S01.E01: Premiere

[OnceSane]

Quote

The full cast of contestants performs in the opening number; each couple performs a cha cha, salsa, foxtrot or jive; two teams are eliminated.

Airs October 7, 2018.

[Lady Calypso]

I wasn't planning to watch but I decided to tune in during commercials for my other show at 8pm and then stuck around through the second hour. So I didn't catch many of the dances in the first hour. 

So, Frankie and Jordan are both amazing hosts. Jordan has a very suave presence on television and he didn't go over the top with his hosting. Frankie was a little more out there, but he was the one mostly interacting with the kids after their dances and trying to get some answers out of them, so I thought he did the best job he could with connecting with them. Both of their hosting duties are basically reduced to less than 30 seconds at a time, which is understandable, since they're with a whole lot of kids. 

The judging was...eh, for the most part. Val wasn't good at judging at all. I felt like he didn't know how to critique the kids in a way that works for them, so he went soft on them, which made him seem flakey. Adam was...Adam. He doesn't have dance experience so he could offer no real critiques of his own, which meant he was stuck showboating. Mandy was a surprise for me. I don't know a whole bunch about her as a person and I've only seen her choreographed dances on the original, but I thought she did an excellent job judging the kids and giving them extremely great constructive criticisms. She connected with the kids and told them something they could improve on without being harsh about it. 

Looking at the mentors, I was impressed by a few of them and not as impressed by others. I'm actually glad I tuned in for at least this premiere, because I've been very cold on Brandon the last couple of weeks on DWTS. Here, I can totally see why he got bumped up to a pro. I very much enjoyed seeing him mentoring the kids. He definitely got the best kids to mentor and he provided some great choreography. It definitely has helped raise him a little higher so I can see him in a different light tomorrow night. Ariana and Artyon are great dancers, for sure.

Gleb...sucks at choreography. Yeah, I agree with Val for once. That wasn't foxtrot, not entirely. He seemed to give up and let Kenzie do her contemporary stuff. Artem didn't look excited at all to be there. Lindsay has her sister and Miles as her kids and I think that they're all great. I don't think it had the best salsa choreography, especially since I've seen Lindsay choreograph way better, but it is the first week so maybe it'll get stronger. The dance was still strong and fun to watch. 

Mandla and Brightyn were great as well. I think them, Ariana/Artyon, and Sky/JT were the best of the night. Speaking of Alan and his kids, I can see why they ended on them. Alan, Sky, and JT were nothing but smiles. Sky is literally a bundle of joy. Her smile didn't drop from her face at all. Plus, Alan choreographed a better salsa of the night. The movements weren't very quick, but they were very precise and Sky was great. 

I'm definitely not surprised that Keo's kids went home first. I'm ok with Jenna's kids going home first, but only because I caught some of Tripp's dance and he didn't seem to want to be there. I do feel bad for the kids who do get eliminated. 

Overall, I probably won't be watching the rest of the season, but I might look up a couple of the dances online afterward. 

[Lemons]

Yikes, little white kids taking ballroom lessons paired with random kids famous for all kinds of reasons.  That was bad but I guess it’s a kid show?  

I used to love Dance Moms so I thought I’d try it.  I’ve never watched dancing with the stars senior but I would imagine the dancing is better.  Mackenzie from Dance Moms was not treated well by puberty.  Awkward.  And that poor kid Sarah palins grandson should not have been made to do that.  He was not into it at all.  

[PhD-Purgatory15]

**I am unspoiled (at least when comes to the elimination order)**

That was a bit of good fun, as Len might say.

JT & Sky were adorable, and you could really tell her athleticism in that dance. Rylee & her partner were excellent (and he clearly has had some dance training, even if it's just hip hop), as were the A Team (Arianna & Artyon), as were Mandla & Brightyn.

I would also kill for Mandy Moore to step in on the DWTS adult judging panel. Constructive, specific feedback...it's so good to hear you again ;-)

Clearly the Palin offspring was ready to bail, but I felt bad for Addison (the Masterchef Jr. winner). She, I think had a great attitude and wanted to work hard to get better, and I'm not really sure why she got stuck with all 5's.

The only time it got a little too cute by half was during Akash & Kamri's dance, and after-dance...

Edited October 8, 2018 by PhD-Purgatory15

[DNR]

I was sure Honey Boo Boo would get booted first but maybe sticking around and getting exercise thru dance would be great for her ( mama June is a weirdo) . HBB partner did NOT look thrilled at first. 

I loved the yellow couple - Arianna? Artyon?  They were my fave tonite.

My frozen heart gets annoyed by fake show biz type kids ie: the pro-kid who kept hugging/lifting his partner Scottie Pippens pretty daughter and the female blonde pro-kid who kept hugging  & squeezing Akash.  Fake&Annoying

[Runningwild]

I think Tripp is a cutie. I’m sorry he and the Jr chef got booted the first night. There are definitely some cute and talented kids on this show. Akash is adorable. I also liked Scottie’s daughter and Stevie’s son. And the skater girl and the GH kid. 

Edited October 8, 2018 by Runningwild

[Callaphera]

Well... the kid!pros are great. They all seem to be having fun which is nice to watch. The contestants? Eh. Some of the kids are too Hollywood (no, please, tell me more about your agent calling you), a few don't seem to want to be there (hi, Palin offspring. Your partner doesn't have cooties, stop looking at her like she does), and then there's Honey Boo Boo who just seems like an absolute terror like her mother with that bad "keep your eyes off my daughter" joke and the weird aggression and poor Artem. Just poor, poor Artem. At least her kid!pro seems above and over Honey Boo Boo's bullshit.  

I don't think this show is for me, but I'll probably throw it on for background noise every week since there's nothing else I watch in that time slot. Although if they started to show the pro mentors in a picture-in-picture thing while the kids are dancing so we can see them coaching them on the sidelines or just reacting, I'd probably be more interested. I'd love to see how awkward Artem's pasted on smile probably was during Honey Boo Boo's performance. 

It doesn't help that I'm old and don't know most of these kids. Baby Gamora was fantastic, though. 

[legaleagle53]

I'm not going to lie.  I absolutely loved this, and I'm in all the way!

I was really impressed by the junior pros, and there are a number of them I wouldn't mind seeing as full adult pros on DWTS or Strictly Come Dancing in about 10 or 12 years, Lev in particular.  And I thought the mentors did a great job for the most part with the teaching and the choreography.  They really seemed to be having fun working with these kids (although Keo once again demonstrates why he sucks as a pro even at this scaled-down level).  Alan had the best choreography of the night -- that Salsa was amazing!

As for the judges, I thought they were pretty good, and I found myself agreeing with them and their comments more often than I do with Len, Carrie Ann, and Bruno on DWTS. Mandy is Carrie Ann with the actual technical training and experience to back her critiques up, Val is like a soft version of Len (maybe just a little too soft), and Adam is the decaffeinated version of Bruno.  And Jordan and Frankie are great as the hosts (in fact, I wouldn't mind having Frankie take over Erin's job on the regular DWTS.  No, really, I wouldn't mind!).

Yeah, I'm totally in!

[LexieLily]

I'm going to be the jerk and ask, if the grownup-pros are doing the choreography and teaching it to the kid-pros and the celebrities, what is the point of the kid-pros?

[legaleagle53]

5 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

I'm going to be the jerk and ask, if the grownup-pros are doing the choreography and teaching it to the kid-pros and the celebrities, what is the point of the kid-pros?

Would you rather have the adult pros dancing with the kids?

[Callaphera]

8 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

I'm going to be the jerk and ask, if the grownup-pros are doing the choreography and teaching it to the kid-pros and the celebrities, what is the point of the kid-pros?

Because Sasha and Witney are probably the only two that could get away with dancing with any of the kids, height-wise (seriously, Sasha was barely taller than the kids he's mentoring). And because it would be creepy as fuck for a 25-30 year old shimmying on the floor with a 10 year old, while a 10 year old shaking it with a 10 year old is cute. Those 10 years olds probably aren't capable of coming up with as much choreography as the show is going to need over the weeks. 

Adult supervision, yo. Otherwise Honey Boo Boo would be picking her nose in the corner of the practice space and ignoring whatever her kid!pro told her. Although, let's be honest, she's probably doing that anyway.

[doLLish]

I didn’t really expect much but I found this absolutely fun and adorable. My faves are Ariana and Artyon, Mandla and Brightyn, And Sky and JT. HBBs partner was really good. Like he should probably replace some adult pros good.

[LexieLily]

8 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

Would you rather have the adult pros dancing with the kids?

Of course not :)

[legaleagle53]

6 minutes ago, doLLish said:

I didn’t really expect much but I found this absolutely fun and adorable. My faves are Ariana and Artyon, Mandla and Brightyn, And Sky and JT. HBBs partner was really good. Like he should probably replace some adult pros good.

I also think that Brandon and Alan both proved that they deserved to be made full-time pros on the adult version.  Both really have a knack for teaching and choreographing.  And I also thought that Cheryl was really good with HER kids.  It made me remember that she wasn't much older than that when she started dancing (in fact, I think she was actually a little bit younger than that), and she was also very shy as a little girl.  The teacher who helped break her out of her shell and who taught her everything she knows?  Jonathan Roberts.

Edited October 8, 2018 by legaleagle53

[doLLish]

1 minute ago, legaleagle53 said:

I also think that Brandon and Alan both proved that they deserved to be made full-time pros on the adult version.  Both really have a knack for teaching and choreographing.  And I also thought that Cheryl was really good with HER kids.  It made me remember that she wasn't much older than that when she started dancing, and she was actually very shy as a little girl.  The teacher who helped break her out of her shell and who taught her everything she knows?  Jonathan Roberts.

Yes I meant to bring up Cheryl! I didn’t write out full critiques like I do for the main show so I forgot a lot of things but I remember feeling like her choreography was amazing and crisp.

[legaleagle53]

1 minute ago, doLLish said:

Yes I meant to bring up Cheryl! I didn’t write out full critiques like I do for the main show so I forgot a lot of things but I remember feeling like her choreography was amazing and crisp.

I agree.  When Cheryl is on, she's ON, and I think doing Juniors is bringing out a lot of the fun and creativity that I remember from her earliest years on DWTS. She has always said that she loves teaching dance more than just about anything, and she's clearly having a ball with these kids.  It must be bringing back a lot of memories for her of when she started out at that age.

[Quickbeam]

5 hours ago, Callaphera said:

while a 10 year old shaking it with a 10 year old is cute. 

Nope. I found it really disturbing. 

[Callaphera]

46 minutes ago, Quickbeam said:

Nope. I found it really disturbing. 

Well, yes, if you sexualize those children (which the majority of the kid!pros and the "celebs" are), you might find it disturbing. And in that case, this would not be the show for anyone who feels that way. Because sexualizing children is disturbing.

IMO, all their routines and costumes were age appropriate. The girls were wearing more clothing/had more skin covered than gymnasts and figure skaters wear at that same age and level of competition, both of which are high-intensity activities like dance is. Hell, the first female kid!pro was wearing shorts of a decent length for her routine versus the short skirt/body suit that an adult female would wear for the same routine. The boys were respectful and not horndogging it up. God forbid children dance or wear the appropriate costumes to dance or do the appropriate choreography, right? 

And let's be honest, it's never the boys who are sexualized in situations like this. It's always the girls. 

Edited October 8, 2018 by Callaphera

[HerkyJerky]

I love seeing Lindsay with her sister.  Boy, the Arnold family sure is talented!

[truthaboutluv]

Wow, some of ya'll are good, to already know all the kids names like that. I admit, I don't so my references will be more along the lines of referring to them by whatever Pro is mentoring them and maybe some family affiliation. For example, I adored Scotty Pippen's daughter (don't know her name). She was adorable and she nailed that performance. I was really impressed by her especially because of how shy she clearly is. It was amazing to see her come out of her shell and deliver that kind of performance.

Who was not shy, was little Ms Avengers star (I think Brandon is their Pro - the kids in the yellow costume). Girl was giving all kinds of sass and fierce and she KILLED that performance. Definitely Top 2 of the night for me. The other Top 2 was of course Stevie Wonder's son. That was amazing. It did make me feel bad for some of the other kids with little experience like Tripp Palin and the MasterChef girl because they were just so out of their depth against the others. 

Miles is cute and certainly energetic but he's kind of a mess. Bless Lindsay in trying to work with and pull back some of that crazy energy. He was just all over the place in that number. The other person who impressed me and it's also because like Scotty's daughter, he seemed so shy but really went for it, was the General Hospital kid. I think Hayley did a good job with keep the choreography fairly simple and basic so he was able to really nail it. And there weren't too many distractions going on. 

Good thing the public wasn't allowed to vote for this because Mackenzie would be in trouble, as I saw a lot of comments online about people irritated at her competing and the show acting like she isn't a dancer and suddenly she's "supposedly a singer" (that's how people wrote it). As for her dancing, it was okay but yeah I didn't love it. Though in the interest of fairness, Foxtrot is my least favorite ballroom dance style.

[peachmangosteen]

I loved it. Just a really fun, light thing to watch. The kids are all just adorable. And i was seriously impressed with most, actually probably all, of them.

I don't watch the judges comments on the original and I didn't here either. I might have to take a look at Mandy's in the future though, based on what I'm reading her.

I'm not a Jordan fan and I wasn't impressed with what little I saw of his hosting, but I fast forward through everything but the packages, dances, and post-dance interviews anyway so it doesn't really matter.

[Boofish]

5 hours ago, Callaphera said:

Well, yes, if you sexualize those children (which the majority of the kid!pros and the "celebs" are), you might find it disturbing. And in that case, this would not be the show for anyone who feels that way. Because sexualizing children is disturbing.

IMO, all their routines and costumes were age appropriate. The girls were wearing more clothing/had more skin covered than gymnasts and figure skaters wear at that same age and level of competition, both of which are high-intensity activities like dance is. Hell, the first female kid!pro was wearing shorts of a decent length for her routine versus the short skirt/body suit that an adult female would wear for the same routine. The boys were respectful and not horndogging it up. God forbid children dance or wear the appropriate costumes to dance or do the appropriate choreography, right? 

And let's be honest, it's never the boys who are sexualized in situations like this. It's always the girls. 

 

UGH Agreed. I have been avoiding message boards for this very reason - fear of people sexualizing children. Gross

Moving on - I thought Miles did a great job with a ton of choreography. The content was not his critique, it was Lindsey's. The dance was adorable but I think Lindsey realized he had rhythm and was a good hip hop dancer so she added tricks. It looked more like a jazz number than a salsa.

Mackenzie and Sage look like two adults picking on kids LOL .. How is this even fair?

Edited October 8, 2018 by Boofish

[bybrandy]

When was this shot?  Was the spelling bee kid still 8 then but he knew he'd be 9 by the time the show aired?  Is that why the confusion/hesitation?

Scottie Pipen's daughter is bizarrely attractive for a kid who looks so much like him.   

I liked most of the kids.  Sad to see Masterchef kid go.  She seemed to be more in sync  than some of the people who scored higher than she did.  I didn't think she was great but I thought she had more room to work hard and improve than some of the others.

Love Miles from Blackish but will be interested to see how he does with a ballroom posture/hold.   But loved his dance.  

Your parents only get to be proud of you on TV if they happen to be celebrities.   

[DNR]

How is a Dance Mom kid even part of the competition , it hardly seems fair . Just hand her the mirror ball now 

[Miss Slay]

This show is so cute. I enjoyed every minute.

 

My faves was the kid from Blackish, Steve Wonder's son, Scotty Pippin's daughter, team yellow (not sure of their name), the spelling bee champion, and the adorable skater.

[Iceprincess11911]

I was so sure I was going to hate this show.  Was i surprised, I loved it.  The kids were great, better then some of them some of the adults on the main show.  I don't think anyone should have been sent home the first night.  The girl from Masterchief was better then a few of the others, even though her partner was a foot shorter. 

What I didn't like was the adult costumes on the little girls , and what was that thing they put Honey Boo Boo in. Yes she is a larger child. but you don't have to dress her in a outfit that showcases it (As a kid i was heavy too, and my mom would dress me in these god awful dresses with big ass flowers).

As for the judges, I think Adam needs to remember these are kids, talk frigging normal, I keep waiting for him to do an eye roll.

[deemac]

I just flipped to this during commercials in what I was really watching.  I caught Witney the adorable but quintessential dumb blonde mentoring the spelling bee champion.  I laughed for the rest of the night.

[BeeBop88]

All I can say, is that the TPTB DWTS crew must really hate Artem. Sticking him with Honey Boo Boo and never giving him a ringer. Shameful! I think Lindsay is a great dancer, but the squealing she did with her little sister got to be annoying. Once ok, but that is it. Poor Tripp. His fame wh(re mom Bristol and granny Sarah surely pushed him into this.  Let the kid live a normal life. Well whatever is seen as normal in the Palin household, I guess. Emma sure is cute with kids, she will make a great mom when the time is right.  Doesn't surprise me that the Keo team is out on week 1. How many times has he been out on week 1 on DWTS? I have lost count.  Scotti Pippin's daughter (whose name I have already forgotten) is very shy and I am 50/50 on whether she really wants to be there. But she is quite a little performer when she gets on that stage. Surprisingly impressed with her.  So far I think the contenders are Team Cheryl, Team Emma, Team Sasha, Team Lindsay, and Team Brandon.

As far as ratings goes, DWTS Juniors premiered with 4.98 million viewers, 0.7/3 rating/share with adults 18-49. Its low ratings, but I don't think Sundays are known for very high ratings.  So who knows if they will continue next season. Juniors could be like SYTYCD. No matter how low the ratings get, that show still remains on the air.  

Edited October 8, 2018 by BeeBop88

[vdw84]

Good Lord, Val is not a good judge and neither is Adam. Mandy was the only suitable judge. LOL at Jenna and her team getting the boot first, didnt see that coming. 

Wow, Brandon really is a great choreographer, Im so happy for him both on dwts and dwts jr. He has great teams for both shows and I really like that he was added to the show. Im so impressed with him.

[BeeBop88]

54 minutes ago, deemac said:

I just flipped to this during commercials in what I was really watching.  I caught Witney the adorable but quintessential dumb blonde mentoring the spelling bee champion.  I laughed for the rest of the night.

So true, Witney is cute as a button, but insanely dumb. In fact those other Utah pro dancers Lindsay and Jenna aren't exactly Einstein's either. Both of them have had dumb moments and/or jokes that they didn't understand. And in the intro package that is on YouTube, Lindsay's sister  Rylee, getting confused about James Bond and James Brown. I really think that Utah should check their drinking water out there. LOL!!

[deemac]

And....I posted this on the regular show forum too....but......Artem has Honey BooBoo on juniors, he had a blind partner on seniors, who in the world has he ticked off?

[BeeBop88]

17 minutes ago, vdw84 said:

Good Lord, Val is not a good judge and neither is Adam. Mandy was the only suitable judge. LOL at Jenna and her team getting the boot first, didnt see that coming. 

Wow, Brandon really is a great choreographer, Im so happy for him both on dwts and dwts jr. He has great teams for both shows and I really like that he was added to the show. Im so impressed with him.

Val was really restraining himself last night. You could see it a couple times in his body language and tone of voice. If it had been Maks as a judge, he would have had all those kids bawling their heads off by the end of the show. LOL!!

[Boofish]

2 hours ago, DNR said:

How is a Dance Mom kid even part of the competition , it hardly seems fair . Just hand her the mirror ball now 

But they made sure everyone with a microphone let us know she has no ballroom experience. *insert Liz Lemon eye roll*

I'm no fan of Honey Boo Boo but I didn't appreciate the off color fat/lazy joke of her having to walk up the stairs and getting winded pretending the elevator was broken. Her mother should have never allowed that to happen; not funny. 

[truthaboutluv]

36 minutes ago, BeeBop88 said:

As far as ratings goes, DWTS Juniors premiered with 4.98 million viewers, 0.7/3 rating/share with adults 18-49. Its low ratings, but I don't think Sundays are known for very high ratings. 

The best way to gauge would be to compare it to the numbers for the other Sunday night shows. Also, I don't think American Idol lit up the ratings and they still gave it a second season. Just hope they don't cannibalize DWTS summer season again, in favor of it. 

eta: So I checked and it seemed to be on par with America's Funniest Home Videos. And I just can't imagine the other regular Sunday night shows - Celebrity Family Feud, Match Game, Gong Show, etc. pull in THAT many viewers. 

Edited October 8, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[vdw84]

I like Stevie Wonders son but honey, that wasnt a jive. Where were the flicks and kicks?? He put on one hell of a performance but there was no jive. It was way overscored. 

As for as ratings, I don't know if the show will be renewed or not because one the judges are unknown to many out dwts world, except Adam but I just don't think he has enough pull to bring in more viewers. The kids were great but overall something is missing and I cant put my finger on it. 

[backformore]

14 hours ago, LexieLily said:

I'm going to be the jerk and ask, if the grownup-pros are doing the choreography and teaching it to the kid-pros and the celebrities, what is the point of the kid-pros?

I don't understand.  the kid-pros are dancers.   Being children, they are not adept at choreography or teaching, which are separate skills from dancing.   So, of course, an adult is needed in those roles.  How else could they do this show?   

[vdw84]

28 minutes ago, backformore said:

I don't understand.  the kid-pros are dancers.   Being children, they are not adept at choreography or teaching, which are separate skills from dancing.   So, of course, an adult is needed in those roles.  How else could they do this show?   

I rather have the adults teach and mentor then dance with celebs. I didnt like when the adults dance with children on sytycd, it was just weird, so thank goodness they brought in jr pros for the kid celebs.

[legaleagle53]

3 hours ago, BeeBop88 said:

Surprisingly impressed with her.  So far I think the contenders are Team Cheryl, Team Emma, Team Sasha, Team Lindsay, and Team Brandon.

And Team Alan.

 

2 hours ago, BeeBop88 said:

Val was really restraining himself last night. You could see it a couple times in his body language and tone of voice. If it had been Maks as a judge, he would have had all those kids bawling their heads off by the end of the show. LOL!!

Actually, I'm kind of glad that Val sees himself as the Len of this show, but since he knows how rough Len can be in his critiques, he understands the need to dial it back a bit for these kids, including the junior pros.  The only quibble I really have with him is that I think he could be just a little more critical of certain kids, and he definitely needs to lay off directing his comments about the lack of content to them.  Content (or lack thereof) is on the adult mentors, since their job is to choreograph and supervise the routines and make sure that the kids are learning the proper technique.

[Snickerdoodle]

I thought Mackenzie was one of the pros! Color me surprised. 

[Vanderboom]

17 hours ago, doLLish said:

I didn’t really expect much but I found this absolutely fun and adorable. My faves are Ariana and Artyon, Mandla and Brightyn, And Sky and JT. HBBs partner was really good. Like he should probably replace some adult pros good.

I also found this to be unexpectedly adorable. SYTYCD juniors was good, but awkward because of the kid/adult pairings. I recognized Sophia Pippen's partner from there; I liked him, but he was a little over-the-top even then.  So was JT. HBB's partner (Tristan) also has the patience of a saint--witness his explaining the difference between walking and dancing, as well as his comment that they were in it together when she tried to blame him for a mistake.

 

22 minutes ago, Snickerdoodle said:

I thought Mackenzie was one of the pros! Color me surprised. 

I'm pretty sure one of the other pros (the first kid's?) was also from Dance Moms, but I forgot her name. 

 

P.s. I'm not even that into dance shows! 

Edited October 8, 2018 by Vanderboom

[vdw84]

I really want Pippon's daughter to comeout of her shell because I think she will be a force. Clearly she has the dance and performance quality to her but she just needs to just jump out and show her personality more because I truly want to root for her but I just need her to comeout of her shell.

[peachmangosteen]

18 minutes ago, Vanderboom said:

I'm pretty sure one of the other pros (the first kid's?) was also from Dance Moms, but I forgot her name. 

Elliana. Her partner is the Raven's Home kid, who I do think was first.

I didn't notice Scottie Pippen's daughter being shy. I need to go back and watch since so many have mentioned it.

[legaleagle53]

43 minutes ago, Vanderboom said:

HBB's partner (Tristan) also has the patience of a saint--witness his explaining the difference between walking and dancing, as well as his comment that they were in it together when she tried to blame him for a mistake.

There must be something special about pros named Tristan that makes them so patient.  Hopefully, he'll get more respect in his future pro career than his adult namesake did on both DWTS and Strictly.

[ML89]

That’s Honey Boo Boo, huh? I wanted her GONE. Tristan has the patience of a saint. 

Loved Team Hudson GH, Team Sophia Pippen, Team Yellow, and Team SkySkate. 

[PumpkinLumpkin]

Not suprised eliminations tonight. Sarah Palin's kid and Masterchef girl were really stiff and out of their element. They were the weakest dances of the night.

Best dances tonight imo were Mandla/Brightyn, Ariana/Artyon, Sky/JT, Hudson/Kameron and Elliana/Jason

[mamadrama]

Wow. Honey Boo Boo is...well, there is no way I can finish that sentence without it being totally mean, and since she's a kid that doesn't feel right. I've always considered myself kind of "classy white trash" but HBB and her mother (mostly Mama J) come across as the other kind. I do hope she stays in the competition for a little while. I am saying this from what appears (to me) to a health point of view and not an aesthetic one, but I think the physical activity might be good for her. 

[legaleagle53]

1 hour ago, mamadrama said:

Wow. Honey Boo Boo is...well, there is no way I can finish that sentence without it being totally mean, and since she's a kid that doesn't feel right. I've always considered myself kind of "classy white trash" but HBB and her mother (mostly Mama J) come across as the other kind. I do hope she stays in the competition for a little while. I am saying this from what appears (to me) to a health point of view and not an aesthetic one, but I think the physical activity might be good for her. 

I'm glad YOU had the courage to say that. I've been biting my tongue both here and on YouTube to avoid going there, since I know I'd immediately be crucified for "fat-shaming" a 12-year-old (I mean, you should read what someone said to me in the comments section on the YouTube video of her dance in response to my simple comment that she wasn't technically that good -- and I swear that that was the ONLY bad thing thing I said about her!).  But I am complete agreement with you!

Edited October 9, 2018 by legaleagle53

[spanana]

So I actually loved this more than I thought I would.  Like more than regular DWTS.  The only weird part that doesn't totally work for me is seeing 14 year olds compete against 9 year olds because at that age that is a big difference in ability and maturity.  Mind you the way the show works, I don't think that necessarily always translates into the older kids favor because it's a lot easier in many ways to root for the cute little ones than the older teenage-y ones, so in that sense the older kids should be happy it's not a public vote.  Because I suspect if it were a public vote, the older kids would get booted pretty fast.

I also enjoy that it isn't a public vote either for the kids because I see enough nastiness from DWTS fans towards teenage children on regular DWTS that I don't need to see people ripping apart little children online to push votes for their faves. 

I get the annoyance on Mack Ziegler, but I'd be surprised if she won here.  First she has the handicap of Gleb, then no public vote so no Dance Moms fans voting, and she's not little/cute anymore.  Also the ringer backlash.  I think what many don't get, at least casual fans, is that the original Dance Moms girls were not great dancers.  Maddie became better when she got away from Abby and starting working in the industry and taking industry classes, but the girls were not technicians.  Even Maddie wasn't as good as they propped her to be, especially pre-Sia stuff.  Mack was never that great of a dancer.  She mostly did cutesy acro stuff.  Eliana, Emma's kid, was on Dance Moms too but much later.  Difference is Eliana wasn't trained by Abby Lee so has actual real training, hence being a pro.  Sure Mack has a leg up on kids with no experience, but I don't think it's going to be that big of a deal.

Anyway, I'd say my faves on this show so far were Team Alan (Sky/JT), Team Cheryl (Mandla/Brightyn) and Team Brandon (Ariana/Aryton).  I also enjoyed Sophia Pippen, Akash (kid is adorable) and Miles.  I actually don't hate Alana/Honey Boo Boo and I'd argue I think Artem is getting more of a kick out of her than people think.  It's actually kind of fun to see Artem loosen up.  I'm also not holding Honey Boo Boo responsible for how she was raised and same goes for Tripp.

The only pro who seemed totally unengaged to me, though it could be editing, was Gleb.  Though it could also be cause his kids are older and it would be weird for him to be hanging all over Mack.

Jenna actually had the hardest job here because Tripp seemed to have no desire to be there and was probably forced into the show.  So him leaving was right, though I felt bad for Jenna's niece who was crying.  I felt bad for Addison because I think she genuinely wanted to be there and seemed so sad.  I was glad they didn't draw the eliminations out.

Judging wise, I agree Mandy was very good and I liked that she was able to give them very specific nice dance critiques that were actually constructive.  I didn't think Val was horrible.  Adam was mostly mumbling nonsense.  I also had an issue that he said something weird to Sophia about how when she came out he didn't know what to expect from her because she was so timid and pretty.  Now I get the timid part because they all mentioned her shyness and that was a thing of note since it went away when she performed.  But why would you not know what to expect from her because she's so pretty?  Are pretty kids not capable of things?  I'm sure he just mispoke and was rambling in the moment, but it felt like a weird thing to say.  Scoring was fair outside of I noticed Val and Adam managed to score Tripp higher than Addison, which yeah, okay.  I'm sure that was more about Jenna than dancing.

[Bridget]

It could be me, but I have a very hard time believing that Sophia Pippen is shy. Her video intro package confirmed that for me. Anyone who manages to insert “I’m a fashion & runway model” and “I’ve been on the covers of magazines” into every other sentence isn’t shy.

I didn’t like the format of how the rehearsals were shown. Whoever thought that using three square shaped graphics with simultaneous rehearsal footage should be hit upside their head! 

I’m one who enjoys the Behind the Scenes stuff, so I really wish that we would’ve seen more of the actual dance rehearsals. I’m curious to see how the “celeb kids” behaved or progressed in rehearsal. Did they have any “Aha!” moments or did they struggle? How did the mentors encourage kids who were having a hard day or remind them to practice at home? Since most of the celeb kids are working professionals, how did they cope with not mastering something after X times? It seemed like there were tons of teachable moments (for a younger audience) that were missed. 

Adam is awful as a judge. Just awful. He has no business judging dancers at all. 

Mandy Moore needs to replace Carrie Ann ASAP. She. Is. Amazing. It would be beneficial for all to have such specific feedback, and I suspect she wouldn’t squeal like a teenager and objectify the male contestants the way CAI (the world’s most boy crazy 50 year old woman) does. 

Some of MM’s comments, even the most simple yet essential ones, such as “Make sure your energy leve matches your partner” would be beyond helpful to the adults on the Monday shows. 

Val was vague and boring. Maybe he didn’t want to be as harsh as he could’ve been and didn’t know how to articulate his two cents, but if I hear him say “work on your technique” one more time......

Edited October 9, 2018 by Bridget

[spanana]

I can believe Sophia is shy because unless she is a very good actress, most of the time when she wasn't performing she was completely evading direct eye contact with people.  There are also people that are shy in real life that just know how to turn it on when performing or when a camera is around.  Not the same at all since on a much smaller scale, but my sister is painfully shy to the point of my parents always got called into teachers conferences about it.  Put her on a stage and she's just fine.  Loves to perform.  I think it's decently common for shy people to channel their energy into performance.  Whether that performance be modeling or acting or whatever.

Also for as cute as they are, I'm willing to bet the kids are fed some lines for their intro packages and interviews.  So it's entirely possible there is a producer off camera prompting their intros.

I've spent years harping on Mandy's uninspired choreography, but all this time she should have been a judge instead.  I don't care too much if judges are unqualified...just Adam seems like an odd choice in general when you consider he learned next to no ballroom dances on his own season so he's literally judging kids on dances he's never even learned.  A lot of times when DWTS brings on guest judges that were former contestants, at least most of them have a vague memory of having learned a samba or a paso.  Adam did so few dances.

But ultimately I doubt it matters much.  I imagine the scores are going to be fairly close most of the season to the point that the winners are mostly chosen by the in studio audience.  If I had to put money on who wins, I think it's either Ariana or Skye.

In terms of the editing, I suspect the show is going to go out of their way to not give the kids bad edits.  I know some may say that Alanna (I'm not calling her Honey Boo Boo) got a bad edit, but I don't think she did.  I think the show thought that was cute and that is just her.  So I'm not sure how frustrated they will allow us to see the kids.  Based on what Jenna has said, I get the sense Tripp had some meltdowns but they didn't air those on the show.

Edited October 9, 2018 by spanana