DWTS 15 All-Stars: The Great “Previous Dance Experience” Debate – Kelly Monaco Edition
Ok, so for a NORMAL season, this is the time where I’d usually cull videos from YouTube that show our new crop of celebrities doing dance-related things in their past that may or may not help their performance on DWTS, and then Heidi, Vogue, & I would point & laugh and generally have a grand ol’ time offering our commentary 🙂 But obviously, this season is not following that pattern – there’s not much point in looking at videos of Kirstie dancing around in the kitchen scene of Look Who’s Talking or Drew Lachey gyrating onstage with 98 Degrees when we already have footage of them dancing on DWTS…so why not take a look at some of their best & worst performances from their original seasons, and see how they stack up? In addition, I’ll try to add videos of any dancing the celebs have done SINCE their season, that may or may not help them this time around.
Today we’ll start with the ladies, and we’ll start at the very beginning: season 1, which Kelly Monaco won. For her best dance, I picked her freestyle:
And for her worst, I chose the waltz:
Ok, first thing that jumps out at me here: the bar has definitely been raised quite a bit since season 1 – the level of the dancing is much higher now than it was in Kelly’s season, which could pose some big problems for her. I’m always a bit reluctant to pick someone’s freestyle as their “best dance” (because I think freestyles are usually pretty universally-pleasing, since the couples can do whatever they want), but in this case, I feel like it actually had quite a bit of ballroom content and thus was more on-par with what she was capable of in a regular dance. With that being said – it’s still a pretty weak freestyle, when you look at the freestyles we’ve seen since season 1. Kelly’s getting off-time, missing steps, and generally looking pretty wobbly on her feet – it may have gotten a 30 back in season 1, but I’d be surprised if it would have gotten anything more than a 23 in a more current season…and I think she’d be lucky to even break into the 20’s during the all-star season, if it’s going to be as competitive as I think it is. As for her waltz – it was during the first week of the first season, so there was undoubtedly some major nerves at work and I think she just ended up very stiff & scared. And did I just see some pretty blatant lifts in there??? I don’t necessarily think it was bad…it just wasn’t very interesting to watch. But there isn’t going to be any room for nerves on this season, so Kelly’s going to have to overcome those pretty quickly if she wants to stick around.
So has Kelly been doing any dancing since season 1 wrapped that might help her this time around? Well…yes and no. She did a brief stint in the burlesque revue Peepshow in Vegas back in ’09, along with Mel B (WARNING: It’s slightly racy…avert your eyes if you’re offended by pole dancing, lingerie, and gyrations):
Ok, so it looks like Kelly didn’t do a TON of real dancing in Peepshow…seems like just a lot of gyrating suggestively and being a sexpot. So while it might not necessarily help her with her actual dancing, I do think it might help her stage presence in that it will help her evoke a more confident, sexy, smoldering character for dances like the rumba & Argentine tango.
Court’s verdict: All things considered, I think Kelly’s unfortunately one of the weaker contestants this season, and has got a lot of hard work ahead of her if she expects to stick around – the fact that there are several non-winners (Joey, Kirstie, Melissa, even Pam) on this season that are quite a bit better than Kelly in terms of dance skill tells me she’s got some tough competition. However, she’s also still young and in good shape, which could give her an edge over some of the older contestants.
What do you guys think? Does Kelly have the juice to go all the way, or will she flame out early?
I definitely think Kelly will go far. She is still in great shape and has the resolve to go back into competition with gusto and to get her technicals back during this time of lull until rehearsals start in earnest.
I think she has a lot of work cut out for her too. At the same time, I think she could go all the way given the right partner. For instance, if she gets Tony, I don’t think she’ll go that far. If she were to get Derek, watch out!
Great post Court!!!
Thanks Vogue 🙂 And I agree – with Kelly, I think the pro she gets will play a big part in whether she sinks or swims this season. If she gets Derek, I could see her kinda following the same path as Maria – having a lot of improvement.
If you take a look at her Cha Cha from the dance off, she was actually really good. Her turns were great and she showed off some great confidence and footwork.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpgE97ZhG0o
I think if she gets a great pro like Mark or Derek, she could be a dark horse.
I agree, Kelly’s Cha Cha dance off was quite good. Funny thing too because she said she had not danced in weeks.
She’s going to need the right partner and that determination and never give up spirit she had in Season 1 to go far in this competition. I think one of my favorite performances from her was the Rumba! She’s not afraid to be sexy and bring the passion into her routines-big plus for this show.-lol
Excited to see who she will be partnered with.
I think Kelly’s greatest assets (other than her looks and physical fitness) are that she seems to be a fierce competitor. I hear she is a crazy hard worker and the girl just will not give up. Other than that, I think she has very good hip movement, and she’s totally uninhibited. On the flip side, she clearly doesn’t have the training or skills that others had or developed in later seasons. So I agree, it will really come down to her partner. Someone like Derek could help her develop and her potential is unlimited. But if she doesn’t have a good pairing, I could see her leave before having the opportunity to advance her skills.
In addition to needing the right partner, for the reasons others have already mentioned, I think she’ll need the right attitude. No question she’s a fierce competitor, but will she remain a likeable fierce competitor (like Maria) or will the desire to win bring out her less attractive side (like Jaleel)?
Just curious are you guys in any way affiliated with Dancing with the Stars?
You have great stories on the pros and I can’t wait to see who’s paired with whom on the ALl Stars
Hey when are the pro pairings announced?
If that’s the best she can do, she’s in trouble for sure. I totally agree a lot will depend on her pro
I’m pretty much in total agreement. She’s really going to have to work hard if she wants to keep up, which I’m pretty sure she’ll do. As for how well she’ll do skill-wise, yeah, she sure can’t dance in season 1 standards anymore. What I do see is some potential. Her cha-cha, freestyle, and samba had some instances of great hip action and nice legs. I think if she gets the right pro who helps her work on her balance and just tighten things up, she could actually be quite good. If that pro can’t do that, she’s in big trouble.
I couldn’t agree more with everyone above. Kelly seems to be pretty competitive and has good stage presence; if that fire comes out, I think she can do very well. I also think she’s aware of the hurdles – the first season compared with the talent, skill & expectations of more recent seasons. She’s appears to be quite fit AND really wants to do this, so we’ll see. Wouldn’t be the first time a contestant has made me eat my words LOL. BUT, it will have a lot to do with who she gets for a partner. So far, seems that she and Bristol are the weaker links of the cast this season.
I think one of the other hurdles she’s going to have to overcome is the likability factor – not sure that the audience is going to warm up to her and get out the vote. She seems to be the “ice-lady” of the bunch – JMO
I think she has her work cut out for her too and agree that who she’s partnered with will have a big impact. I think she’ pretty and has a great body and is very fit, but I don’t personally really enjoy watching her dance. Maybe with all the fun personalities on this season, she’ll have a lot of fun too and she won’t seem so “ice-lady” as Linde put it.
I think Kelly suffered from being Alec’s partner last time. We’ve commented numerous times how he’s too quiet or too cold from some of his partners.
In retrospect, I think a lot of Kelly’s perceived iciness had a lot to do with Alec – or rather, “The Iceman”, as Kelly referred to him in a later season. I do think a pro’s attitude or general demeanor can really set the tone for a partnership – and in this case, I think Alec approached the show with such seriousness that Kelly just kinda followed suit…although I do think she was a good degree more playful than Alec, but maybe just suppressed it for the sake of getting along with Alec. I think a more laid back partner (like Derek, Mark, or Tristan) could bring out a more personable, relatable side of her.
I hope so, for her sake, Court, because I truly can’t stand her character on General Hospital. Seems like she’s always on the verge of tears. Drives me nuts and prejudices me towards her from the getgo, sadly.
I pretty much agree with everyone else. I admit to have never seen Kelly on anything at all–so I have no idea on how I’ll view her, which makes her an exciting contestant for me. I’ve seen the others already, and though I haven’t seen Drew on the show, I’m very familiar with him. 98 Degrees was big when I was a teen 🙂
I think if she gets Derek or Tristan she’ll do well. Maybe Mark. He seems to have different personalities each season. Anyone else, I’d say she’s toast. I don’t think Tony and Val are dynamic enough, and, just from hearing others speak about Kelly’s competitive nature and strong will, I could not imagine she and Maks would get along very well.
Between Alec and the judges, Kelly on Season 1, was like a raw nerve alot of the time. I think with the “right” partner she could be very competitive because she was determined and hard-working.
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