Muniz was probably the surprise of the night for me. I expect him to struggle with latin but he was super adorable and endearing here and radiating joy.  He and Witney have a nice partnership.

Victoria is also adorable and has a killer smile and tons of joy. She will go far on her story and I am of course floored by how far she has come and what she is able to do. However she is also going to get judged on a different scale than everyone else.  If you watch her dancing on its own without the package it wasn't that great.  For week one, cool.  But they can't judge her on her story week to week.

A lot of others blended together for me.  Vanessa is pretty good and has potential if Maks can put together good choreography for her.  She also is a good match for Maks personality wise.

I don't even remember who else danced? I thought TO got hosed a bit going first, but that is normal for going first.

Really not sure who is going first.  Barbara if people were turned off by the cougar stuff.  I'd think Sasha could be in trouble but she has a strong PLL fanbase to get her through the first few weeks.

Edited September 19, 2017 by spanana

[sinycalone]

I think Terrell Owens was a victim of the "first dancer" curse -- his scores could have been higher....maybe two 6s and a 7.  Quite a few who followed were far worse than him.  (And I say that as someone who was not fond of T.O. during some of his playing years).  

Of the others, I liked Victoria's dance and was moved by her story.  Frankie was sweet but needs to loosen up, Lindsay and Jordan could have gotten higher scores -- very good team.  I think Derek Fisher can improve....he's got some good moves, and Sharna is a top choreographer.  Lindsay - I'm pretending she's not in the compeitition for now, lol.

Edited September 19, 2017 by sinycalone

[Jax7917]

Can Vanessa lachey play to the cameras anymore than she did ? I know she hasn't hosted in years and is probably hungry for the limelight but relax !

[Boofish]

If the voting goes right,  the "shark" and the "Liar" should be the first two to go

[NeverLate]

I think this is going to be a good season. I really loved Jordan, Lindsay was spectacular, Nikki is going to be good.

I'm very happy with tonight.☺

3 minutes ago, Jaclyn88 said:

Can Vanessa lachey play to the cameras anymore than she did ? I know she hasn't hosted in years and is probably hungry for the limelight but relax !

Well, she is with Maks, he loves the camera as well. She was better than her hubby! 

[Lady Calypso]

Victoria was very joyous and very cute. I know that could get frustrating in a couple of weeks if she's always like this, but the girl has a reason to be super excited. I am super impressed and honestly, her pure joy alone makes me want to root for her. She also has got some solid moves going on. I'm very impressed what she can do with her feet when she can't even feel her legs. I don't understand biology and how the human body works, but damn if she can move pretty well. 

Another who surprised me? Frankie Muniz. I was a kid when I started watching his films and TV show, so he's definitely more of my generation, so I was already expecting a lot. What I didn't expect was how he might actually be a good dancer. Either that, or Witney was masking it well. I'd really, really like to see him make it far. I was already rooting for him; now that I know he can dance, I really want him to make it to semi-finals, at least. 

Barbara is creepy. She seems enthusiastic about the show, but the constant cougar comments about Keo made me extremely grossed out; Keo didn't look all that thrilled either, in my opinion. He seemed a little awkward. So yeah, I won't be disappointed if she's the first boot. 

Terrell wasn't bad, but that's the tough part about going first. There's a lot more pressure and the scores are probably average (I say as a new fan, apparently). I also liked David and Sharna's dance. I thought Drew was stiff, but I saw absolute potential in him. I would hate to see him get eliminated next week. I thought Debbie was alright; I'm really only rooting for her to make it past next week because of Alan. 

Vanessa and Nick were both good with their respective partners. I think Vanessa will make it farther than Nick, though he does have the bigger fanbase, so we'll see. Vanessa's mugging for the camera was very awkward, but she is a decent dancer. 

Nikki is a good dancer, but I have a feeling I'll be irritated with her sooner rather than later. It seems like she'll have the fanbase to stick around for a few weeks. As long as she provides excellent dances, then I can tolerate her (as I will tolerate Vanessa).

I think Sasha was pretty mediocre in her first dance. I actually like Sasha and watched her show, but dancing doesn't seem to be her forte. She has potential, but I wouldn't be surprised if she is eliminated next week. Though she does have the fanbase to make it far, so she might end up beating some of the better dancers, unfortunately. Hopefully I'm wrong here. 

Jordan and Lindsey are, unsurprisingly, pretty great. I do think Jordan slightly edges out Lindsey for me, although she had to go last and they seemed to rush them on stage to perform before the show ended. I'm finding myself rooting for more people this year compared to my first season, which was last season. Last season, I had my first four elimination choices and they went in that order. Now, I think I want Barbara gone first and then I'm not sure who. Probably Sasha next, but then I kind of like everyone else. 

[McManda]

Barbara is ... not good. She might like Keo, but he's not a historically strong pro so he's not going to be able to carry her with his fanbase or his choreo.

Sasha isn't as good as I thought she might be. She'll run into the same problem as Barbara; Gleb won't be able to help her with fanbase or strength of choreo.

Drew reminds me of a very stiff Evan Lysacek. He could be really good if he mellows out and relaxes. Only a little annoyed that his costume was just a suit like he normal wears with only the tiniest bit of sparkle. Are we sure he didn't just walk in from taping an episode of Property Brothers?

At the beginning of the show did Tom say there were three married couples? His line was something like "1 (something .... Bella?), 2 Fishers, 3 married couples ..." There's Nick and Vanessa, Peta and Maks ... And who else?

Edited September 19, 2017 by McManda

[LizDC]

Used all my votes for Drew! He wasn't the best I want him to stick around.  

No celeb really annoys me yet but Mark still bugs the crap out of me so just by her proximity to him, Lindsey can be the first to go. 

[Litnit]

Barbara needs to be spoken to. The objectification was gross. Did Whitney say Frankie is her Dad's age? I think she might be off by a decade?

Best premiere I have seen in awhile!

[PTVjones]

5 minutes ago, LizDC said:

Used all my votes for Drew! He wasn't the best I want him to stick around.  

No celeb really annoys me yet but Mark still bugs the crap out of me so just by her proximity to him, Lindsey can be the first to go. 

I was literally just about to say how much I enjoyed having Mark back LOL. Go figure. He definitely has a history of over dancing his partners but I think he's reigned that in a bit the past few seasons and I appreciate the fact that he has a different approach/style to the other male pros. All of the male pros can get very... sames-y TBH, for lack of a better word. 

I was a big fan of Jordan after his Grease Live performance. He pretty much made that worth watching with his one performance of "Magic Changes." I also appreciate his confidence, if your talented you don't need to hide it IMHO. Since I haven't seen anything that I'd regard as cocky, I'll hitch my vote on him.

Is it me or is Sharna's hair extra red... like radioactive red lol. I've always liked her hair but now it's almost kind of distracting...

[Toonces464]

Enjoyed this premiere and hope for a good season.

My favorites were Jordan, Lindsey and Derek. I also liked Frankie much more than I thought I would. TO, Debbie and Nikki have the potential to grow on me. Victoria was adorable but I'm over the overcoming challenges contestants. I'm probably still bitter that Nyle won simply because he was deaf. I'm totally over the married couples. I can't stand Peta, Nick is a snooze and Vanessa is annoying as hell. It says something when you put a foursome together and Maks is the most tolerable one in the group.

Speaking of the marrieds, did anyone catch when Maks said to Erin that he didn't want it to be all about Peta and Nick and Erin responded that the show is pushing that whole thing? They're not even trying to hide it at this point.

So glad Mark and Cheryl are back! I've missed both of them. Hope Cheryl isn't an early out.

[HappyDancex2]

TO is TALL.  He needs to make sure he doesn't hunch over.  I liked Derek Fisher as well.  He moved better than I thought he would.

I think the WWE chick would have gone further with Derek type choreo...she's very strong but her moves looked sloppy.  Derek is the king of repetition.   That being said...Hough free zone...kind of nice.

Not looking forward to Carrie Ann and her "joy to life" crap comments every week for Victoria. 

Barbara's song was cringeworthy as well.  Speaking of that...fire the band.  Their warbling of "Our House" was horrible.

[madpsych78]

Terrell was underscored, which is certainly part of going first, but there were moments where he was right in sync with Cheryl and I enjoyed his performance. There was no way he was the second worst performer. He should have gotten 6s and I wouldn't have even been upset with one 7.

Debbie is going to be like Maureen McCormick or Lea Thompson...basically middle-aged to older women who have some musicality but who are really in their head. Scores are fair.

Sasha - whenever I see her name I keep thinking we're going to see a Mango with Sasha Farber and Gleb, lol! She seems down-to-earth in some ways. She was OK but her dance was forgettable. Plus, I'm not crazy about Gleb. Scores are fair.

Drew had great energy but it was too frantic at times. His footwork was sloppy. I thought he and Barbara were the worst performers tonight in terms of technique, but Drew has a more likable personality on this show. I enjoy Barbara on Shark Tank but her attitude to Keo was OTT.

Jordan and Lindsay were fantastic, but that is no surprise. Before they went, I realized that none of the judges awarded a single 7 which was unusual for this show even in Week 1. I hope this is Lindsay's year to win. She does a fantastic job with celebrities, and she has NEVER had a ringer (until now). Very excited to see them dance again.

Nick wasn't too bad but seemed kind of stiff. Vanessa had better technique than him and I think that she has the potential to be a contender if Maks delivers on his choreography. Vanessa may be a mugger for the cameras but her personality during rehearsals is a great foil for Maks. 

Pleasantly surprised by Frankie, given that Witney has had a tendency to phone it in in the past with some of her partners. Would it be fair to say that race car drivers tend to do well on the show (i.e., Helio, James Hinchcliffe)? (I realize that is not his main claim to fame, but...)

I was really worried for Artem when Nikki flipped him on his back, especially on the dance floor since that is hard. Nikki has some potential, but she was also given a Tango which is more up her wheelbase in terms of capturing the character of the dance. She may have more difficulty with a "sweeter" dance like the Waltz or Foxtrot, while she may rock the Paso Doble.

Derek and Sharna - it's weird to see Derek's name and it's not referring to the Hough! Anyway, I was also pleasantly surprised by Derek. He seems like a nice guy overall. He may finish middle of the pack.

Victoria has a great story and my brain is still trying to comprehend how she can sense that her feet have reached the ground when she cannot feel her legs. Obviously she is able to use her leg muscles to move them. Very fascinating. As for her dance, I thought she did a pretty good job with her legs and footwork but could actually have done a lot more with her arms and upper body. Also, did she and Val ever separate during the dance? I think she'll be good on dances that are in hold, or dances like the Rumba, but the Jive might be her biggest challenge.

Lindsey was also very good. I have to remember that Lindsay the Pro is with an A and Lindsey the Celeb is with an E. I can't wait to see what they will do with ballroom dances and whether Mark will incorporate her violin into one of the dances.  

[smiley13]

Mark is back and is as awesome and adorable as ever!  His partner is very good.

[friendperidot]

I thought the order of dancers tonight was pretty spot on. The first hour of dancers was just...nice. Then I really enjoyed Jordan, and I know nothing about him, but the caliber of dancing went up several notches at that point. I don't much of anything about most of the stars this season, I've heard a few of the names. I didn't like Barbara, I will be fine with her leaving first, I did like her costume. I thought Drew was awkward, but he was enthusiastic. I think the basketball player has room to grow, I was impressed that Sharna trusted him with that many lifts and especially the last one on the first night of competition! I liked Frankie, I thought he was a bit stompy at times, but overall he was charming, and I did laugh at Whitney's remark about "don't call me Carlton" comment. I liked Vanessa better than Nick, but I'm so tired of all the "momma" comments. Is that her only frame of reference for herself? I know she has young children and right now it is her primary role. But I'm really tired of people only thinking of themselves in the "mommy" role. I see it in doll groups too, I hate seeing posts about pregnant Barbies and Barbies in hospital scenes and Barbies giving birth and Barbies having young babies and that's what I thought of with her constant references to her "momma" self. Victoria's story is amazing and that was a damn good dance for someone who has no feeling in her legs. Lindsey was good, but it was like watching pro dancing. I wish Len hadn't brought out the "8" paddle this early.

[Uke]

Season 25, here we go!

Terrell:  Ohhhh posture posture!  And not much control over those long arms & legs.  But he seemed to enjoy himself and he seemed confident that he had learned the choreography. 5s, agree but I'd be inclined to be a little more forgiving for first dance.

Debbie:  First choreo from Alan - a bit safe but a solid production.  There was an effort towards elegance but I could see him pulling her through at times.  She seemed timid or unsure of herself.  He needs to advise her to avoid a lot of complaining for the camera - she needs a positive spin on her story.  Agree with the scores.

Sasha:  nice pirouettes for week 1 but a lot of over-dancing by Gleb and a lot of repetitiveness.  What was the camerawork about? Towards the end the camera operator practically climbed up her back.  Agree with the scores.

Drew:  A far more awkward mover than I expected.  He was ahead of Emma most of the time, poor posture, messy feet, arms..oh gosh..too much to list.  Emma looked like she was being hurled around.  Scores ok, the 6 was generous.

Barbara:  Keo was smart to keep it simple and fun and kept it to that small stage.  Disagree with the scores. Should have been all 6s.  That 4 was unnecessarily harsh.

Jordan:  reminds me of a cross between Romeo + Corbin.  Anyway, that was a good tango.  I didn't feel any intensity and his facial expressions kept throwing me off. CAI is so foolish.  Agree with the 7s.  The 8 was just an over-excited CAI.

Not a fan of the married couple cutsie act. But I see they're really going to push it. Will be happy when one of these couples gets eliminated.

Nick:  Peta sure looks different, she's lost a lot of weight and it really shows in her face.  Anyway, I watched the dance, really I did. But now I can't remember it. Oh well.

Vanessa:  A lot of mugging for the camera during rehearsal.  I strongly disliked the intro to the dance but she did dance it well.  Agree with the scores.

Frankie:  A bit of dance-by-the-numbers (do this, now this, now this, etc.) but waaaay better than expected.  He seemed so lacking in confidence on Witney's instagram stories.  Pleasant surprise.  Wouldn't have minded one more 7 on that score.

Nikki:  Not sure about her.  I noticed she was adding extra steps (or she was tapping the floor) while in hold to go along with the music.  Agree with the scores, including Bruno noting mistakes.  Also, on Artem instagram stories, one of them he was sitting next to Nikki and he said something like "say hello to the fans" and she responds with the middle finger.  That's an unusual way to embrace the fans.  I didn't like it. And she can stop throwing Artem to the floor.  He's not used to that and she needs him as a coach.  I suspect a slice of humble pie is in order.

Derek:  Cute Mom! So excited for her son.  On Sharna's instagram stories, he seemed so low-key but he's got moves.  He needs a lot of work but good start.  Agree with the scores.

Victoria:  pretty amazing how she could do that without any feeling in her legs.  She's clearly joyous.  Good for her! Good scores too.

Lindsey:  Surprised by Len - I really thought he wouldn't like the middle section.  She's got a nice ease to her movement - great for week 1.  Happy to see Mark back!  I enjoyed this more than Jordan's tango but I see tptb are going to make a horserace with this.  I wouldn't have minded another 8 on that score.

[friendperidot]

Forgot a couple of things. I was confused at first by Nikki, thought she was doing a Paso at first.

And Derek's mom is cute, I loved her reaction when he told her he was going to be on the show! She will really enjoy it when she gets to come in person. I think he's be around a few weeks. He is going to have to watch his posture.

[Morrigan]

I've never thought Artem was good looking but my God what has he done to his hair?  And Mark too - with that skint-sides mullet with the poofy top. Blechhh.

I agree on Barbara - she could be fun but she decided to overplay the sex crap and Keo did look tense about it. Standing there with Tom her hand was on his upper thigh WAAAY too high. She knows it's stupid, surely - I fear it's a producer "suggestion" to give them a storyline. So sad, because she could be witty if it weren't for that disgusting schtick. These are the producers who came up with previous skeevy faux showmances so I put nothing past them - maybe there's no showmance possibility so they came up with this, but just. no. please. stop!!!!

I thought I was gonna love Drew - but he's so dull and dopey, and why does his brother get 30 seconds of speechifying after the dance? Like who gives a crap?? (oh yeah, the producers again - this is just the tackiest damn junk...)

Other dullards abound - let's see, who isn't?  Oh, Vanessa. I get the complaints and she's a bit OTT but I liked her - kinda like a baby Charro.  Her husband though is like a block of wood. I didn't get much out of the athletes either or Jordan but I'll try harder to pay attention next time - the Broadway guy can dance (duh). Debbie and Nikki are gonna get on my nerves - and I'm not sold on Lindsey yet either, though I can see her and Jordan in the finals already.

I've never liked Witney and tonight I was almost ready to give her another chance - then came, "You're the same age as my father!"  Back to hatin'.  The Frankie/Malcolm guy is sweet and humble though - with more personality than most of these droners. Not sure I'll be back - but I was glad to see the judges' panel back to the originals - except for Carrie Ann's odd screeching a couple times which I hope she'll tone down.

I love Victoria but didn't like them placing her back to back with Lindsey - and I think I like Sasha w/Gleb. She wasn't as annoying as most.

And why did they bother to have like 8 people dancing together after one of the commercials? Weird. Just use the poor troupe - they're put upon enough as it is, especially Sasha Farber.

[spanana]

2 minutes ago, Morrigan said:

I love Victoria but didn't like them placing her back to back with Lindsey - and I think I like Sasha w/Gleb. She wasn't as annoying as most.

Curious what your issue was with this placement?

[NeverLate]

46 minutes ago, Litnit said:

Barbara needs to be spoken to. The objectification was gross. Did Whitney say Frankie is her Dad's age? I think she might be off by a decade?

Best premiere I have seen in awhile!

No, he is the same age, why did the aging gene miss him!! Lucky devil

 

I'm thrilled for Victoria, I just know all season we will be hearing about her coma etc. I mean she has no feeling in her legs, Amy danced with no legs, just prosthetics...please dont pretend Val and her have a showmance though 

Edited September 19, 2017 by Hello Lady

[TeeMo]

I enjoyed the episode more than I thought I would based on the cast lineup. 

 

Frankie Muniz is my dark horse. He was charming and endearing and his dancing was decent. Witney also seemed more invested than she has in recent seasons which is nice. I also enjoyed that little dig at Alfonso "Some people say things like 'don't call me Carlton!" Burn, Witney, burn. 

Jordan Fisher was great and has Lin Manuel Miranda pushing for him on Twitter. I think he will be tough to beat though I worry he could end up like Corbin Bleu. 

Both male athletes were better than I expected. I thought Terrell got the shaft with those scores. Sharna needs to give up on her signature "Sharna red" hair. She looks like the clown from It. 

The married couple bit is already tiresome but they were both decent dancers. I find Vanessa and Nick far more likable than Maks and Peta so I am curious about how it will all shake out. Peta still seems to not be quite up to her previous level of dancing. Last season I thought it was due to the fact that she had JUST had a baby and was still dealing with the immediate after effects of that but she is back in pre-baby shape and her dancing still seems off to me. She also trots out the same exact cha cha basically every season. Get some new moves, Peta. Maks should be ashamed of himself for that opening with the baby dolls and the carriages but the rest of it was fine (other than Vanessa's costume-so unflattering!)

The wrestler, the violinist and Debbie Gibson all annoyed me. I kept wondering who Debbie reminded me of and then read the comment above comparing her to Marilu. That is exactly who I was reminded of! 

Shark Tank lady should be sent home for her inappropriate comments about Keo alone. Had it been a 68 year old man making those kinds of comments nonstop about Lindsay or Witney, people would be rightfully outraged. She should be ashamed of herself. 

[ChiCricket]

20 minutes ago, smiley13 said:

Mark is back and is as awesome and adorable as ever!  His partner is very good.

I hate his haircut. (Yeah, I'm old)

[TeeMo]

2 minutes ago, Hello Lady said:

No, he is the same age, why did the aging gene miss him!! Lucky devil

Frankie Muniz is only 31 and Witney is 23. I am not sure what the heck she was talking about. 

[suebee12]

2 minutes ago, Hello Lady said:

Did Whitney say Frankie is her Dad's age? I think she might be off by a decade?

1 minute ago, Hello Lady said:

No, he is the same age, why did the aging gene miss him!! Lucky devil

I just googled Frankie and he is 31(born in '85). There is no way that Witney's dad is the same age!

[NeverLate]

Just now, TeeMo said:

Frankie Muniz is only 31 and Witney is 23. I am not sure what the heck she was talking about. 

I thought I read he was 41..oh well, he still looks like he is in his 20's , no harm no foul.

Just now, suebee12 said:

I just googled Frankie and he is 31(born in '85). There is no way that Witney's dad is the same age!

yeah I saw that..( shrug)

[jcait00]

What did everyone think of Sasha? I don't know whether I liked it/her or not.

Lindsay and Jordan! My mirrorball picks since the cast announcements. They didn't disappoint, and also he was like, one of the only people who didn't have his name flashing in lights on the stage.

Oh! And I loved Frankie Muniz. So shy and sweet but GOOD! I think Wit is excited to have a promising partner (and one she's actually heard of, lol. Remember when she was paired w/ Vanilla Ice?)

[madpsych78]

2 minutes ago, jcait00 said:

What did everyone think of Sasha? I don't know whether I liked it/her or not.

Lindsay and Jordan! My mirrorball picks since the cast announcements. They didn't disappoint, and also he was like, one of the only people who didn't have his name flashing in lights on the stage.

Oh! And I loved Frankie Muniz. So shy and sweet but GOOD! I think Wit is excited to have a promising partner (and one she's actually heard of, lol. Remember when she was paired w/ Vanilla Ice?)

Now there's someone who is old enough to be her father.

[magpye29]

50 minutes ago, PTVjones said:

Is it me or is Sharna's hair extra red... like radioactive red lol. I've always liked her hair but now it's almost kind of distracting...

I have never liked Sharna's hair.  It's practically Pennywise red.

OTOH, I do love Artem as a blond!

[suebee12]

15 minutes ago, Morrigan said:

Standing there with Tom her hand was on his upper thigh WAAAY too high.

I noticed that also and she was kinda' rubbing his leg. I was waiting for Keo to move her hand away from a very private area!

[Morrigan]

18 minutes ago, spanana said:

Curious what your issue was with this placement?

I just worried that being just before the best dancer would make people forget about her and not vote -- and it sort of took away from her amazing achievement (at least imho).  It probably doesn't matter and I'm worrying for nothing - people won't forget her courageous story.  If I were any of the dancers, I wouldn't want to be before or after Mark/Lindsey - with his razzmatazz and her talent, they'll always stand out I think and kinda "take the moment" away from others.

[crowceilidh]

What happened after Sharna's dance?  They had a lot of pans of the audience and a lot of very odd expressions.  It was like there was a wardrobe malfunction or like they stopped the show and re-did the ending pose and everybody was supposed to pretend they didn't.  It was odd.

[spanana]

1 minute ago, Morrigan said:

I just worried that being just before the best dancer would make people forget about her and not vote -- and it sort of took away from her amazing achievement (at least imho).  It probably doesn't matter and I'm worrying for nothing - people won't forget her courageous story.  If I were any of the dancers, I wouldn't want to be before or after Mark/Lindsey - with his razzmatazz and her talent, they'll always stand out I think and kinda "take the moment" away from others.

For the first week, 2nd to last is excellent placement. The real forgettable placements are going 2nd or 3rd. That is usually where TPTB put you when they want to bury you. Also as amazing as Victoria is, it is a dancing competition of sorts so I don't see why she should be catered to line-up wise and only put in between weaker dancers or weaker personalities to prop her up.  Either she rises to the challenge on her own or she doesn't, but others don't need to be dulled down for her to succeed.  I'd be more annoyed to see her get special treatment.

[jcait00]

Final 3:

Jordan + Lindsay

Lindsey + Mark

Victoria + Val

Now we just wait for them to get there!

[camom]

Carrie is already annoying me (like she does every season).  Only one judge is supposed to comment on each dance, but she has to give her comments when she gives her score.  Starting next week I DVR this show so I can fast forward through Carrie.

When Barbara and her partner were dancing and they had that paper money falling from the ceiling, I thought it could be risky.  I was waiting for her to slip on the paper.  Glad that didn't happen.  Her comments and practically fondling Keo after the dance were awful.  I hope she's the first to go.  (And I generally root for the "seniors" on the show.)

[Uke]

33 minutes ago, Morrigan said:

I just worried that being just before the best dancer would make people forget about her and not vote -- and it sort of took away from her amazing achievement (at least imho).  It probably doesn't matter and I'm worrying for nothing - people won't forget her courageous story.  If I were any of the dancers, I wouldn't want to be before or after Mark/Lindsey - with his razzmatazz and her talent, they'll always stand out I think and kinda "take the moment" away from others.

I suspect the next-to-last placement had more to do with Val than with Victoria.  TPTB have been trying to make Val the new "face of DWTS" (replacing Derek) for the last few seasons.  While Victoria had the more emotional story, Lindsey gave them the more upbeat show premier ending.  I hope TPTB don't try to start a Mark vs Val fake rivalry.

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

Victoria was very joyous and very cute. I know that could get frustrating in a couple of weeks if she's always like this, but the girl has a reason to be super excited. I am super impressed and honestly, her pure joy alone makes me want to root for her. She also has got some solid moves going on. I'm very impressed what she can do with her feet when she can't even feel her legs. I don't understand biology and how the human body works, but damn if she can move pretty well. 

Another who surprised me? Frankie Muniz. I was a kid when I started watching his films and TV show, so he's definitely more of my generation, so I was already expecting a lot. What I didn't expect was how he might actually be a good dancer. Either that, or Witney was masking it well. I'd really, really like to see him make it far. I was already rooting for him; now that I know he can dance, I really want him to make it to semi-finals, at least. 

Barbara is creepy. She seems enthusiastic about the show, but the constant cougar comments about Keo made me extremely grossed out; Keo didn't look all that thrilled either, in my opinion. He seemed a little awkward. So yeah, I won't be disappointed if she's the first boot. 

Terrell wasn't bad, but that's the tough part about going first. There's a lot more pressure and the scores are probably average (I say as a new fan, apparently). I also liked David and Sharna's dance. I thought Drew was stiff, but I saw absolute potential in him. I would hate to see him get eliminated next week. I thought Debbie was alright; I'm really only rooting for her to make it past next week because of Alan. 

Vanessa and Nick were both good with their respective partners. I think Vanessa will make it farther than Nick, though he does have the bigger fanbase, so we'll see. Vanessa's mugging for the camera was very awkward, but she is a decent dancer. 

Nikki is a good dancer, but I have a feeling I'll be irritated with her sooner rather than later. It seems like she'll have the fanbase to stick around for a few weeks. As long as she provides excellent dances, then I can tolerate her (as I will tolerate Vanessa).

I think Sasha was pretty mediocre in her first dance. I actually like Sasha and watched her show, but dancing doesn't seem to be her forte. She has potential, but I wouldn't be surprised if she is eliminated next week. Though she does have the fanbase to make it far, so she might end up beating some of the better dancers, unfortunately. Hopefully I'm wrong here. 

Jordan and Lindsey are, unsurprisingly, pretty great. I do think Jordan slightly edges out Lindsey for me, although she had to go last and they seemed to rush them on stage to perform before the show ended. I'm finding myself rooting for more people this year compared to my first season, which was last season. Last season, I had my first four elimination choices and they went in that order. Now, I think I want Barbara gone first and then I'm not sure who. Probably Sasha next, but then I kind of like everyone else. 

This post pretty well sums up my thoughts exactly. I looked up a bit on what Victoria had struggled with, and damn. I truly can't even begin to imagine how horrible that must've been. I'm glad she was able to successfully battle all of that. 

I think Sasha could improve a lot, but I agreed with the judges' comments that her nerves got the better of her tonight. Not that I blame her, mind-if I were on a show like this I'd be pretty nervous the first night, too! So hopefully she can shake those as time goes on and learn to get more comfortable out there.

Drew seems like a likable guy, so I can see that benefiting him going forward, too. 

And I'm so glad I'm not alone in being annoyed by Barbara! 

[marykat71702]

I feel bad for Keo. Barbara's as cringy and inappropriate as Charo was, if not more so. 

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't understand how TO got all 5s, his dancing didn't look THAT bad to me.

My call for first outs next week are Barbara and Sasha, but Sasha's PLL fan base may keep her in it.

[Emily-D]

Good premiere mainly because no one really annoyed me and their's always someone usually. Lindsey, Jordan and Victoria are a locked final three in any order. The others might as well not bother turning up, they are simply fighting for placements. I like Barbara, Terrell, Debbie, Sasha, Drew and the married couple but they can all go in any order over the next few weeks and I'll be happy. Shame about Vanessa because she's actually a good dancer but I'm already fed up of this married couple rubbish being shoved down my throat so they won't be getting my votes. Derek Fisher, Frankie Muniz and Nikki Bella all surprised me. I thought they'd all be really bad as they are non dancers and they were all really good and exciting to watch. I gave all three along with Victoria my votes and I hope it will be those three that make it to the latter weeks and fight for that fourth finale spot. 

[boyznkatz]

Oh geez, Vanessa Lachey is seriously annoying. Yeah, we get you are a mom. Who cares!

Nick is pretty much a bore like the other Nick Peta had last season. Blah.

I guess I'm in the minority that I liked Barbara. At least she had a personality unlike most of the others. The only really good dancers were Jordan and the violinist. I can see Victoria Arlen being the next Noah Galloway. Her story is inspirational, but she can't dance. You know they will over score her though so their boy Val can get in the finals.

[gohawks]

Derek  surprised me. He danced like a man. He looked like he was actually leading Sharna for parts of the dance.

 

Vanessa was great. She can dance and I think she will show real improvement over the season . She reminds me of Mel B with her cheeky and sassy manner. She can handle Maks.

 Barbara's needs to dial it way back.

Never have cared for Mark and I still don't. He seems to have been rewarded with a "Meryl" for returning.

Cheryl looks great and Terrell is also nice to look at. I would be OK if they stayed for a while.

[katha]

I thought that was pleasant. (-: Jordan was good as expected. Lindsey as well. It was great to see Mark have the chance for choreographing a more difficult cha-cha. He does cool cha-chas, IMO this one was no exception. They can stop with the marrieds and the babies right now. Though I will give the four a bit of a pass for now, since I'm sure the show is pushing them to say that all the time. But it's enough now. Vanessa was surprisingly good and she seems a good match personality-wise with Maks. She's a bit loud and annoying and OTT, so is he. They seem to have a good rapport and no one will overwhelm the other. Also, feared the worst for that dance after the corny beginning, but then the choreo was nice.

Nikki was pretty decent, I hope she doesn't have the "way too confident, we just don't like her for no reason" reaction from the audience self-assured female contestants often get. Artem doesn't look terrible with the bleach blond hair. Huh. Frankie wasn't bad either, he might endear himself with his shyness. Victoria was solid for the first week as well, and better than some of the contestants who didn't come in with her limitations. The score wasn't outrageous either, so I'm OK with all of that so far. The question will be how much she can improve. Val had her pretty tightly controlled, but it's the first week, no one knows what she can manage in rehearsal. So I thought it was perfectly legitimate for a start, the goal will probably be to expand beyond that. Val's a very strong teacher, I'm reasonably optimistic that he'll figure something out. And I thought both Vanessa/Maks and Lindsey/Mark were best dressed. Except for Mark's hair. OTOH, he's had worse, so I won't complain too loudly. (-;

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I'm a big Erin fan, but tonight, she was a moron to refuse to let go her faux pas over Latin heel-toe leads.  She absolutely knows the rule of holes.  She just did not have it in her to let it go.  Her worst DWTS moment evuh for me.

Terrell and Cheryl got screwed.  At least Len had the guts to bust out a 4 in this ep later on.  They all should have given that paddle a major workout.

I wish this weren't so, but this is the most indifferent I have ever been to begin a season.

[Wings]

6 hours ago, Boofish said:

If the voting goes right,  the "shark" and the "Liar" should be the first two to go

Who is the liar?  Totally agree on Barbara.