MY Top Male Professionals on DWTS
John challenged me to do this, despite my clear and obvious Hough bias. But it does say MY favorites, so these choices are all my own. As I said in response to comments on John’s post, being a great DWTS Pro is about more than just dance ability. I think several things are required: choreography skill, teaching ability and PERSONALITY (aka The “IT” Factor). And, of course, you have to be one hell of a dancer. I don’t dislike ANY of the pros, male or female, but I do have my clear favorites. 🙂 You all can guess my Number one, right? Say it with me:
- Derek, Derek, Derek – Derek is not only a great dancer and choreographer, but he’s one of the more charismatic people on TV right now.  When he’s on screen in a pro dance, I occasionally read about people who are not fans being annoyed because he’s “distracting” – I have to laugh, because that “distracting” behavior is called charisma and “IT”.  He draws the eye. As a fan of old movies (thanks, Grandma), he reminds me of Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire. He has never finished lower than sixth and he was only as low as sixth once, with Shannon. He has a way of taking celebs with either baggage or no fanbase (or both) and turning them into respectable dancers – or at the very least, making them likable. His celebs are always labeled as “disliked or likely to be disliked” (Joanna, Lil’ Kim) or as likely to leave early (everyone else) – yet he never leaves early. As for his choreo – two words: Futuristic Paso Doble.  Wait…three words. 🙂 (John’s Comment: See the rest of Heidi’s Derek bias on Pure Derek Hough)
- Louis Van Amstel – yes, this shocks me too. Â Louis was one of the faceless male pros who were there and gone most seasons. Â But holy cow – his work with Kelly Osbourne, and their relationship, was just a joy to watch. Kelly would never be the best dancer – in fact, I would argue that she was no better than 6th or 7th place – but people LOVED her and I think a lot of that is attributable to Louis. Â There is no question the man can dance, and he’s a very good choreographer (although I think my #3 did better on the tour), but I think it was only this season that his personality and teaching ability came to the forefront. Â Lovely, lovely guy.
- Maksim Chmerkovskiy – cranky as hell at times, the man also has IT.  He really won me over with his work on last years tour – brilliantly done.  He also manages to survive what I think is a crappy edit nearly every season – sure he’s blunt, but his partners seem to love him. And he writes a great blog, which I appreciate. 🙂  I also love how he treats Derek and Mark as slightly annoying little brothers – very sweet to watch on tour.  The feeling I get from Maks is that he’s all bark and no bite.
- Mark Ballas – I was tempted to leave Mark off the list, although he’s always been one of my favorites.  Why? Well, maybe it’s just my perception, but I thought he acted badly when dancing with Melissa Joan Hart.  He seemed upset that they weren’t doing that well – whatever the reason for his behavior, it seemed TO ME to be poor sportsmanship.  He’s had two Olympians as partners – surely he can suck it up when dancing with someone who is trying hard, but isn’t an Olympian??  Anyway, despite that, Mark is a hell of a dancer and seems to be a good teacher.  He gets a lot of flack for out dancing his partners (usually in the Jive, which I don’t think he can help), and he occasionally picks hellish costumes with polka dots,  but he is a very talented guy.
- Tony Dovolani – Tony doesn’t really impress me as a particularly great choreographer, but he’s a hell of a dancer and he’s very, VERY charming. Â He’s just NICE. Â I like him a lot. Â He seems to work well with his partners, is a good teacher and is an all around good egg.
I think that only leaves Jonathan, Dmitry and Alec.  Dmitry and Alec suffer from an apparent lack of personality – notice I didn’t say that they don’t have a personality, just that it isn’t *apparent*. They are too quiet, and I don’t think either of them did a particularly good job in terms of choreography.  Doesn’t *everyone* know how Len feels about gimmicks, Dmitry??  As for Jonathan, he suffers as a result of drawing poor celebrities – how can I tell how good of a choreographer or teacher he is when he never stays on the show for long?  That said – he clearly has the patience of a saint.  And lord, when he’s dancing with his wife it’s a thing of beauty.
Okay, everyone, go ahead and tell me how wrong I am.  🙂  I can take it.
My Top Ten:
1: Tony
2: Louis
3: Dmitry
4: Jonathan
5: Alec
6: Nick Kosovich
7: Jesse
8: Fabian
9: Derek
10: Mark
1. MARK BALLAS… he is the best dancer and has great choreography. he’s also sooo cute 🙂
2. Derek hough
3. Maks Chmercovsky (I know I spelled that wrong)
4. Tony Dovoloni
5. Jonathan Roberts… nice guy… horrible luck though
6. Louis Van Amstel
7. idk
113,553 (lol). Dmitry Chaplin… yea his choreography is good but way too gimmicky. he never sticks to the rules and is so hard on his partners that AREN’T mya(Holly Madison). he copies moves from sytycd and isn’t AMAZING as a dancer. he should be off the show.
For those interested, you can see the full list of past pros on the DWTS Twitter page: https://www.puredwts.com/dancing-with-the-stars-twitter-accounts/
Ok, nice writeup Heidi. I think I’d put Maks on top. I love how he adores dancing and holds his stars accountable. I love Louis on SYTYCD, but haven’t been a fan of his on DWTS. All the rest don’t do much for me. Although, my bottom guys are Alec and Jonathan. Just know nothing about them. Dmitry has been disappointing after I enjoyed him so much on SYTYCD.
1. mark
2. derek
3. fabian
4. maks
5. tony
Tony is an Emmy Nominated Choreographer. He did an excellent job with Stacy and Melissa. His other celebs were too old. There is not much you can do with them.
My fav 4 are:
Mark, Derek, Maks, and Tony. I don’t really care about the others.
Your list is pretty close to my faves:
1. YES, Derek – great choreographer! and so cute!
2. YES, Louis – great choreographer! Plus, I think he is very likeable.
3. Mark – I love watching him because he LOVES to dance.
4. Maks – Watch out for the “I know I’m sexy” bit…….. a little goes a long way.
5. Maks’s younger brother – I HOPE he shows up on DWTS soon! I saw him do a “show dance” on one of the PBS broadcasts, and he has charm to burn, maybe even more than Maks!
I’m tired of Tony’s chest and teeth. I like Jonathan because he didn’t even take up dancing until he was 21 and he is a great dancer! I liked Dmitry and actually thought his personality was fine; he just seemed like a newbie to me, a little uncomfortable. I do not like Alec, or his brother. I’m not sure why. I just don’t. Even when he won the first season he was not excited, not likeable. Aren’t there any more men to chose from???
Anne, Jonathan was actually 20, not 21 and in fact he had just turned 20 🙂
I actually just saw Maks yesterday during Burn the Floor and got to meet him afterwards. He is very cute (and tall!) but he knows it! He shook his butt during the show and had his shirt off probably half the time. Granted, he is a good dancer.
1- Mark
2- Derek
3- Maks
i don’t really care about the rest
As far as skills go…
1. Alec
2. Mark
3. Tony
4. Dmitry
5. Jonathan
6. Fabian
7. Derek
8. Geyna (I’m aware he’s not a pro yet in pro group #’s he’s a beast)
9. Louis
10. Nick
As far as ‘IT’ goes…
1. Derek
2. tie: Mark and Tony
3. Louis
4. Alec
5. Maks
My favs…
1. Maks- sexy russian
2. Derek- he’s grown on me since Lil’ Kim showed up
3. Alec- sexier with stuble
4. Louis- The frilly pants got me…
5. Dmitry- if it was called “Dancing after Dark” He’d have more than a shirt off… *drools*
You have Derek below Mark and Dmitry in terms of skills? No WAY – part of skill is creativity and he’s got both of them beat by a mile. I think he beats Tony and Alec in that area as well. In terms of dance skill I would probably put him behind Jonathan and Alec, but that’s it. And frankly, having IT in spades and a buttload of creativity is far more important. Most of these guys aren’t doing ballroom competition anymore and what Derek has is more valuable for a longer career.
I just don’t see the “It” factor in Tony and I would trade him and Maks places. Alec has NO IT at all – completely lacking in personality right along with Dmitry. Louis? Love him. What a sweetie. I would also move Louis up the list in terms of skill – he might even push Derek into fourth place in terms of just dance skill.
You like Genya? Um, no. Fabian seems like a sweetheart but I don’t think I’ve seen enough of him to judge one way or the other.
Am I the only one in the whole world that just doesn’t see Dmitry as attractive AT ALL??? He looks…squinchy to me. Yes, I know that’s not a word. 😉
No way Louis, Nick, Derek are below Alec and Mark. Derek’s better in ballroom than Alec and Mark. Genya is better at latin than his brother. Louis and Nick are champions and should be on top of the list.
well it goes that way for me:
1- the one and the only DEREEEEEEEK HOUGH!! : the best dancer in ballroom and latin, the best choreagrapher on the show, the most attractive personality!!
2- Maks: Great dancer with a personality of his own that makes him special on the show
3- Mark : great chorographer ( i really love his work)
4- Tony: the sweetest person ever he’s so kind and a real gentelman he knows how to handel his parteners (stars)
5- Louis: i’ve mentioned his name only becoz i love what he did on SYTYCD not for DWTS
The five pros that i’ve mentioned are my favs becoz they got: danceskills, personality and charisma. The rest are like invisible to me. the show is not only about danceskills , but ENTERTAINEMENT.
Since we’re talking about favs, on the other side there’s only one pro that i really dislike: DMITRY!! i really don’t like him at all: he’s not that goood ( for dance abilities) and got no Personality ( nothing, nada!!). SO i really hope that next season they’ll replace him with a new choreagrapher or bring one of the dancers for the company.
DEREEEEEK RUUUUUUULES (:D)
Katie, everyone is entitled to their opinion. That said, Dmitry Chaplin IS IN THE SAME LEAGUE with Maks, Derek, Mark, and Louie. My goodness, how could he not be? I’ve watched many of his interviews and he is such a sweetheart. Not to mention an Emmy nominated choreographer. Just goes to show I’m not the only one who thinks the world of his AWESOME abilities. His routines are fresh, invigorating, as well as innovative. The only reason he didn’t win with Mya(which was a travesty) was because of Donny’s popularity. Donny could have received zeros during the finals and he still would have won due to his fan base. The DWTS demographics is largely middle-aged women. Donny was a teen-idol from their generation and he literally took them down memory lane. So the trophy was literally a given for Kym. However, I do think Kym is a fantastic choreographer as well. I quite enjoy DWTS, though nothing lasts forever. I’m wishing all the above named dancers the best. They so deserve every accolade, nomination, and award they get. They’re simply the best.
Well I think its a bit unfair to compare Dmitry to the other pros yet since he’s only been on 2 seasons and the first season he was barely on. He’s still new. I think he’ll get better with time and I think he did a great job last season and brought a new element to the show. I tend to like the pros who don’t hog the spotlight all the time and make it about the celebs as it should be. Anyways to each their own. All the pros are great and know how to do their jobs.
Sorry, Princess Heidi. I can’t agree with most of your list. LOL. Derek for me is way too much of a show-off and it’s not cute. He’s like that annoying younger brother you hit when your parents’ aren’t watching. Mark is only so-so for me. He has a bit of an ego. I like Louis, Maks, and Tony.
Dmitry is definitely one of the top 5 male dancers. He’s a great dancer without the attitude and childish antics. Granted he’s only been on the show for two seasons, but he’s clearly talented. Otherwise I don’t think he’d have received an Emmy nomination.
Of course Dmitry is talented – no one is denying that. And he’s far from the only Pro on the show to have an Emmy nomination, Derek, Cheryl, Jules…and Louis?…all have them. I think Cheryl might have TWO, but then she’s been on the show the longest. But what I’m talking about are MY favorites and the IT factor. I don’t think Dmitry has IT, whereas Derek and Maks do. Star quality. You may appreciate what you call a lack of “antics” and attitude – I don’t. Boring. To each her own.
I think Dmitry did himself a huge disservice in choreographing Mya – anyone who has watched this show knows that Len HATES gimmicks with a passion – he’s dinged Derek more than once. But you know what Derek does? He says, I know, but we took a risk and went for performance value over one judges score – he did NOT show a complete lack of understanding of why he got dinged by Len. Are you going to tell me that Dmitry never watched the show prior to dancing with Mya? I don’t buy it.
Definitely to each her own, that’s why I said I didn’t agree with most of your list. That’s my opinion and I suppose I’m free to disagree. LOL. Of course, I know some of the other pros are Emmy nominated. I only mentioned Dmitry’s because it’s apparent his skills are appreciated by others – even if you don’t care for them.
IMO, Dmitry didn’t do Mya a disservice. His choreography helped her into 2nd place. If that’s a disservice, I’m sure a lot of the pros wouldn’t have a problem with it. LOL. The jive, samba, salsa, paso, tango, quickstep, and waltz? Fantastic choreography. Fantastic scores.
Yes, he and Mya made a decision to go after what they thought would please the crowd instead of just Len. Was some of it gimmicky? Sure. The crowd enjoyed it. Just like they enjoyed Derek’s blowjob move. LOL.
It’s a reality show that’s a lot of fun to watch. No harm, no foul.
I know some of the other pros are Emmy nominated. I only mentioned Dmitry’s because it’s apparent his skills are appreciated by others – even if you don’t care for them. No problem. We all have our favorites and happens to be one of mine.
IMO, Dmitry didn’t do Mya a disservice. His choreography helped her into 2nd place. If that’s a disservice, I’m sure a lot of the pros wouldn’t have a problem with it. LOL. The jive, samba, salsa, paso, tango, quickstep, and waltz? Fantastic choreography. Fantastic scores.
Yes, he and Mya made a decision to go after what they thought would please the crowd instead of just Len. Was some of it gimmicky? Sure. The crowd enjoyed it. Just like they enjoyed Derek’s blowjob move. LOL.
It’s a reality show that’s a lot of fun to watch. No harm, no foul.
Mya got to second place because she was a ringer with tons of dance experience. She was such a ringer she should have won, but she was beaten by an unbeatable fanbase. Giving all the credit to Dmitry is kinda like giving Mark Ballas all the credit for his two wins with extraordinarily popular Olympic Gold medalists. It doesn’t work. Hell, MYA choreographed some of their routines!!
I don’t care if Dmitry uses gimmicks KNOWING they will get him in trouble and going for the crowd pleasing element – clearly I don’t mind when Derek does it. What I DO mind is the whining of “I don’t understand why Len won’t score us higher” blah blah blah. That’s the disservice. Own up to it dude. Finally at the end I think he did, but it took him a few weeks to either realize what the problem was or admit what the problem was. One or the other. Neither speaks well of him.
At least Derek goes far with people who aren’t ringers or, better still, who have a ton of baggage. This season, I predict Dmitry gets another ringer (because someone has to TRY to take Derek’s place when he decides he’s done), and Derek finally gets someone unknown or with baggage that he can’t teach well enough to get to 5th place. But at least maybe that way he can go to Europe, choreographing for his British pop star.
OH, and this site is cached so WAIT a while before posting a second time – your post will show up, sometimes it just takes a while.
I’m kinda surprised that our lists are so different. IDK why, but I guess that somehow for me, likeable personality beats dance ability any day. Only last season’s guys are listed (As you can tell, it’s kinda hard for me to rank them.):
1. Derek (Seriously, just look at my youtube, deviantart, and nearly every comment I’ve made on the DWTS message board.)
2. Tony
-3. Mark
-3. Jonathan
5. Dmitry
-6. Louis
-6. Alec
8. Maks (I have my shield ready.)
The pros get help with their choreography if they want it everyone knows that. And Mya isn’t the only past celebrity to hep choreograph a routine.
Her dance experience was not in ballroom. It’s so funny that people think if you can dance, you can dance anything. Not true. Her hard work paid off. Kudos to Mya and Dmitry! One of the best couples to ever grace DWTS stage. LOL.