Pure DWTS 2011 – Mike Tyson And New Cast Talk On Atheletes Doing Dancing With The Stars
Not sure on this Dancing With The Stars new cast possibilty and it’s probably unlikely, but, Mike Tyson was Jimmy Kimmel’s guest Thursday night. In Thursday’s segment with Mike, Jimmy questions Mike about the possibility of him dancing on the show since he’s currently starring in the Argentina’s “Dancing With The Stars”. Tyson replies, “They [the US version] don’t pay as much as Argentina” which makes me wonder if he hasn’t been asked and given an offer by the American version. What’s more, Mike’s wife wants him to do the show. Mike and Jimmy talk about Dancing With The Stars at the end of the first video and at the beginning of the second video.
Speaking of another athelete dancing on the show and after Hines Ward winning the Mirror Ball this Season, as well as other atheletes in the past, do you think atheletes have an unfair advantage over the rest of the contestants in the competition and should execs think of not including them in the future so others have a chance to win? I ran onto this article at Popwatch that examines the question.
If you count Helio Castroneves and Nicole Scherzinger as athletes — and, as any race or dance enthusiast will tell you, they most certainly are — then 7 of the 12 champions from Dancing With the Stars are from the wide world of sports. (In your face, all you super tough actors and boy band members!)
With Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward bringing home the glittery disco ball last night, it’s easy to wonder if the reality show’s athlete stars have an advantage on the show. After all, they do have a major foot up, thanks to years of vigorous physical training, which sometimes includes dance. (I’m fairly certain all pro football players are sanctioned by the NFL to know and perform the Super Bowl Shuffle on command.) And as as most late night talk show hosts have been quick to point out, Kirstie Alley wasn’t nearly as athletic as her DWTS counterpart Ward, so did she even have a fighting chance to take the whole thing? Did Hines, like Shawn Johnson and Emmitt Smith before him, come in with physical capabilities the other contestants simply couldn’t compete with? Or was he, like them, just a better dancer?
So, what do you think? Do you like the idea of Mike Tyson (another boxer) doing the show?
Also, do you think the show shouldn’t cast any more atheletes since they have unfair advantage?
One more question, if you’d like to see more atheletes on the show, who would you like to see dance?
In my opinion, I don’t care if the atheletes have an advantage or not. Yes, Kirstie might have won this season if Hines wouldn’t have danced. Even still, I’ve loved the atheletes on the show with my favorite being Evan Lysecek. Not sure about Mike Tyson though? He seems a little cocky. I continue to dream on Johnny Weir being cast …as well as Oksana Baiul or Katerina Witt. I’d love to see Chris Evert do the show too (or any tennis star for that matter).
Heidi’s Note: So, Nicole’s an athlete now?? Give me a break. I also don’t count Helio as one either. As for if they have an unfair advantage?? Most everyone cast on the show has some sort of advantage (it’s about whose is biggest) and I think this is just another way for those who LOST to whine about losing. If it’s not “previous experience” it’s “athletes”. :::rolls eyes::: EVERY season you can point at at least one person and say “So and so would have won, if not for_____” Winning or losing has to do with a huge number of factors besides that person’s past history – Chelsea SHOULD have had the biggest advantages as she was the youngest, and we saw what happened there – beaten by said 60 year old Kirstie. Why? Kirstie had fanbase – a better advantage than Chelsea’s age. Hines beat Kirstie because he was an athlete? Doubtful – he could move better than her and his personality was very engaging. Could he move better because he was an athlete? Well, how about the fact that he’s half Kirstie’s age?? I think this is just another case of sore loser-dom. 
I’m with Vogue – bring ‘em on.
I knew you’d have something fun to add Heidi! Well SAID! Everyone has some unique advantage when you think about it. And there are those who are always sore losers too.
I don’t know about Mke Tyson being on the show. I think it would be cool if they had different sports on. I’m just saying there have been football players on the show almost every season, they have had 1 or 2 boxers and 1 or 2 wrestlers. I wanna see a hockey player(FLYERS!!!) or a baseball player or even a basketball player on the show.
Adding: also if they start nitpicking this and that for who should and shouldn’t be a contesant for whatever reason, there won’t be anyone left eventually. Most fans just want to see some dancing from a “star” and a “pro” and for the contest to be fun and entertaining. Let them do to it whoever it may be….well, with an exception to another Bristol Palin. lol
Good idea Teresa!!
I’m not sure how they count Nicole as an “athlete” when the thrust of the “unfair advantage” debate is clearly to professional athletes. I don’t think I would count a golfer as an “athlete” either!
Mike Tyson would NOT be my choice for a DWTS celeb athlete. I’m seriously not a fan. *LOL* But I’m all for athletes being on the show. Do they have an advantage? Oh hell, everyone has SOME kind of advantage. Nobody, be it athletes, actors, models, just plain people move the way one has to on the ballroom dancefloor without some kind of actual ballroom training. Even gymnasts like Shawn or skaters like Evan and Kristy – Kristie – Oh hell, Ms. Yamaguchi! *LOL* Even performers who have done some choreography, like Lance Bass, Donny Osmond, Joey Fatone, Mel B. and yeah, even Nicole – just because they’ve done choreo before doesn’t mean that they can ballroom dance – at least in my opinion. Do they have an edge over someone like Mike Catherwood? Or Tom DeLay? Or Kelly Osborne? Or Steve Wosniak? Yeah, I kinda think they do, but so many other things factor into it. Likeability, charisma, chemistry with their partners – it might be an edge, but not as big as a lot of folks want to make out. You just can’t point to one factor and say that if the celeb has that, they’ll win.
That being said, after watching Battle of the Blades this year on the CBC, I’m ALL for getting some hockey players involved! Honestly? I’d rather see them than the football guys… just saying. *g* And speaking of football… what about Langdon whatshischops, the real football (soccer) player? He’d be terrific, no? Time for DWTS to widen its sports horizon even more, I think.
If Heidi doesn’t consider elite racing drivers to be athletes, she ought to meet one of them. They are some of the best conditioned and strongest people, pound for pound, in all of sports. Have you ever seen a picture of Lewis Hamilton or Vettel? Also, their reflexes are unearthly.
On a different note, I agree that the previous experience card is often overused, but casting Nicole on DWTS was an absolute farce. Though she did produce by far the best dancing of any star we’ve ever seen on the show, which was nice.
Yeah, I wouldn’t consider Nicole or Helio athletes. I guess technically, some people consider racing a sport, but there’s nothing about it that would make him a good dancer. Athletes usually have an advantage because they’re used to moving around, but not all athletes have done so great on the show! Sometimes people come into the show having never been very athletic before in their life and end up being great dancers. I think by now we’ve seen it all!
They should keep casting athletes. I would love to see more Olympians on the show!
Interesting to note, Pamela Anderson & Damien Whitewood are also competing on the Argentinian version with Mike Tyson.
Here’s a clip of their first dance.
Eeek Mike Tyson, I hope not…..To me hes kind of creepy!! Cant imagine watching Mike Tyson in dancing shoes at all.
“They are some of the best conditioned and strongest people, pound for pound, in all of sports.’ Agreed. Takes extraordinary stamina, strength, hand-eye coordination, reflexes, nerves of steel, etc. It is interesting how well football players do. If you notice Hines wasn’t one of the super-chiseled athletic types, but he is a great football player, almost a throwback to the 70s and 80s. They all have the discipline, teamwork, coordination, stamina elements. A basketball coach may not agree, but football is the most cerebral of the big four sports-hundreds of complex plays, with options, scripted much like the dancing. Yes, Kristi Y had a lot of preparation, not to mention talent and work ethic but those contestants make the show exciting:
Yeah, I saw that Pamela and Damian are also competing in the Argentine version. I did remember seeing that Pamela really liked her experience on DWTS that she’s been traveling to other countries and doing their DWTS but not necessarily competing on the shows. Maybe that’s why Damian couldn’t return, it might be because he had commitments with Pamela to travel around and do the other DWTS shows.
Nicole was no more a “farce” than mel b, Sabrina, kristie, mya and several others. If Nicole hadn’t had the nerve to WIN, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. You do realize that NOT winning doesn’t make one LESS of a ringer, right?
Do you remember Monica Seles , champion tennis player and elite athlete, on Season 6? First to go home that season I believe. Not all athletes are created equal when it comes to dancing.. Either you can move or you can’t; it doesn’t matter what genre you’re from.
Evaine, I would love to see some Battle of the Blades contestants or other hockey players do DWTS. You’re right! They are amazing! I’d also like to see some of the skating pros from the show do DWTS.
I also don’t think of Nicole as an athlete (singer with musicality, yes!). Helio is part of a sport that has nothing to do with fast footwork and rhythm, so for the purposes of DWTS, he is an “athlete” with no advantage.
Agreed, meggie, and not all Olympians are created equal either. If you come from a sport favored by women (aka voters) and which requires grace and, in some cases, some sort of dance ability, you are better of than a Maurice Green. A figure skater or gymnast is always going to have the edge over track and field guys.
The advantage the athletes have is in their overall conditioning and work ethic. There’s a limit to how much it helps, though, and like Heidi said – some sports will give you an advantage over others. And, counting Nicole as an athlete? Absurd.
Definitely keep athletes on the show!! I hope the producers wouldn’t seriously consider *not* having athletes participate. Often they set the standard for the season with their work ethic, which I think leads to everyone else trying harder and thus producing better dances.
Heidi, you are wrong that Nicole was no more of a farce than the others you mentioned because her level of dance was so far above all of those other women. It’s possible that Sabrina could have eventually risen to that level, I’ll grant you, but none of the others you mentioned were even close. And since Sabrina left so early, we’ll never know.
@Steve – Gotta disagree with you there. Nicole was a band member, and had some experience with choreography. But didn’t Lance Bass? Joey Fatone? Joey McIntyre (don’t know that I spelled that right). So were they “farces”, too? Oh, yeah, that’s right – they didn’t win. Sabrina is also in that category.
So, I don’t know why it is you think Nicole was such a farce, except that she won. Ballroom dancing is a far cry from the hippity-hoppity, shake-your-butt, grab-your-crotch, kinda-sorta-martial-arts-moves crap that seems to pass for “dancing” from bands (boy bands or girl bands) these days. Nicole did the best Rumba I think I’ve ever seen on DWTS. Did she know how to do that before she got there? I’ve seen Pussycat Dolls videos on You Tube, and never saw ANYTHING like that. So, seems to me that she had talent, desire, worked hard, and had a great teacher. No farce there.
Steve, you clearly don’t get that ability doesn’t equal farce. Nicole had no more previous experience than any of those I mentioned – except Mya had MORE. She actually taught dancer herself. I think it’s a singularly unintelligent argument to make when all you have to say is that someone is a great dancer. So what? Gilles was a great dancer too – was he a “farce”?? How about Brooke Burke?? Hardly. Those two people were ones that had a high ability to dance which just proves that there are those out there with natural talent. So, Nicole was in a girl band – big deal. So were several others who were on this show – all of whom also had some natural talent. The only reason we are having this discussion is because Nicole actually WON. It has nothing to do with her experience or anything else. So, Steve, tell us – who was your favorite that got “robbed” from that season?? Erin? There is only one reason that a person would make an argument so lacking in logic – fandom.
The “dance was high quality so it’s a farce” is just a ludicrous argument, period. So, there is no such thing as having natural aptitude?? Heaven forbid that anyone just be GOOD at something. And I know we have lots of evidence that chest pumping and booty shaking equals great ballroom…oh, wait, how do we explain Kendra….
Heidi, I’d like to open by pointing out that stressing politeness and good manners in the comments and then using phrases like “clearly don’t get”, “ludicrous”, “so lacking in logic”, and “singularly unintelligent” in your missives is hypocritical.
With that said, it’s simply not true that Nicole’s dance experience was confined to “chest pumping and booty shaking”. Nicole went to school at an elite performing arts and music magnet institution and took various dance classes in broadway dancing, tap, modern, etc. She had little ballroom experience specifically, but her dance experience was by no means limited to hip hop. Therefore, your assertion that she had no more prior experience than the other ladies is incorrect.
And I’m having this discussion because I felt her presence was unfair to every other contestant on the show that season. Her aptitude was obvious, but in my opinion her prior extensive dance experience should have disqualified her. I’d also like to make sure I mention that I didn’t like any of the contestants of season ten and find Nicole to be generally irritating and needlessly self-promoting. I watch DWTS because I’m a ballroom latin judge who loves watching the pros and listening to Len Goodman.
I really dont care what prior dancing any of the contestants had or didnt have really. And I specifically do not have a truly favorite pro either. Just basically go by what celeb or celebs pull me in for that season. (For example, Love Kym hated Donny Osmond on the show, never a fan of Maks but Loved Maks with Kirstie this season. For me the partnership is crucial in the outcome of the pairing.
I think we can all agree to disagree on who our favorites are. Whether they are athletes, performers, or just the average two left feet, we all have opinions. Personality and the ‘IT’ factor are one of the key components of this competition, at least for me. Mya was a beautiful dancer BUT she had no likeability factor that paired with a boring partner, was it for me….yawn and double yawn. But that is only how I base my favorites….And I love Derek but I just couldnt connect with Nicole and once I lose my connection of the pairing its over for me that season….But thats just me. Heres hoping Derek will come back with a great partner this season, I miss him.
There have been plenty of athletes on the show who have not done particularly well — and/or who have been really awkward at dancing. I agree with other comments that “conditioning” doesn’t automatically make someone a good dancer — grace, performing abilities play a huge role as well. If any athletes DO have an edge, it might, thus, be figure skaters, gymnasts. Additionally, althought age was likely the bigger factor in this particular case, wouldn’t astronauts almost have to be categorized as “athletes” too?
You could also make a similar argument that “entertainers” are the ones who have an edge — people like Donny/Marie Osmond and others who sing, dance (meaning “move” as part of their act, to some extent) AND “perform” for a living (not just act). Just like athletes, however, there have been plenty of examples of entertainers who have not faired particularly well — again, because they lack something out of the “whole package” that’s needed.
Keep the athletes coming. They tend to be more well-known actual “stars,” unlike some of the reality show personalities that have been cast, or regional celebrities like Mike C.
I would really like to see a jockey cast. Gary Stevens (who has acted as well, e.g., he played George in Seabiscut) might be particularly good. (No, no, no to Mike Tyson; yes, creepy!)
Gee, I guess I’m a hypocrite then, because I see “lacking in logic” etc as factual and not hyperbole nor impolite – wasn’t calling you names, was taking about your argument. Which is still heavily flawed and just plain wrong.
So, she went to a performing arts school – that still doesn’t change the fact that she had No MORE actual experience than Mya, Mel B, Sabrina and any number of other people on the program in the past years – the difference was she won, and that’s the part that gets people backs up. She went for MUSIC, not dance – that she had dance classes at a young age makes her no different from most women – including Joanna Krupa, Jennifer Grey, Erin Andrews and Melissa. Hell, wasn’t Willa Ford a dancer as well? And explain Mya – she actually TAUGHT tap classes (along with others) therefore, she must be a “farce” too, right?? Or is it because she didn’t win it’s okay? Every single season there has been someone with actual dance experience on the show – I even heard that Chelsea Kane had a lot of experience as well.
You’re having this discussion because your favorite didn’t win, despite what you say. I could just as easily make the argument that Evan’s presence was unfair to everyone on the show – he’s a very popular athlete with women and fresh off the olympics which gave him a huge advantage in terms of fanbase over Nicole, who was a relative unknown. Same goes for Donny Osmond – who, by the way took actual BALLROOM dancing lessons before joining the show – huge female fanbase which equals a huge advantage. But people only point out people with dance experience – they don’t seem to get that lots of people have bigger advantages than that. That should be obvious from the fact that Donny actually beat Mya – another trained dancer. You may or may not be a ballroom person – but you clearly don’t understand how DWTS works if you think that someone like Nicole had an “unfair advantage”. Especially since the show has NEVER been fair – unless you think a Chelsea versus Kirstie showdown is “fair”.
http://www.garystevens.com/
Gail, are you saying you want him on the show? Or that you’ve heard he’s going to be on the show??
I agree with you, by the way – most people who are on the show can be said to have some sort of “advantage”. The “fair” argument is kinda silly because of previous discussions on how it’s hardly fair to pit a 60 year old against a 20 year old, etc. etc. etc. The way this show works, is pointless to even have discussions on “fair”. It’s not even constructed to be fair. You know they would pit a Jonas Brother against some unknown, 50 year old comic or some such thing – that’s the way it goes. But you won’t see me voting for a JoBro.
ETA: Sorry – didn’t see the last line of your previous post.
I would love to see him on the show!!! He seems open to anything (if u have seen either of the hangover movies, you know what I mena lol……eaven though the sequel wasn’t as good). The only thing about the ruinger stuff with him is that he is a sports person. I have a way to dispriove that: Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Merriweather JR, Chris Jerhico, etc. Especially the two boxers. They don’t have much of a positive track record on the show besides Laila Ali (who came in third deservedly in my opinion…..Joey Fatone and Apollo were ten times better than her). Kinda would love to see Tyson on the show though despite the fact he is doing anoyher version of the show (but If I was informed correctly Pam Anderson is on that show too w Damien right?). I can see the banter between him and bruno now as well as the most likely funny rehersal footage if paired with Anna T, Anna D, Kym, or karina. Maybe Edyta would return for this guy too since she was paired with Evader Hollified season one and really worked wonders with him (he wasn’t good but improved a great deal).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHGcIcuBRgw
On a side note, for all the maks and tony fans, they are in NYC soon.
Oh Vin, I hope you’re wrong about Mike Tyson doing the show. If I recall, Robin Givens accused him of physically abusing her when they were married. And, wasn’t he convicted of rape? The last thing I’d want to see is one of our wonderful female pros having to work with him.
Heidi, am I to understand that you consider calling someone’s argument “singularly unintelligent” to be polite?
I also fail to understand how you can assert so confidently that I’m upset about Nicole’s victory because “my favorite didn’t win”. As I said, I had no favorite this season. It is absolutely possible to have a problem with the casting of a contestant outside of any bias in favor of another contestant. Why you seem to think this isn’t realistic makes no sense to me.
Moreover, Nicole’s training wasn’t “at a young age”, as you opine. It began at a young age and continued throughout her graduation from high school. It may also interest you to know that Nicole was accepted into the school initially for dance, and only became active in the theater program in her upperclass years. She competed successfully in many dance competitions, both as part of a group and as a solo artist, throughout her high school years. None of those were ballroom competitions, I freely admit, but the competitive dance experience still applies directly to the experience on DWTS.
I am utterly unqualified to comment on Chelsea Staub’s dance training, as I know next to nothing about her.
You make a legitimate point that DWTS isn’t set up to be “fair”. My issues with Nicole’s casting were in regard to the degree of relatice unfairness: a disparity that I saw as glaring and insurmountable.
Pardon me, I meant to write “relative unfairness.”
Moreover, I’d like to point out that I never called you a hypocrite, I called specific comments of yours hypocritical.
These two actions are wholly different: the distinction between a general ad hominem attack and specific subjective commentary on a given action is essential.
Throughout this entire exchange, I have never assaulted your character, your intelligence, or your right to your opinion. In saying that by calling one of your actions hypocritical I am calling you personally a hypocrite you create a false extension.
Oh for heaven’s sake, Steve. Three posts? Really? Get over it already. If you think that was an ad hominem attack then you’re not as smart as you think you are. I’m not impressed. I still think you’re utterly wrong – you do have a talent, though, for leaving out the parts of the discussion you don’t want to address. You still haven’t addressed Mya nor any of the other dancers that have been on this show since the very beginning. By the way – High School IS a young age – unless of course you are also in High School or close to it. Nicole had no ballroom experience?? Then why is your focus on Nicole and, I ask AGAIN, not on the many other dancers who danced during high school and before on this show? And what about the other advantages that I discussed that Nicole didn’t have?? Like a huge fanbases? Those are often “glaring and insurmountable” – take Kristie Yamaguchi and Donny Osmond (who had ballroom training and other dance for most of his life) for example. Until you can admit that having dance experience is NOT the only advantage to have and that Nicole is NOT the only person with dance experience and/or training on this show, then we have nothing more to talk about. Don’t know about all those other dancers or other people’s fanbases? Then you’re really not qualified to discuss Nicole in terms of the entire show, are you. THAT is the point I’ve been making over and over again.
And no – I still don’t believe that you are impartial. People SAY lots of things on the internet. A couple years of working on this blog has lead me to not believe a lot of it.
@Steve – Here’s another point of view – for the sake of discussion, I’ll give you the point that Nicole had a competitive dancing advantage. However, I don’t care. As you mention, her experience wasn’t in ballroom or latin dancing. IMO, she worked hard, had a great teacher/coach in Derek, and if I recall, there were quite a few comments from the judges that they were scoring her on a different scale. As Heidi has pointed out in other threads, that tended to flatten-out the scores, reducing the percentages between Nicole and the other dancers. In the end, it came down to the fans voting, and we all have our reasons for picking one couple over another. So even if your point is absolutely, completely correct (and, for the record, I’m with Heidi – competition in High School doesn’t seem like a big deal to me when you’re competing on a reality show somewhere around 10 years later), it’s moot.
Remember Laila Ali….great female boxer finished 3rd with Max. I love watching the athletes from all sports.
Regarding Mike Tyson…if ever a person has turned his life around for the better, it is Tyson. He is fun to watch on the Argentine DWTS and I would love to see him do the US version.