DWTS 15 All-Stars: The Great “Previous Dance Experience” Debate – Emmitt Smith Edition
So last week, we took a look at Kelly Monaco’s best & worst dances from her original season. Today, we’re gonna skip over Drew (he’s coming later – and there’s a good reason why ;-)) and move onto season 3, which Emmitt won with Cheryl – and he’s partnered with her again this season. Let us reminisce…
For Emmitt’s best dance, I chose his mambo, which got a 29:
And for his worst dance, what else would I pick but the infamous, comically bad “Simply Irresistible” tango?:
Ok, is it just me, or is Emmitt kind of a “small” mover? I mean, he’s a big guy, but in both of his dances he strikes me as a bit cautious in the way he moves…I’ll admit I wasn’t a religious viewer back in season 3, but rewatching a lot of his stuff now, I have to think “Wow…and he won his season???” Like Kelly & Drew, I think his big struggle is just going to be “catching up” to the rest of the contestants from more recent seasons – because the choreography, the energy level, and the overall performance value have all gotten A LOT tougher. It’s also been 6 years since he last danced, and while 43 isn’t terribly old, it can sure feel that way for a former football player with 20 years of wear-and-tear on his body – he may find that it’s not as easy to move now as it was 6 years ago. On the plus side, Emmitt’s got a fun personality on the floor – he seems like he has a great time out there, and isn’t afraid to cut loose and shake his stuff. He’s also got a great personality, which never hurts.
Court’s verdict: Like Kelly, I think Emmitt’s biggest struggle is just going to be catching up to the caliber of competition the show has reached since his original season – and unfortunately, everyone this season (with the exception of Bristol) is a pretty decent dancer, so there’s not going to be a ton of bad dancers to burn through to shield Emmitt from elimination. He and Cheryl are both going to have to step their game up – and he may find that he needs a bit more time to practice than some of the younger, more mobile contestants. He’s got the personality factor working for him, but in order to stick around, he’s going to have to pair that personality with some more difficult choreography. Will be interesting to see what he & Cheryl pull out!
So what do you, our PureDWTS readers, think of Emmitt this season? Will he repeat the success he had in season 3 – or be sent packing early?
I love these previous dance experience debates ladies! Looking forward to more!
At first I thought Emmitt could be compared a bit to Donald Driver, with his personality helping to carry him through as he worked on his technique. But after watching these videos, I don’t think he is as likeable as Donald was in his rehearsal footage. I agree that he and Cheryl will BOTH have to step up their game to compete with the strong contestants in this cast. I also don’t see any way she can play the sex appeal card with him. He seems just like a big teddy bear, but I feel that way about Joey Fatone too, so we will see .. 🙂
I think both Emmitt and Cheryl will definitely have to up their game if they want to make a real run for another MBT. I’ve seen most of their dances from Season 3 and while they were fun to watch … technically, his dancing doesn’t measure up to someone like Gilles. I do like him with Cheryl as he seems to bring out the best in her. Emmitt has been a spectator in the ballroom almost every season and has to know the competition is going to be fierce. In the past, when ask if he would do an All Star season, he always seemed to indicate that he would not be interested … so, I was a little shocked when he was announced as one of the returning stars. However, he is the original “Twinkle Toes”, has remained very popular, and is loaded with charm and charisma. I don’t think he would have said yes if he didn’t think he stood a fairly good chance. Underneath is a real competitor – an All Pro, Hall of Famer – with a desire to win. I look forward to seeing how he does.
Thank you Andrea 🙂 Glad you are enjoying. It’s definitely interesting going back through some of the older seasons – makes for an interesting debate over who will do will this season and who won’t! Here’s the really interesting thing: with the exception of Kelly, Emmitt, and Bristol, I’m having a hard time picking a “worst” dance for many of the contestants this season. Most of them did consistently well on their respective seasons…so their “worst” dance is really more of a “just an ok” dance. That’s how high the level of competition is this season 😯
I agree that Emmitt is not necessarily like Donald – Donald seems to be more outwardly enthusiastic and “Type A” while Emmitt seems more laid back and relaxed. And I also agree that the choreography that won Emmitt & Cheryl the MBT in season 3 wouldn’t hold a candle to some of the stuff she did with Gilles – they’re really going to have to dig deep and pull out some pretty impressive stuff if they want to give juggernauts like Gilles & Joey a run for their money.
he’s very charismatic. I like the guy. =]
I watched season 3 on youtube, after its end. I just start watching dwts “live” (from Brazil) in the middle of season 4.
Emmitt is the case when you know the best dance lost because of popularity of the footballers.
I like him, don’t think he deserved 30 on any of his dances. But, as you guys said, he got loose, enjoyed the dance, had fun. And I like it. Enough to win? Maybe. In this case, no.
I have to say that Cheryl behaviour changed a lot with him – compared how she acted to Drew.
He is a good mover and full of personality but the only dance that I rember from him without hesitation is his jive for some reason.
I loved Emmitt the first go round. I bet he’s even a better dancer now and he’ll be a force. His biggest issue though is going to be Cheryl and the likable factor . It all depends on her ego and attitude versus how it was last season. But, my Dad is a big fan never the less. He’ll be voting like crazy for this team and especially being he loves them BOTH.
Court, good job. Keep these coming.
Very interesting series so far, Court. Insightful and smart; your observations make me think. I like the format also with the videos you selected to remind us of the range of the celebs’ abilities at the time they competed, and also to illustrate how much the show has changed . Once again, 10, 10, 10 🙂
Court, this is a great refresher for us. Thanks for pulling the vids and giving us your insightful comments.
I don’t think Emmitt’s dancing compares with a number of the other celebs this season, but I think his charm and the voting power of Cowboys Nation could carry him past some better dancers. That doesn’t work for me, but as we know, it’s often not about the dancing. I like Emmitt but hope he doesn’t stay past his expiration date.
I think I’m with Cidra on this one….Emmitts gonna have to move alot better than the first time.
What I wanna know about is this stuff I’ve seen around, about the judges saying the scoring would be “calibrated” this season ?? Is this the replacement for the WTF Cha-ChaCha ??
As I remember what Conrad said in that interview, what he meant was that they were going to have to get the judges to re-evaluate what a 9 was and what a 10 was etc… he wasn’t talking about new judges as many have thought.
Some calibration in the scoring is definitely in order. Dare we hope our esteemed stooges have enough brain power between them to pull it off? I’m willing to put some trust in Old Cranky-pants, but the other two worry me.
I’m with you on that, Cidra!
If i remember that far back, I think Emmitt was the first star that really connected with the audience that wasn’t a true ‘dancer’. He just made you smile. He wasn’t a pretty good dancer, but he just lit up the ballroom, even through the TV and he made you like him, like his dance more and in turn, vote for him.
Should be interesting, as he won back when Cheryl was popular…
Compared to some of the other people who might bump out better dancers, I’d rather it be him because he at least he is extremely likable and charismatic in a sweet laid back way. Also, I’d rather see someone enjoying themselves and connecting to the audience than a technically good dancer who doesn’t perform and isn’t warm. For me, it’s a mix of wanting to see great dancing and wanting to be entertained and to feel happy about it.
Court, what a love you are for this wonderful trip down memory lane. So much work, but so very much appreciated – I think I can speak for all of us.
Boy, what a difference a dozen or so seasons makes…. the earlier celebs (through season 3 or 4, I’m thinking) really have their work cut out for them and I hope Kelly & Emmitt are up to the task (I think Apolo and Joey will be fine). The dance show that they remember is long gone – this has become an athletic/endurance/vote getting contest dressed up in ballroom glitter LOL. Still, you gotta love Emmitt and that wonderful spirit. For me, and many of my DWTS friends, Emmitt was the first celeb that we really connected to ….the first one we could really root for, who’s personality just won us over. The sentimental favorite, in my book for sure. Wish he would’ve been assigned a different partner, thought (Karina!) – IMHO
Donald had that charisma in his performances, but very cocky and came off arrogant to many. William was the name that the crowd chanted in his season.It was all Emmitt in season 3. Crowds were going crazy for him, and he could have won the presidential nomination if he went fo it that year haha!
Mel, if you seriously believe that…I want some of what you smoked this morning. And once again, you make the assumption that you’re speaking for the masses. YOU AREN’T. Learn to use “I think” or “In my opinion”, and to separate proven facts from your own opinions, or I’m going to just start deleting…because at this point, I think you’re just trying to get a rise out of some of the regulars by the tone of what you’re posting. A troll by any other name…
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[…] far, we’ve taken a look at both Kelly Monaco & Emmitt Smith’s original seasons on DWTS. Today, we backtrack a bit to take a look at Drew’s original […]
[…] – for those who want to play catch-up, check out my previous editions featuring Kelly Monaco, Emmitt Smith, and Drew […]