DWTS Week 1 Power Rankings, Part I – The Guys
Due to the unique nature of this season (with the guys performing on the first night and the girls performing on the second night), I’ve decided to rank the guys separately, then the girls, and then an “overall” if you will…I would just wait to do them all at once, but then what fun would it be without you guys discussing it while it’s still fresh in your minds? 🙂
Alright, I’m going to be as brief as I can…I still have House & CSI: Miami to watch!
1.) Donny & Kym – Donny really did knock it out of the park tonight. While I don’t think he was technically as strong as Aaron or Mark, his footwork was clean, and of course, he played the best to the crowd. Kym definitely choreographed to his strengths – the Chicago-themed foxtrot was really a very clever choice. He was also the strongest of the 4 in the salsa relay – while not as eye-catching as Louie & Chelsie or even Chuck & Anna, he had the best execution and showmanship. And it’s likely his showmanship that will carry him straight through to the final…that, or the legion of screaming women in the audience!
2.) Aaron & Karina – Ok, I knew Aaron would be pretty good, but MAN – the kid even surprised me with some of the stuff he was pulling out! Definitely the strongest technically for me tonight – some of the hip action & arms I saw from him were truly amazing. He also had probably the highest degree of difficulty in his routines – his Viennese relay definitely had the most tricks (which executed very well). He also comes across as a very likeable kid in the lead-ins – he has the same boyish charm that I think made Cody Linley so endearing. He does have one weakness, however: he doesn’t really let his face convey any sort of emotion while dancing. Very deadpan – like he is really focusing hard on the task at hand. I do see glimmers of “swagger” come through when he’s trying to be sexy, though 😉
3.) Louie & Chelsie – These two really pleasantly surprised me! First off, they are too cute for words – they’re this season’s “vertically challenged” couple (to quote Mia from SYTYCD this season, when referring to another adorable pocket-sized couple – Randi & Evan), plus they’re both young and energetic. And Louie actually seemed to nail the “flow” of the foxtrot – all with a brilliant smile on his face. He got to show of his athleticism in his salsa – while it might not go over well with Len, flashy tricks & stunts always seem to be a hit with the viewers. I can see America keeping them around for awhile, for the simple reason that they’re just adorable – like Aaron, Louie seems to have the impish boy-next-door act down pat!
4.) Mark & Lacey – While Mark was technically stronger than Louie, I felt that his energy wasn’t quite as strong or endearing – like Aaron, I can see him having issues with showmanship because he gets so much into his own head, trying to really nail the technical aspects of the dance. That said, Mark probably has the best combination of strength and agility of all the guys on the show – that, and he has awesome pecs. And abs. And arms. And an awesome bone structure. And when the bulk of the voting public is female – that’s a good skill set to have 😉
5.) Michael & Anna – I fear that Anna has fallen into the trap of trying to add a lot of “filler” to their routines to try and conceal the fact that Michael is not a great dancer, rather than trying to help him improve. Michael seems to have the opposite problem of Aaron & Mark – he is so much into the crowd interaction & “having fun” part of the dance that he tends to get a bit sloppy. But man, is he fun to watch! And he & Anna seem to interact well during their practices – he’s definitely going to be the jokester of this bunch. He has the same goofy energy that Warren Sapp had – but unfortunately, not the same level of skill.
6.) Tom & Cheryl – Yes, Tom was pretty bad. But not nearly as bad as I expected him to be! What he lacked in technique (which was a lot) he made up for in energy & feeling…I actually enjoyed watching him dance, and found him to be (I can’t believe I’m saying this…*gulp*) rather charming, especially in the Viennese waltz relay. The dude is 62 and he did a POWER SLIDE ACROSS THE FLOOR, PEOPLE!!! That takes guts, even if you’re young. But alas, charm & energy can only carry you so far – and I don’t see Tom lasting any longer than week 3, tops. He’s stiff, his footwork is sloppy, his shoulders are hunched, he can’t do the tricks that the younger competitors can do – and he’s still a disgraced politician.
7.) Chuck & Anna – Chuck maybe said a total of 20 words all night. While he still may scare the crap outta me (and a good portion of America), I think it was Chuck who was quakin’ in his boots tonight – hence the intimidating silence, and overall lack of emotion. His foxtrot was painful to watch – just as I feared, he is heavy on his feet, which results in rather stiff, stilted movement. Having the fedora passed back & forth as a prop was cute, but I almost feel like it was just another thing for Chuck to worry about…he looked petrified every time it changed hands. But man, Chuck certainly handled his woman during the salsa relay – his strength definitely showed every time he dipped, turned, and spun Anna. Aaron & Louie might be the masters of acrobatics this season, but I think Chuck could easily outdo them both when it comes to lifts – which we don’t get to see until later in the competition 🙁 So unless he can pull out a smile (or really any kind of emotion) when he dances…I doubt we’ll be seeing those lifting abilities.
8.) Ashley & Edyta – These two were a non-event for me. I am having a hard time remembering anything truly memorable they did, and I even took notes on all the performances! Ashley’s not great, but he wasn’t bad either – I think he actually had one of the better foxtrots of the night, as he seemed to really get the fluid motion of it. His salsa was boring. Period. I have a strong feeling these two will be gone come Wednesday, for the simple reason that they got lost in the shuffle – nothing, good or bad, made them stand out.
Alright guys, let’s hear what you think…I’m off to enjoy the rest of fall premiere week! 🙂
I agree Aaron and Donny are at the top of my list too. Aaron is on top as far as the judges are concerned. I can’t help sometimes to think I am looking at Nick instead of Aaron, but he does have that Carter charm. I think once he gets past the nerves i think the facial expressions will come.
Aaron does look a lot like NIck and it was sweet to see all of the Backstreet Boys out to support their “little brother.” Chuck did look like he was terrified the whole time. I was rooting for them but he’s got to get a little more comfortable in the spotlight. I kinda feel bad about Ashley…he wasn’t bad he didn’t stand out.
agreed on most of your comments, but not ashley. he was downright bad. he has no fluidity as well as zero personality. about all he added was looking good in a suit. he doesn’t dance, he walks. chuck liddel might be a dancing tank, but he was dancing.
i did feel sorry for the rank newcomers, the foxtrot is REALLY difficult to pull off.
bandanajack,
I admit that Ashley wasn’t memorable at all for me. Although, that’s because all I watched was Edyta. Just saying…
Luckily, most men that enjoy Edyta’s dancing are too lazy to vote.
I think Louie and Chelsie are a bit high. Louie didn’t look very good at all. Chelsie made him look a lot better than he really is. However, they are both very likable people and so it might work out well for them. Louie just better improve a lot if he wants to win. Does anyone think he’ll cut his hair for Len? I’m guessing not.
@ john. i agree about louie. i would be surprised if he cuts his hair, too bad because it DOES make him look like a hobbit. it would be a triumph if he were to just slick it bak.
I think you are spot on! I think Ashley will be leaving wednesday as well.
well, don’t forget, we have the women to witness yet, and i have a feeling that macy gray is going to be a female master p. it may also be that the new format will mandate, for the doubles early on, a male and female celeb. just guessing on that.
I think Louie is WAY too high, unless extreme cuteness is part of the power factor – which I guess it could be. 🙂
I agree that Donny and Aaron are at the top of the list, but like I told John last night, I had a scathing post all ready to go if he sucked because with his years of performing experience he SHOULD be that good. While I think he was pretty badly underscored by the judges, I can kinda see where they’re coming from, if they’re judging him based on expectations. As much as I despise Tom DeLay, I do think he needs to trade positions with Michael Irvin. :::gag::: I can’t believe I said that.
Anna, Anna, Anna – the female pros always seem to resort to this tactic a couple times a season. Julianne has done it on occassion, as has Cheryl – but ya gotta be more clever about dancing around your partner. 🙂 The men don’t have as much of a luxury in this department, IMO – the female half of the team just has more….moves? Or action? I can’t think of what I’m trying to say.
Oh, and the drinking game for the season has to be one shot every time Donny Osmond says “Yeah, BABY!!!” A shot for every time he does it will make me far less annoyed by it. 🙂 What do you think, Tabitha? Weren’t you the one asking? 🙂
I would only move Louie to 4 and Mark to 3, Louie and Chelsei has the cute factor(amarican love that) but the dance is not quite there yet, but Chelsie did wonders with Ty (and ty was way worst than LOuie on week 1), if if he become a good dancer + the cute factor , he can go really far.
Heidi great point about the girls dancing around the guys. In ballroom its normal for the girl to be the center of attention. Which is why I think the female celebs have a more difficult job. Anyways I couldnt stop laughing at the hobbit comment. Anyone else a bit surprised to see Jermaine Jackson in the audience.
Alright, I managed to take a little break from work to pop on for a moment…end-of-quarter is nuts here!
I’m going to agree with Phillipe about Mark & Lacey and Louie & Chelsie – I honestly went back & forth between putting Mark & Lacey 3rd or 4th, but ultimately I put them 4th because I felt like Louie & Chelsie were a bit more memorable and energetic, at least in my mind. And I definitely think the “cute factor” could carry Louie through the competition for awhile – Cody Linley wasn’t great, but people thought he & Julianne were adorable enough to keep around until the semifinals.
Whoever made the comment about Macy being the female Master P – lol, I was thinking the same thing last night! Watching her walk down the steps with Jonathan, she couldn’t have looked more apathetic or unexcited to be there. It’ll definitely be interesting to see if the prophecy fulfills itself tonight…
…as for Michael & Anna vs. Tom & Cheryl, I felt like Michael got a bit more of a response from the audience than did Tom. His dancing was most definitely worse than Tom’s, but as we’ve seen before, the best dancer doesn’t always come out on top!
And to clarify, these power rankings are not based wholly on who was the best dancer – I also take into account how well they are received by the audience, how likeable they come across, how well they interact with one another…it’s basically a measurement of how likely they are to stick around for awhile. And so, as I mentioned above – the best dancer may not always come out on top, if their attitidue stinks or they have no emotion at all. Case in point: I thought Aaron was the strongest dancer last night, but his showmanship was nowhere near Donny’s, even though Donny wasn’t as good technically. In the end, Donny’s showmanship won over Aaron’s technique. Make sense? 🙂
Ok kids, back to work now…catch you tonight with the ladies’ power rankings! 😀
Someone PLEASE tell me…what was the name of the song that Aaron & Karina danced to? That song has been stuck in my head for about 5 months now!! I accidently caught the video on MTV one early morning (around 3 a.m.) & ever since, I’ve loved that song! I neglected to remember the artist or name of the song & have only heard it on my local radio station once over 2 months ago!
Please someone help me put a name to this tune that’s been in my head!
Tessa, that has been a popular question…is Beggin by Madcon.
I totally agree about Macy Gray…she clumped down the steps and from the rehearsal videos I’ve seen…it’s not going to be pretty. But hopefully those were early on.
Heidi…”Yeah baby!” I think we got our drinking game! 🙂
Louie may scoot by on his and Chelsie’s looks for a while but he won’t win that way. I think Aaron may be the one to watch though. Can’t wait to see the girls tonight!
I can’t wait for the post on the costumes! I’m still wondering what the heck Karina was wearing during her and Aaron’s cha cha cha! It was a mess. Can’t wait to watch the girls. (And see their costumes!)
And, I agree…Macy Gray looked like she would’ve rather been anywhere else in the world instead of on that stage.
DWTS was great last night! It was pure entertainment! I loved Lacy and Mark! It was great… I loved his hip action. Donny was a great surprise. He was very good in both performances. Technically Aaron and Mark are the strongest. Louie was pretty good as well.
I hope that Ashely will work hard and get better. Michael & Anna… I have faith that they will get better. I was a little disappointed with them. I wanted more cha cha cha. I wanted more hips. I love Micheal’s energy that he brings to the show! 🙂