In The Media: DWTS

[TroopinFairy]

I can't believe that Sasha will the troupe while Gleb will be a pro. 

[McManda]

3 hours ago, spanana said:

In related matters, when somebody asked Jenna if she was going to be on this season she said "she couldn't say yet" or something along those lines, which to me means yes.  My gut is she's still on retainer to be a pro, maybe in case something falls through with Cheryl

The DWTS Facebook page just announced the troupe as Sasha, Brandon, Artur (Adamski), Britt, Hayley, and Jenna, so ... 

I'm thinking Jenna is a backup for Cheryl at the very best. Though I don't think they ever offered her a pro spot this time around, tbh.

[spanana]

2 hours ago, McManda said:

The DWTS Facebook page just announced the troupe as Sasha, Brandon, Artur (Adamski), Britt, Hayley, and Jenna, so ... 

I'm thinking Jenna is a backup for Cheryl at the very best. Though I don't think they ever offered her a pro spot this time around, tbh.

Yes, that was announced after I posted that.  She's more suited to SYTYCD anyway.

[Morrigan]

Do they have a contestant with a difficult personality? I think they trust Cheryl with people like that.

I think DWTS thinks that America's hoi polloi like cheesy tacky faux-romancy stuff - thus, Gleb. He wasn't able to bring that with his original partner Lisa VanderPump or whatever, but he came on strong on the Russian and British version - his wife said he was the "new Derek" with his "innovative" choreo... and anyhoo, a new Gleb was born.  He's a looker, so I'll cope.  I think he can be a good dancer but he's also frequently sloppy, and of course, gimmicky.

I liked Keo a lot as a person with Charro and that goes a long way with me - I'd rather watch him than Maks, reacting narcissistically whenever possible ugh.  All I think of when I see him now is poor poor Peta. Another one I really like as a human being is Lindsay. Sharna's interesting and smart - but Witney seems too taken with herself and I'm not impressed w/her dancing. Who else is there among the girls? Oh Emma. She's a bit dull but has a nice warmth about her. Her dark roots just bother me...

Val confuses me - so does Artem. And I don't think either one of them is good looking or sexy (I realize I'm likely in quite a minority in that opinion) so meh. Val doesn't have much 'pop' in his personality but I do recognize he's a very good dancer. And that brings me to the unfortunate Sasha situation. He's just too short, his hair is thinning, and he's not cute-- and this season they have shorty Mark, who's very clever with the choreo and a good dancer when he's healthy. I actually like him too - he seems sweet enough - especially when not around Derek (I'm so glad he's gone I might just watch after years of sulking...)

I miss Tristan but he was never the same after Derek threw a strop and got Maria Menounos when Tristan was supposed to have her after his breakout season with Nancy, and then Tristan was stuck with Gladys Knight!!  A lovely lady but hardly fair coming on the heels of Nancy... It was just all so depressing no wonder he struggled emotionally -- I know I did --this show makes me mad.  Still may watch - it doesn't make me as mad as political news.  (I kinda wish we did have the Mooch on though - he's, uh, colorful). He'd be a good one for Cheryl to wrangle.

Edited August 29, 2017 by Morrigan
misspelling fixed

[madpsych78]

Apparently Emma's partner will be revealed on GMA Wednesday morning.

[Sile]

13 hours ago, Morrigan said:

I miss Tristan but he was never the same after Derek threw a strop and got Maria Menounos when Tristan was supposed to have her after his breakout season with Nancy, and then Tristan was stuck with Gladys Knight!!  A lovely lady but hardly fair coming on the heels of Nancy... It was just all so depressing no wonder he struggled emotionally -- I know I did --this show makes me mad.  Still may watch - it doesn't make me as mad as political news.  (I kinda wish we did have the Mooch on though - he's, uh, colorful). He'd be a good one for Cheryl to wrangle.

I thought it was Nastia that Derek wrested away from Tristan?  Who knows, maybe it was both.  Worse yet, Gladys was killing it and TPTB had to resort to the trumped up "dance off" so the judges could give her the toss when it became apparent that the fans would not.

[kitcloudkicker]

21 minutes ago, Sile said:

I thought it was Nastia that Derek wrested away from Tristan?  Who knows, maybe it was both.  Worse yet, Gladys was killing it and TPTB had to resort to the trumped up "dance off" so the judges could give her the toss when it became apparent that the fans would not.

Nastia was way later and would have never signed without being promised a New York based pro (which Derek was at the time.) 

Not that another pro couldn't have relocated, like Val did for Normani, but she definitely wasn't "stolen" from anyone. 

[Morrigan]

10 hours ago, Sile said:

I thought it was Nastia that Derek wrested away from Tristan?  Who knows, maybe it was both.  Worse yet, Gladys was killing it and TPTB had to resort to the trumped up "dance off" so the judges could give her the toss when it became apparent that the fans would not.

Absolutely on Gladys!! To ditch her they had to have a marathon dance AND a dance-off on the same show! It was blatant. Also, in week 2, she had what I thought was a lovely ballroom number - a foxtrot or waltz - and Len just said, "I didn't appreciate the dance"and he gave them a low number. WTH? That was a signal right there they were gonna push her out to get the end-group they wanted, Derek Mark + Maks of course. I still can't get over the ghastly manipulation that season.

I don't know anything about Nastia but Tristan himself said he was intended to have another partner other than Gladys and then at the last minute, it was changed. Through other stuff, I figured out it had to have been Derek's partner - well, who else would they stab Tristan in the back for.  Now they could have given him Melissa Gilbert instead of giving her to Maks, but then he would have thrown a fit.... It was all just so awful that I can't even look at Derek anymore -- if his mug shows up, the tv goes OFF.

Like another of Tristan's partners (Dorothy), Gladys found out like 3 days before the launch that they wanted her for the show. They were both on some 'last ditch' choice list and never intended to do well on the show ergggggggg ;(

Oh and YAY for Emma's roots being perfect, for once.  Though I think she'd be prettier with her natural brown hair.

Edited August 30, 2017 by Morrigan

[truthaboutluv]

Regarding Tristan, my understanding is that he was supposed to get Amy Purdy in Season 18, because Derek had told producers he was going to sit the season out. He had just come off the back to back wins with Kelly and Amber and announced that he needed a break. And Amy was right up the alley of celebrities they would give Tristan, with her being a double amputee and the producers likely thinking she would make for a nice sob story but have no shot. Derek heard about her, decided it would be an interesting challenge for him, told the producers he wanted to come back and have her, they said yes. That as far as I am aware is the long standing legend of how Derek supposedly horribly back stabbed Tristan. 

Frankly, I'm just going to state my likely very unpopular opinion. Much as I liked Tristan well enough, I don't think he was that great of a dancer or teacher (might have had to do with his starting so late in life with it) and frankly towards the end, found his constant complaints about the nature of the shows, annoying and the constant excuses by his fans for why he actually never did that great on DWTS or SCD a little old. Far as I can tell, these shows were just not a great fit for Tristan, period. Kudos to him though for not being like Maks and constantly declaring how awful it is but never actually leaving. Since last I heard he left SCD too. And as I am sure this is a very unpopular opinion, I will see myself out now.

Edited August 30, 2017 by truthaboutluv

[kitcloudkicker]

Back to things that aren't rehashed ancient history, they officially announced Emma + Drew today

I didn't even think about it, but this is a twin+twin pair. Since Emma's twin works for the show, seems likely we'll get A Kelly*/Jonathan cameo at some point.

 

*it still makes me laugh that Emma's sister is named Kelly Slater. The show should pair her with Kelly Slater the surfer at some point.

[Toonces464]

8 hours ago, Morrigan said:

Now they could have given him Melissa Gilbert instead of giving her to Maks, but then he would have thrown a fit....

Maks was not supposed to be on that season. Gladys Knight signed on at the last minute and they were down a pro so Maks got called in. Regardless, whether with Melissa or Gladys, neither Maks nor Tristan was going to win.

[McManda]

2 hours ago, kitcloudkicker said:

Back to things that aren't rehashed ancient history, they officially announced Emma + Drew today

I'm excited because 1- a Property Brother and 2- he's not with Peta.

So far a solid start to the season, as far a I'm concerned.

[Abra]

I admit to checking out almost completely last season after the premiere, and I usually don't notice the troupe unless they're shoving their mug at the camera *cough*JENNA*cough*, but is this troupe Brandon the same Brandon who danced as a youngin with Brittany on the show to that amazing Phantom number?

I did catch a video of Alan's Toxic tango with Heather, and am pleased he has a chance as a pro. Hopefully he won't be given a dud and then screwed over in future seasons like they did to Henry.

[madpsych78]

Posted on FB. I think this adds fuel to the speculation about Val being paired with Bethany Hamilton. Going out of their way to emphasize the hand, which is a right hand and arm BTW. (Bethany lost her left arm.)

[MsTree]

Who is Bethany Hamilton?

[PhD-Purgatory15]

A surfer from Hawaii that got one of her arms bit off in a shark attack when she was in her teens. She relearned how to surf (not at a professional level though). I think she works as a motivational (Christian) speaker now.

A few years ago she competed on Amazing Race with her husband or soon to be husband. They did pretty well, finishing 2nd or 3rd.

[anonymiss]

On 25/08/2017 at 10:36 PM, SnarkyTart said:

Yesss!  I'm beyond thrilled that Mark is back!  It almost (almost) makes up for being subjected to another season of smarmy Gleb and his sleazy choreography. 

Lol I don't mind Gleb and his "sleazy" choreography can be fun. But I love Mark so am actually excited to watch again. 

[Katydid]

I expect Bethany will be a good competitor, as it's been quite a long time since she lost her arm and she's adapted in the years since.  She has to have excellent control of her body to surf, I assume. And a few days ago she posted a video of her and her husband doing their workouts, and she's very fit and used to modifying things as needed.  That's what happens with most of us who have disabilities/bodies that are different from the norm in some way.  Of course this is DWTS and they will go the "It's so inspirational that you even got out of bed this morning, let alone danced!" route.  Anyway, I've been following her Instagram and no obvious signs yet that she's in, but I agree it's probably her based on the hints. 

[Morrigan]

On 8/30/2017 at 9:33 AM, truthaboutluv said:

Regarding Tristan, my understanding is that he was supposed to get Amy Purdy in Season 18, because Derek had told producers he was going to sit the season out. He had just come off the back to back wins with Kelly and Amber and announced that he needed a break. And Amy was right up the alley of celebrities they would give Tristan, with her being a double amputee and the producers likely thinking she would make for a nice sob story but have no shot. Derek heard about her, decided it would be an interesting challenge for him, told the producers he wanted to come back and have her, they said yes. That as far as I am aware is the long standing legend of how Derek supposedly horribly back stabbed Tristan. 

Frankly, I'm just going to state my likely very unpopular opinion. Much as I liked Tristan well enough, I don't think he was that great of a dancer or teacher (might have had to do with his starting so late in life with it) and frankly towards the end, found his constant complaints about the nature of the shows, annoying and the constant excuses by his fans for why he actually never did that great on DWTS or SCD a little old. Far as I can tell, these shows were just not a great fit for Tristan, period. Kudos to him though for not being like Maks and constantly declaring how awful it is but never actually leaving. Since last I heard he left SCD too. And as I am sure this is a very unpopular opinion, I will see myself out now.

He started at 9 years old - is that too old?  He was in 3 official pro Dancesport competitions (Latin) by the age of 17 (competing in the adult division), with 8th place being his best finish I believe (out of 50+ couples) - all in Europe.  He quit doing comps to go on stage before age 20 (Aladdin, Burn the Floor, Dirty Dancing [London] - he was in the film "Ella Enchanted" in a small part as one of the dancers). In the midst of all that, he was injured and spent a year or so teaching in a big studio (SuperShag) in Boston. BTW, if anybody's interested: He's now touring UK/Ireland in a play ("Good Mourning, Mrs Brown") off and on until the end of 2017, and in September/Oc[tober of this year, he's also touring same with pro dancer Kristina Rihanoff from Strictly (a dance show - the UK has so many pro dance couples touring it's mind-blowing...)

Jonathan Roberts started lesson at 21!  Now that I would call starting a bit late.

Don't mean to sound tetchy - I won't argue with your other points, you may be right about much of it and you're certainly entitled to your opinion -- there's much backstage stuff in US/UK I shouldn't go into on a public board - it's just that the Gladys season still irks me in so many ways ;(

Edited August 31, 2017 by Morrigan

[Good Queen Jane]

Not Bethany Hamilton, but Paralympic swimmer Victoria Arlen to be paired with Val.

[kitcloudkicker]

18 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

Not Bethany Hamilton, but Paralympic swimmer Victoria Arlen to be paired with Val.

I'm here for this pairing, she has a cool story and seems like she'll be fun. I've been wanting to see Val with a "challenge" for a while (though looking at how far she's progressed, maybe it won't even be a challenge.) 

 

Also, didn't know this about Val: 
 

Edited August 31, 2017 by kitcloudkicker

[kitcloudkicker]

Frankie Muniz & Witney

Jordan Fisher & Lindsey

http://www.eonline.com/news/877073/jordan-fisher-and-frankie-muniz-are-dancing-with-the-stars-season-25-s-latest-competitors

[kitcloudkicker]

Ha, like the whole cast is leaking today

http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/derek-fisher-jordan-fisher-frankie-muniz-join-dwts-season-25-w500732

 

Derek Fisher (basketball player) with Sharna 

Shark Tank lady - likely with Keo

Lindsey Stirling - likely Marks partner 

[truthaboutluv]

Yeah I just saw this article and was coming in to say that I bet Lindsey is Mark's partner based on his saying she's a natural and Lindsey's previous connection with him and Derek. 

[Emily-D]

I knew Mark would only come back if he got a super ringer haha. Anyone got any ideas for first elimination yet? I'm stumped.

[truthaboutluv]

28 minutes ago, Emily-D said:

I knew Mark would only come back if he got a super ringer haha. Anyone got any ideas for first elimination yet? I'm stumped.

I don't know about that since Mark knows all too well from experience that having a ringer does not guarantee a win. Hello Sabrina Bryant and Paige Van Zant.

[SnarkyTart]

2 hours ago, kitcloudkicker said:

Shark Tank lady - likely with Keo

Barbara Corcoran, yikes!!  She drools all over male entrepreneurs on Shark Tank even worse than Nigel Lithgoe pervs over young female dancers on his show.  Barbara got so handsy with one of the men she made a deal with (going in for a hug, then cupping his butt with both hands and squeezing) that posters on the Shark Tank thread began speculating she could face sexual harrassment complaints.  I'm not a fan of Keo, but now I feel sorry for him.

[kitcloudkicker]

1 hour ago, Emily-D said:

I knew Mark would only come back if he got a super ringer haha. Anyone got any ideas for first elimination yet? I'm stumped.

Well we still don't know partners for Alan, Gleb and Cheryl, so any of them could be duds, but of everyone leaked so far I would guess either Shark Tank lady or retired basketball player for first out? No one announced so far seems like obvious dead weight though.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

So we know Emma and Drew Scott.

We think we know:

Barbara from Shark Tank & Keo

Nick Lachey & Peta

Vanessa (Minillo) Lachey & Maks

Nikki Bella & Artem

Lindsey Stirling & Mark

Victoria Arlen & Val

Frankie Muniz & Witney

Jordan Fisher & Lindsey

Derek Fisher (former NBA player and coach) & Sharma

?? & Alan

?? & Gleb

?? & Cheryl

Supposedly Bobby Brown was going to be Cheryl's partner but withdrew, quit, something. Which is probably why they held off on her reveal because the are scrambling for a replacement.

According to twitter, Alan's partner loves or has a connection to the color pink. So take that for what it's worth.

It's a cast with very different feel, I'll give them that. They may really have to work to manufacture the drama and or the crazy...

Edited September 1, 2017 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Sile]

On 8/30/2017 at 2:16 AM, Morrigan said:

Absolutely on Gladys!! To ditch her they had to have a marathon dance AND a dance-off on the same show! It was blatant. Also, in week 2, she had what I thought was a lovely ballroom number - a foxtrot or waltz - and Len just said, "I didn't appreciate the dance"and he gave them a low number. WTH? That was a signal right there they were gonna push her out to get the end-group they wanted, Derek Mark + Maks of course. I still can't get over the ghastly manipulation that season.

I don't know anything about Nastia but Tristan himself said he was intended to have another partner other than Gladys and then at the last minute, it was changed. Through other stuff, I figured out it had to have been Derek's partner - well, who else would they stab Tristan in the back for.  Now they could have given him Melissa Gilbert instead of giving her to Maks, but then he would have thrown a fit.... It was all just so awful that I can't even look at Derek anymore -- if his mug shows up, the tv goes OFF.

Like another of Tristan's partners (Dorothy), Gladys found out like 3 days before the launch that they wanted her for the show. They were both on some 'last ditch' choice list and never intended to do well on the show ergggggggg ;(

Oh and YAY for Emma's roots being perfect, for once.  Though I think she'd be prettier with her natural brown hair.

Okay, it was Amy Purdy I was thinking of, not Nastia.  I might have been thinking of Nastia because it annoyed me when Sasha had to take over and Derek still insisted on, not only still being in each number, but being the main focus.  That Honey I'm Good number broke the last twig of goodwill I ever had for Derek (and I loved him in the early days, particulary with Shannon Elizabeth).

I might be biased (okay, I'm biased) but I think Tristan just never got a fair shake or chance.  Did he ever have a partner under 50?  I'm thinking Nancy Grace (who a lot of people disliked) Gladys (maybe 70s and had to be manipulated to be eliminated) Dorothy Hamill (bad back lasted one week before withdrawing) Valerie Harper (probably 70s, brain cancer).  Not a lot to work with, there.  Not counting Pam Anderson, as it appeared he was a partner in name only when it seems her interest in him was not dance oriented.

Quote

Lindsey Stirling & Mark

Boy, they're not even pretending any more, are they?

Edited September 1, 2017 by Sile

[MsTree]

And once again, who is Lindsey Stirling?

[PhD-Purgatory15]

An awesome Electro/pop/dubstep violinist with a significant presence on youtube. Got her start on AGT where Piers Morgan trashed her act and said she'd never make it in the business.

I recommend Shatter Me with Lzzy Hale, or the collaboration she did with Pentatonix. A new song called Lost Girls is pretty good too.

Derek Hough makes an appearance and danced with her in one of her music videos too. She's also performed at the Grammy's and with John Legend too.

I'm super stoked if this pans out. Mark can go full throttle with his choreo and she will be able to handle it. Other than oddly Witney and Frankie...this is the pair that I'll be looking forward to.

[kitcloudkicker]

Her Derek stuff:

 

She's also been on DWTS several times 

 

with Twitch and Allison 

 

With Maks and Meryl

Edited September 1, 2017 by kitcloudkicker

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Cause I'm bored and like to randomly hypothesize:

Victoria is 22, Lindsey is 30, Nikki Bella is 33, Vanessa is 36, and Barbara is 68. So I'd guess Alan's partner will end up being on the younger end of the age spectrum (can you say showmance?), and Gleb might have someone in her 40s.

Jordan is 23, Frankie is 31, Drew is 39, and Nick and Derek are both 43. Obviously they are scrambling to find a replacement for Bobby Brown who would've been the oldest male "star" cast, so I could see them looking for someone older again...

[McManda]

I like Lindsay Stirling, but I'm going to throw out an unpopular opinion and say unless she's the musical guest, she doesn't have a place on this show. Come on. And with Mark? Just give the judges 15 paddles. I can already tell I'm going to dislike the fawning they're going to receive. 

And Bobby Brown ... like Whitney Houston's ex, Bobby Brown? That's who they got to entice Cheryl back? 

I'm so confused on what they were thinking with some of this cast.

[kitcloudkicker]

2 hours ago, McManda said:

I like Lindsay Stirling, but I'm going to throw out an unpopular opinion and say unless she's the musical guest, she doesn't have a place on this show. Come on. And with Mark? Just give the judges 15 paddles. I can already tell I'm going to dislike the fawning they're going to receive. 

I have a feeling you're not going to be the only one, can can already anticipate her "ringerness" being a heavy area of debate. For me, I'm not bothered, both because I don't mind people with a little training, and also because she reads to me like someone with natural talent for sure, but not much training. I could be wrong, and I'm not 100% on her full background, but that Argentine Tango with Derek seems good, but a little sloppy. It was like a good DWTS performance good, not actual trained ballroom dancer good. (If anyone's better at spotting technique chime in, I'm not always the greatest at it.) 

2 hours ago, McManda said:

And Bobby Brown ... like Whitney Houston's ex, Bobby Brown? That's who they got to entice Cheryl back? 

I'm not sure where the idea that Cheryl has a bunch of power to be enticed came from, but for me she's been relegated to the "older**" female pro who's been relegated to being brought back for the older or "difficult" male celebrities. Anna/Gary Busey, Kym/Mister T, Edyta/whoever she had last (Geraldo?) A rotating crew of female Tonys.

Bobby Brown fits right in with those types.

 

**I know, not that old. But that's how the show seems to treat them. 

[vavera4ka]

10 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

 

I recommend Shatter Me with Lzzy Hale, or the collaboration she did with Pentatonix. A new song called Lost Girls is pretty good too.

To play devil's advocate... they all loved her when she came in with her own stuff. In the next stage of the competition she did some weird Pink or Katy Perry song that was kinda messy all over the place. It was not HER stuff, it was not that cool "kinda classical with an edge rock violin number" and she got lost in it.

Idk who chose that song and staging, but id didn't do her any justice. She's amazing though, we went to her concert last year and enjoyed it a lot.

Judges on that mess of a number on AGT were not totally wrong, maybe too harsh for the sake of the drama... I'm glad she shook it off and kept on going though.

I don't totally dislike Mark, more like indifferent on him, and I really like her... So unless judges will be FORCEFEEDING their awesomeness I'll be looking forward to their dances and rooting for them.

[quickjessie]

Lindsey for the win!  I adore this girl.  She'll have every vote I can give, period.  And I don't even like Mark Ballas.  But she is just so talented and hard-working I can't not vote for her.

[McManda]

3 hours ago, kitcloudkicker said:

I'm not sure where the idea that Cheryl has a bunch of power to be enticed came from, but for me she's been relegated to the "older**" female pro who's been relegated to being brought back for the older or "difficult" male celebrities. Anna/Gary Busey, Kym/Mister T, Edyta/whoever she had last (Geraldo?) A rotating crew of female Tonys.

Exactly why I'm surprised she'd agree to come back. It's not that I think she has power to demand good partners (she's not Val or Derek), but if I were relegated to wrangle the old and/ or difficult I would be hard pressed to come back. Unless she really needs the paycheck?

I get Mark coming back for Lindsay Stirling - she's young, fit, talented at what she does, driven, pretty, fun, and pretty much guaranteed a place in the final three. I didn't  get Edyta coming back for Geraldo.

[SnarkyTart]

3 hours ago, kitcloudkicker said:

I have a feeling you're not going to be the only one, can can already anticipate her "ringerness" being a heavy area of debate. For me, I'm not bothered, both because I don't mind people with a little training, and also because she reads to me like someone with natural talent for sure, but not much training. I could be wrong, and I'm not 100% on her full background, but that Argentine Tango with Derek seems good, but a little sloppy. It was like a good DWTS performance good, not actual trained ballroom dancer good. (If anyone's better at spotting technique chime in, I'm not always the greatest at it.) 

I just did a little checking and see where she gave interviews three and four years ago and said she's never had a dance lesson and is entirely self-taught.  She says she always wanted to learn to dance, but her parents gave her the choice of violin lessons or dance lessons because they could only afford one or the other.  She chose violin.  She says she choreographs her own stage routines, and that she learned a lot by watching SYTYCD on television. 

I'm really looking forward to seeing this partnership.  Mark should be on fire! 

[madpsych78]

4 hours ago, quickjessie said:

Lindsey for the win!  I adore this girl.  She'll have every vote I can give, period.  And I don't even like Mark Ballas.  But she is just so talented and hard-working I can't not vote for her.

When I read this I first thought Lindsey Arnold. Because I think Jordan Fisher could give Lindsey Stirling a run for her money, and Lindsey Arnold is also very, very good at bringing out the best in her stars - look at how far she got with Grampa Ross last season. 

Calling it, Lindsey Stirling and Jordan Fisher F2.

[kitcloudkicker]

2 hours ago, McManda said:

Exactly why I'm surprised she'd agree to come back. It's not that I think she has power to demand good partners (she's not Val or Derek), but if I were relegated to wrangle the old and/ or difficult I would be hard pressed to come back. Unless she really needs the paycheck?

I wouldn't be surprised if putting in some face time on a network show like this ends up being worth it, no matter who you get or how long you stay, as you're booking appearances and things and trying to promote other non-tv projects. It still puts you in front of a significant number of eyeballs. I could see former pros coming back for that. (And who knows, maybe for some of them the early exit is a perk.)

There was an e news article todayish though that said they're still looking for a partner for Cheryl but they want someone "good."  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

1 hour ago, madpsych78 said:

When I read this I first thought Lindsey Arnold. Because I think Jordan Fisher could give Lindsey Stirling a run for her money, and Lindsey Arnold is also very, very good at bringing out the best in her stars - look at how far she got with Grampa Ross last season. 

Calling it, Lindsey Stirling and Jordan Fisher F2.

 

I'm more excited than I should be for Jordan Fisher, because I feel like he's a baby. But he is pretty and charming, and this pair will be fire.

So far I'm eyeing Lindsay/Jordan, Mark/Lindsey, and Val/Victoria as my favorites.

[Andie1]

I am not so in love with Lindsay Stirling that I will ignore that she has already got specific training from a dwts pro well in advance of the show.  DWTS ballroom training is not boring technique drill, it's a specific training designed to  look good on tv, so it's as if you took Rashad Jennings and gave him a whole bunch of training before the show, because the more he drilled on tour the better the guy got.  I'd be fine with it if everyone else got it but that's not the case. The stuff on the video is what Derek trains his celebs during the show, and the disadvantage is it is a compressed timeline. She got weeks and weeks of training of what is expected for the show, for a video.  So yeah, I remember when people got called out for taking a few lessons so they wouldn't feel so out of it on the show, this is just taking that reasoning to the nth degree and it's not fair to the others.   This season doesn't have anyone that I'm excited about in the least.  I may skip it.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Andie1

[spanana]

Supposedly they got a replacement for Cheryl, though no idea who her partner is of yet.

On paper Lindsay and Mark have the ringer-y highest skill partners. On paper. Jordan Fisher can perform his ass off and Lindsay clearly is very flexible and has some training/skill.  I'm not upset yet in the fact that ringers still don't win all that often. It's more the over the top gushing from the judges who always give some over the top hyperbole about so and so being the most talented person EVER to grace the DWTS stage, despite the fact that most of them can't remember anything that happened two seasons prior.

I don't totally understand how it's going to work with Val's partner yet. She can walk some and trains at walking, so I'm not sure if she's wheelchair dancing or if she will do a little on her feet? Or if it depends on what the dance is and how she's feeling that week?

The rumor was that Alan's parter is older though I'm not sure who.

I don't see Barbara leaving first. I don't know who is in that there isn't an obvious first out as yet, but Shark Tank and DWTS speak to the same core demos/audience.

What I potentially like about this cast so far is outside of Jordan and Lindsay, most of the others are sort of middling.  People with somewhat of a fanbase, with no real training but are in decent physical shape, and who probably can be taught to some degree. It could go either way as to who is good and who is bad.  Also so far I see no one with a fanbase so big as to be insurmountable to make the winner obvious from day one.

I know nothing of Nikki Bella besides her being popular, but I'd be on board with Artem sticking around.  I'd also like to see a Val/Cbros free finale.

[Toonces464]

2 hours ago, spanana said:

I know nothing of Nikki Bella besides her being popular, but I'd be on board with Artem sticking around.  I'd also like to see a Val/Cbros free finale.

I think we'll be stuck with Val until the end but I can see Maks and Peta being early outs. I don't think the "happily married man and father" routine is working for Maks and without the ability to showmance his partner (or have people speculate) a lot of his appeal is lost. He also doesn't have the fan base he used to have and most of his fan base seems to be made up of Val and Peta's fans, who are more concerned about them. I also think people are sick of both the gimmicks the producers throw out (in this case the two married couples) and the whole Maks/Peta relationship in general, which they've almost turned into full-time careers. I also don't think the 90s boy banders have the appeal they once did as the audience is starting to skew younger. 

[Emily-D]

I've honestly not got a clue who could be first out. Sounds like the producers haven't bothered with establishing a hirerachy and have just gone and given everyone a partner with potential. Someone will have to have a bad night on the premiere before it becomes clear who leaves first. The NBA player, Nikki Bella, Frankie Muniz or one of the Lachey's maybe? The Shark Tank women will probably be a bad dancer not to mention she has Keo. But as said, that show's audience corrrelates directly with DWTS. Old people will pick up the phone for her. Keep an eye on the GMA cast announcement. It's easy to get an off vibe from contestants then and it normally translates to the show. Chris Kattan, Mischa Barton being cases in point.

Edited September 4, 2017 by Emily-D

[Toonces464]

2 hours ago, Emily-D said:

I've honestly not got a clue who could be first out. Sounds like the producers haven't bothered with establishing a hirerachy and have just gone and given everyone a partner with potential. Someone will have to have a bad night on the premiere before it becomes clear who leaves first. The NBA player, Nikki Bella, Frankie Muniz or one of the Lachey's maybe? The Shark Tank women will probably be a bad dancer not to mention she has Keo. But as said, that show's audience corrrelates directly with DWTS. Old people will pick up the phone for her. Keep an eye on the GMA cast announcement. It's easy to get an off vibe from contestants then and it normally translates to the show. Chris Kattan, Mischa Barton being cases in point.

If Nikki Bella or Derek Fisher are halfway decent I think they'll go far because I think the fans want to see Artem and Sharna have a real shot at winning. I have a feeling a lot of this season, and where people go out, is going to be driven by who they're paired with.

[spanana]

47 minutes ago, Toonces464 said:

If Nikki Bella or Derek Fisher are halfway decent I think they'll go far because I think the fans want to see Artem and Sharna have a real shot at winning. I have a feeling a lot of this season, and where people go out, is going to be driven by who they're paired with.

I'm not really sure on Sharna. Yes, the immediate fanbase on social media might want her to win but to the general audience while she doesn't have a trophy, she's made several runs at the finals. So it's not like the home audience hasn't seen a lot of her or seen her do freestyles. I'd also argue I think people at home also forget who wins season to season.  I think it's a little different than Emma last season where it was obvious she had never been given a good partner before and Artem usually making fairly early exits. I also see people wanting Lindsay to win as much as Sharna, so unless TPTB lay it on thick I still don't think this is her season.

As for the Lacheys, I think Vanessa will maybe go before Nick even though Vanessa may be better? I think I just question what sort of fanbase Vanessa has.

So newest person with a fanbase- supposedly Gleb is paired with Sasha Piertese who played Allison on PLL.  So another PLL person.

Quote

I think we'll be stuck with Val until the end but I can see Maks and Peta being early outs.

I'm not 100% sure on this. Yes, his partner has the inspiring story that the fans will eat up but I think for me it depends on what the plan is for her. What is the plan for judging her versus the others if she does wheelchair dancing? Will she not be in a wheelchair for some dances? I think it's going to be a bit more unpredicatable than some previous contestants with disabilities because it's hard to know what she is going to be capable of doing right now. I also know that wheelchair dancing is a legitimate thing so I'm not trying to belittle it, just question how one judges that versus the other contestants.

[madpsych78]

15 hours ago, spanana said:

I don't see Barbara leaving first. I don't know who is in that there isn't an obvious first out as yet, but Shark Tank and DWTS speak to the same core demos/audience.

 

Mark Cuban was in eighth place in his season (Season 5), which was pre-Shark Tank, but he had the 10th highest average score, so he probably got a boost from fan votes to a small degree (he was eliminated the week before Sabrina and Mark). 

Robert Herjavec did better in his season (Season 20), finishing in 6th place, and he also had the 6th highest average score. Obviously at this point Shark Tank had been on for a while.

Both were paired with Kym in their respective seasons, but clearly Kym had more chemistry with Robert which transferred off screen and I think the "older couple showmance" storyline probably helped Robert get as far as he did. Plus, while I didn't watch Mark's season, Robert exuded a lot of joy in his season.

While Barbara has the Shark Tank fanbase that Robert had, I don't see her going as far as Robert did in his season. She might go as far as Mark. What I think she WILL bring will be the personality and charm and I predict she'll be fawning all over Keo at the first meeting.

[Emily-D]

I certainly don't think Barbara will go as far as Robert but I think she'll beat the first couple of eliminations. If Gleb has Sasha Pieterse then that's a couple I'll probably dislike the most because I hated Janel Parrish when she was on and I've never been a fan of Gleb. If the judges fawn over Sasha as much as they did Janel then she'll go far. PLL fans will keep them clear of the early boots as well. I think we'll have a much clearer idea on Wednesday but it's really hard to judge on paper. Everyone has some sort of fanbase or nostalgia factor coming in.