In The Media: DWTS

[Dancingjaneway]

Cheryl talks about her new project and leaving the show: http://www.people.com/article/dwts-cheryl-burke-abc

[avecsans]

Anna Trebunskaya had a small part on The Newsroom this week. She played a ticket agent for a Russian airline. I didn't watch too closely because her scene was with the two most wretched characters on that show, but it seemed like she did a pretty good job. It was good to see her on tv again, but she should be dancing.

[dwtsgueststars]

For those interested, America's Ballroom Challenge returns to PBS.

 

And it made me realize how much DWTS has changed...

[legaleagle53]

Cool. And just when I had noted in the Wish List thread that PBS had stopped airing the competition years ago!

[Morrigan]

In an interview in England, Tristan made a remark which 'may' mean he'll be part of the next DWTS season that starts on March 16. What do you think? Here's the quote (and a link to the article):

 

He [Tristan] said he had appeared on six seasons of the American version of Strictly Come Dancing – Dancing With The Stars – and will be returning there in the new year. "We will see how that goes," he said. He is also hoping to be back on Strictly Come Dancing next year. "Strictly is huge here," said Tristan. "I have been very lucky in that I have had a chance to work as a dancer."

 

Read more: http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Stepping-amazing-Strictly-final/story-25754305-detail/story.html#ixzz3MmOAUnaA

Edited December 24, 2014 by Morrigan

[Buggin]

Oh, yes, please yes!! I don't even care if he gets saddled with Barbara Bush and they exit week 1 at this point - I just miss him so much on DWTS!

 

(Then again, Barbara Bush might rally the conservative fan base in a big way...hmm...)

 

With the rumors of Louis, Kym, and now Tristan all potentially being involved, I think next season is going to be interesting. I really hope they are bringing back some of the former pros.

[McManda]

I can't say that I miss Louis or Kym, but I'd be excited to get them back solely because that means it's a lot less likely that all the dances will be contemporary/bollywood/jazz/hip hop/club grinding and more actual ballroom dancing.

 

When was the last time someone did a waltz? Or a ballroom tango?

[QueenL]

Still catching up on the past season, but this is very interesting. A producer is under LAPD investigation for supplying some of the dancers (and at least one celebrity) with hard drugs:

http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2014/12/dancing-with-the-stars-drug-probe/

 

I'll post what I emailed to someone:

After looking up dates, the only female cast members who were still on the show on April 9, 2014 were Witney, Cheryl, Sharna, and Peta.

 

I feel pretty sure that it was either Cheryl or Peta, with Sharna being the outside shot.  Surprised the dancer blantantly used the words "nose candy", and that's one of the reasons why I think it's Cheryl. I've never really heard foreigners refer to it as that, but maybe I'm wrong. Plus "hey, babe" and "love you more" just strikes me as Cheryl talk. Though then again, the article is a bit unclear. Maybe that dancer is different from the nose candy one.

 

Don't get me wrong, it wouldn't surprise me at all if any of them do it, it's just that certain phrasing points to certain people, I think. Has Cheryl talked about her weight loss lately, btw? 'Cause one of the things I noticed so far this season, is that Cheryl's the thinnest she's ever been. It's just interesting, because I remember her saying that she was never capable of dieting ("I would diet for one day"), so I was curious as to what she was doing to get the weight off now.

 

I wonder which male dancer was asking for coke. Wouldn't be surprised if it was Mark or Maks. The Molly one just screams Val to me, but I could be wrong. Just fits his whole demeanor, and I could hear "well shit, just fedex it" totally in his voice, lol. The lingo fits the way he talks.

 

Who knows, though. It'd be funny if it was actually Derek. And here I was amused by the previous discussion, about who Tommy was talking about as far as the weed. This is much more interesting!

 

Also of note is that the source thinks that some of the dancers really need rehab. It's interesting, because they all seem to get the job done well. I'm curious as to who's coming off as being a wreck or on edge. They pull it together well on tv, at least. Mark has had a visible change over the years, though, though he seemed better rested looking this year. Now I'm, starting to think that there's more to things like Mark showing up late that one time, and Peta coming to the studio looking kind of methy, etc.

 

Will be interesting to see if some of the top dancers just start disappearing. Will always wonder if the stuff contained in this article has something to do with it...

Edited December 25, 2014 by QueenL

[McManda]

Apparently cocaine is big in LA. I just finished jury duty (so I can talk about it!) for a federal case involving drug trafficking, specifically cocaine from LA and marijuana from Phoenix. It was really interesting. Honestly, I can't say I'm surprised that this is coming out, but it does make me a little sad.

Edited December 25, 2014 by McManda

[Barbara Manatee]

After looking up dates, the only female cast members who were still on the show on April 9, 2014 were Witney, Cheryl, Sharna, and Peta.

 

The pros stay around as part of the troupe after they are voted off, so almost any of them could have been in the studio. But Sharna was on the east coast with Charlie for Stars On Ice all that week.

 

Is that website at all reliable? I hate to think that any of the dancers might be in this sort of trouble.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Who on the last cast was known to be keeping "sobriety?"  Tommy?  Anyone else?  

 

I was stunned to see Cheryl's weight loss and was hopeful it was not won at the price of using a drug - typically speed.  I genuinely hate that this report causes me to believe she is the most likely to be the female pro mentioned as a user.  

 

If the show is really going to veer back to more standard ballroom, it does not make sense to let Cheryl go.  Ugh.  Another reason to wonder, "Why?"

 

God help Radar if this report is not substantially correct.  BBC America will literally own them. 

[tarotx]

I hate Radar online. They do lie and exaggerate in most of their articles. Reminds me of my favorite Britney Spears tweet...

https://twitter.com/britneyspears/status/10465543475691520

 

There is probably some truth to this if only because Dance is a hard profession. It's very physical and demanding.  Unfortunately there is a lot of rumors about drugs and dancers :(

[spanana]

Don't know how much truth there is to any of it, though it wouldn't surprise me, but I don't think there is anything to suggest that the celebrity had to be from S18.  If we go back a few seasons we have someone like Andy Dick, who was supposedly on the wagon at the time.  He quickly fell off after S16.

 

All I'll say is I doubt any of it is our hardcore Mormons.  People like Witney and Lindsay are practicing and that seems unlikely.  Everybody else is fair game.  Also keep in mind that all the pros hang around after being kicked off the show and the troupe members are always around too.

 

Cheryl, Peta and Sharna all "babe" everyone, so that could be any of them.  As could be male pros asking for coke.  I agree that I could totally hear that Molly text coming from Val.

 

I will say though that if any of our pros have a hardcore drug problem, or at least a problem serious enough that needs intervention, they have been fairly good at hiding it.  None of the pros really seem off the rails and they manage to work both during the season and during the off season without much of a problem.   At least from the outside looking in.

[Uke]

I would like to point out that when a group of people spend a lot of time together, they tend to pick up each others lingo and way of speaking.  I don't see anyone specifically identified in that article.  I think it's a bit of a leap to think "this one looks like  ____ , so it must be _____" or "that one acts like ______, so it's probably _____".    I think it's safe to say none of us here actually know the pros or what they might or might not do in their private lives.  I don't know how reliable a source Radar is, but if there's anything to this story, I'm sure it'll come out in more main-stream news sources.

[Buggin]

If true, it doesn't surprise me. These pros are on-the-go a lot and I can see them getting into uppers easily. It's easy to have suspicions on who it may be but sometimes I end up surprised. It will be interesting to see if any more details come out or if any pros are surprisingly MIA next season.

[Serendi]

Pros are surprisingly MIA all the time; don't think that would be enough to deduce anything. Especially since Rob Wade will probably do more revamping of the show. It may well remain a mystery. Or someone's involvement come out in a dramatic way. Who knows?

[ciaobellame]

I will say though that if any of our pros have a hardcore drug problem, or at least a problem serious enough that needs intervention, they have been fairly good at hiding it.  None of the pros really seem off the rails and they manage to work both during the season and during the off season without much of a problem.   At least from the outside looking in.

 

The first person I thought of after reading this story was Zac Efron. The only reason why the media even found out about his cocaine addiction was because he went to rehab. He seemed to have his shit together in interviews so it was shocking to read what he was doing in his personal life. I guess some people know how to keep things professional at work.

[avecsans]

Okay, please don't get my hopes up about Tristan coming back because I will be so disappointed if it doesn't happen. I haven't even watched the last two seasons because he hasn't been on. And maybe Kym too? That would be such great news, especially if it means more ballroom and Latin and less contemporary and jazz.

[realdancemom]

I'm also hoping that Tristan will be back.  I hope a lot of the previous pros come back even if it's to perform since it's the 20th season.

[PTVjones]

Article that details who may be joining the cast for Season 20: http://www.celebeat.com/articles/16184/20150103/dancing-stars-news-robert-kennedy-jr-join-dwts.htm

 

I put the name of who may be joining the cast as a spoiler because I'm fairly new to this board :) 

Robert Kennedy Jr. may be joining the cast.

[McManda]

That article didn't get Kym's name right, which is a shame.

 

But as far as that celeb casting rumor ... I wouldn't be surprised if it's rescinded now. Who gets an offer like that (which, from what we know about past contestants seems accurate) and then takes to social media to consult people about if he should take it or not? DWTS likes to keep that stuff under wraps, and consulting social media is not keeping anything under wraps.

 

EDIT:

Oh, it looks like sent a message to his daughter and she posted it to instagram, so he's not as dumb as I originally thought. Still, he wouldn't be the first person to pay for a kid's lack of thought and desire to blog every aspect of her life.

Edited January 4, 2015 by McManda

[vibeology]

Hard to say if the offer gets rescinded. For a big enough name, the producers are likely to overlook things and

Kennedy

is a pretty big name.

[truthaboutluv]

Well I imagine this should make some very happy. Derek's definitely not going to be in the upcoming season. 

 

http://www.people.com/article/derek-hough-leaves-dancing-with-the-stars-radio-city-music-hall?xid=socialflow_twitter_peoplemag

[legaleagle53]

I broke out into a Quickstep upon hearing  the news.

[limecoke]

As to Derek not returning for next season, I'll believe it when I don't see him.  

 

Oh, is it possible Tristan might come back??  Please, please, please!!

Edited January 13, 2015 by limecoke

[truthaboutluv]

As to Derek not returning for next season, I'll believe it when I don't see him.

 

 

Unless the show does some crazy accommodations for him, I don't see how it is possible. I guess it's always possible he could be replaced at the last minute. But as long as he's doing the show, it would be impossible for him to do DWTS. I for one am thrilled. Maybe I can get through a whole season without reading "conspiracy, fix, overscoring, Golden Boy, Golden Spawn, etc." 

[howmanywords]

Nope I actually believe it this time. Derek is confirmed for this show and the tickets sites and the shows official site have his name listed so there is no possible way he can do DWTS. I say good for him! At least he has a legit gig and won't be like Maks where he'll be hanging around every week because Hollywood isnt working out. When Val confirmed the other day he already knew he'd be returning I had a feeling Derek was out. IMO he's the one they'll try and make their star.

Edited January 13, 2015 by howmanywords

[spanana]

Nope I actually believe it this time. Derek is confirmed for this show and the tickets sites and the shows official site have his name listed so there is no possible way he can do DWTS. I say good for him! At least he has a legit gig and won't be like Maks where he'll be hanging around every week because Hollywood isnt working out. When Val confirmed the other day he already knew he'd be returning I had a feeling Derek was out. IMO he's the one they'll try and make their star.

 

I kind of had the same thought.  Good for Derek and good for him for finding gigs beyond DWTS, but after I heard the news it suddenly made sense why Val already knows he's back.  The show isn't about to be down Hough and Chmerkovskiy at the same time.  I realize Julianne is still judging, but I mean on the dance floor.  I also think it likely means Val will at least get another good partner because I think the show will want to try and assure he's around until at least the semis.  If Val were smart, I would think he should use it as a bargaining chip to try and get some of the same creative opportunties that Derek has gotten from the show over the years.  Try to choreograph more show pieces and things like that.  Focus on things that might help him post DWTS and not just solely on winning the stupid mirrorball.  But anyway, it's all starting to make sense.  I'm also hoping Henry gets bumped back up to pro and I wouldn't mind them bringing Paul (who is touring) into the troupe.

Edited January 13, 2015 by spanana

[shok]

I for one am thrilled. Maybe I can get through a whole season without reading "conspiracy, fix, overscoring, Golden Boy, Golden Spawn, etc." 

 

Nope, not likely, as a year after Maks is gone there's still a pile of crap thrown at him such as having gone Hollywood, stuff that has nothing to do with the show but some people just can't let their antagonism go.

 

Personally, I'll enjoy the show so much more without all the pimping of Derek.

[superdeluxe]

Nope I actually believe it this time. Derek is confirmed for this show and the tickets sites and the shows official site have his name listed so there is no possible way he can do DWTS. I say good for him! At least he has a legit gig and won't be like Maks where he'll be hanging around every week because Hollywood isnt working out. When Val confirmed the other day he already knew he'd be returning I had a feeling Derek was out. IMO he's the one they'll try and make their star.

 

I bet they'll go all out with getting Val the win now.  I'll laugh if it doesn't work out.

[CED9]

Tony confirmed he's coming back.

[howmanywords]

I bet they'll go all out with getting Val the win now.  I'll laugh if it doesn't work out.

I'm with you on that for sure.  And I'll bet Val still doesnt learn how to play the game. Maybe after this past season he'll actually learn that natural chemistry and likability goes a lot further than forcing it and taking his shirt off every 5 minutes.

[Buggin]

I'm with you all that Val will get another ringer. I like him as a dancer but his desperation is coming out even more now that Maks finally got his MBT.

 

When is the cast announcement usually? Middle/end of February?

[spanana]

They actually do a whole bit on the tour about how most of the time Val taking his shirt off isn't his idea.  If you want to believe the tour patter, Val claims production actually calls meetings with him to ask if he's taking off his shirt week to week.  If he says no or it's not appropriate for the dance, they continue to press the issue.  So I do think production pushes it.  Obviously he can still say no, but production is production and wants everyone to remain in their nice pretty little boxes on the show.  That is Val's role and they will push said role. 

 

As for this season, I think the Val we see will be very dependent on who he gets as his partner.   If he goes even a hint in the romantic relationship direction, real or fake, I think people will respond very badly in the wake of last season.

[babyhouseman]

I'm with you all that Val will get another ringer. I like him as a dancer but his desperation is coming out even more now that Maks finally got his MBT.

 

When is the cast announcement usually? Middle/end of February?

The show is coming back on March 16. They said the announcement will be in February.

 

https://tv.yahoo.com/news/abc-sets-dancing-stars-repeat-premiere-dates-181940961.html

[katha]

 So I do think production pushes it.  Obviously he can still say no, but production is production and wants everyone to remain in their nice pretty little boxes on the show.  That is Val's role and they will push said role. 

Mark also told the story of the infamous gorilla suit: Apparently he made an off-hand joke, production thought it was a super idea! The question is, what do you do as a pro in that situation? I guess you can say no, but if they're very insistent you jeopardize your relationship with your bosses. And yeah, IMO they're cast as cartoon characters: Val's the "sexy one", Mark's the "eccentric one", and so on.

[Rrrhumba]

Still catching up on the past season, but this is very interesting. A producer is under LAPD investigation for supplying some of the dancers (and at least one celebrity) with hard drugs:

http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2014/12/dancing-with-the-stars-drug-probe/

I'll post what I emailed to someone:

After looking up dates, the only female cast members who were still on the show on April 9, 2014 were Witney, Cheryl, Sharna, and Peta.

I feel pretty sure that it was either Cheryl or Peta, with Sharna being the outside shot. Surprised the dancer blantantly used the words "nose candy", and that's one of the reasons why I think it's Cheryl. I've never really heard foreigners refer to it as that, but maybe I'm wrong. Plus "hey, babe" and "love you more" just strikes me as Cheryl talk. Though then again, the article is a bit unclear. Maybe that dancer is different from the nose candy one.

Don't get me wrong, it wouldn't surprise me at all if any of them do it, it's just that certain phrasing points to certain people, I think. Has Cheryl talked about her weight loss lately, btw? 'Cause one of the things I noticed so far this season, is that Cheryl's the thinnest she's ever been. It's just interesting, because I remember her saying that she was never capable of dieting ("I would diet for one day"), so I was curious as to what she was doing to get the weight off now.

I wonder which male dancer was asking for coke. Wouldn't be surprised if it was Mark or Maks. The Molly one just screams Val to me, but I could be wrong. Just fits his whole demeanor, and I could hear "well shit, just fedex it" totally in his voice, lol. The lingo fits the way he talks.

Who knows, though. It'd be funny if it was actually Derek. And here I was amused by the previous discussion, about who Tommy was talking about as far as the weed. This is much more interesting!

Also of note is that the source thinks that some of the dancers really need rehab. It's interesting, because they all seem to get the job done well. I'm curious as to who's coming off as being a wreck or on edge. They pull it together well on tv, at least. Mark has had a visible change over the years, though, though he seemed better rested looking this year. Now I'm, starting to think that there's more to things like Mark showing up late that one time, and Peta coming to the studio looking kind of methy, etc.

Will be interesting to see if some of the top dancers just start disappearing. Will always wonder if the stuff contained in this article has something to do with it...

I hadn't seen this but was just thinking the other day that DWTS has done well to keep it's nose clean (no pun intended), given it's longevity and the stress/workload it puts on it's dancers. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the cast have at least experimented with recreational drugs. There were definitely a few rumours about Val's appearance in some of Witney's birthday photos, dude looked out of it.

[dwtsgueststars]

Classic night and Disney night will return next season. Rob Wade interview

Edited January 19, 2015 by dwtsgueststars

[StayClassySD]

Karina is engaged.

http://www.people.com/people/mobile/article/0,,20894022,00.html

[Buggin]

People.com article with Rob Wade mentions that he has reached out to Kym, Anna, Tristan, and Louis, among others, about potentially returning to the show for season 20.

 

Pros will be announced February 11th on GMA.

[avecsans]

I'm meh on Louis but he is a great dancer. Kym, Anna and Tristan are my 3 all-time favorites. I don't think even a Palin spawn or the like could keep me away if they came back!

[dwtsgueststars]

DWTS pro announcement Feb.11th on GMA
Some pros know, some will find out that day.

Mark, Tony,Val,Sharna, Peta know they're in.

I'm meh on Louis but he is a great dancer. Kym, Anna and Tristan are my 3 all-time favorites. I don't think even a Palin spawn or the like could keep me away if they came back!

They are being considered, that's all. It doesn't mean anything.

[peachmangosteen]

Just saw a commercial that there's going to be some big announcement on GMA tomorrow. Anyone have any idea what that could be?

[howmanywords]

The GMA thing tomorrow is the Pro Reveal.  So tomorrow we'll at least know what pros are definitely back.

[peachmangosteen]

That's it?! LOL they made it sound like some big, exciting thing.

Edited February 10, 2015 by peachmangosteen

[LizDC]

Ten pros announced this morning:

Mark Ballas

Sharna Burgess

Witney Carson

Artem Chigvintsev

Val Chmerkovskiy

Tony Dovolani

Allison Holker

Kym Johnson

Peta Murgatroyd

Emma Slater

http://m.eonline.com/news/624468/dancing-with-the-stars-shocker-which-fan-favorite-pros-are-not-returning-for-season-20

Edited February 11, 2015 by LizDC

[howmanywords]

US Weekly is saying 2 more to be announced at a later date. I could do without Allison and I really hope Emma finally gets a contender.

[radishcake]

Guys I'm moving the Season 20 talk over to the new thread.

[Buggin]

Last night's ratings are in and they're not super. Lowest premiere ever for the key 18-49 demo. Still a respectable 12.4 million viewers overall, but even that is down from last spring premiere's 15.66 million viewers.

[McManda]

There's not really much of a draw in this season, IMO. The biggest "star" in the bunch is probably Rumer Willis, and that's just because of who her parents are. Everyone else is more of an "eh.... who is that?" type of star.

 

I really think that there's a bigger draw in the sentimental stars, which is why last season's ratings weren't bad. A lot of people tuned in for Alfonso. I'm a late 80s/early 90s kid, so they could draw from a plethora of those kinds of stars and I'd tune in. James Van der Beek would hit that note (plus he "did" DWTS on the shortlived show "Don't Trust the B ..."). Or Dean Cain (who also participated on the fake DWTS on "Don't Trust the B..."). Any one of the other Saved by the Bell, Full House, Dawson's Creek, Boy Meets World, Family Matters, Fresh Prince alumni.

 

That's just a draw for me, though. Bottom line is they need to get the C or D list celebs (because they're never going to get the A listers) that make people go "oh yeah ... I forgot about them! I loved them on (insert career high)!" The nostalgia factor is a strong motivator to watch. They're not going to ever get the demo they want, so casting the Disney stars most of American doesn't know is stupid. (Plus, people like me are still part of the 18-39/18-49 demo, but I'm not a male.)

 

That's what's holding DWTS back now, IMO. They might have tapped out that supply and they're going to suffer for it.