DWTS 15 All-Stars: The Great “Previous Dance Experience” Debate – Joey Fatone Edition
Today I continue my series with season 4 runner-up Joey Fatone – for those who want to play catch-up, check out my previous editions featuring Kelly Monaco, Emmitt Smith, and Drew Lachey 🙂
For Joey’s best dance, I picked his 2nd jive to “Jump, Jive, & Wail”:
And for his worst dance, I picked his 2nd cha-cha to “Groove is in the Heart”:
Without a doubt, Joey sure has got the showmanship portion of dancing down pat – to this day, I still think he’s one of the most entertaining celebs that have ever graced the DWTS floor. And he moves big – he always seemed to do a really good job of using the entire floor and stretching each step to its limit. However, the big caveat that often comes with moving big is moving sloppy – and I think Joey, being a bigger guy, sometimes loses a bit of technique & precision in the process of “moving big”. I find it a bit interesting that he & Drew seem to have the opposite problem: Drew has the precision, but not the size & degree of motion; Joey has the size & degree of motion, but seems to lack the precision. And unfortunatley, when it comes down to it, I think the judges will (or at least SHOULD) favor precision & technique over size & impact. With strong technicians like Gilles in the competition, I think Joey’s going to have to work on really refining his movements, while not sacrificing the big entertainment value he brings to the stage. I’m also noticing another possible problem – and I actually think the fault lies more with Kym: some of their choreography in their original season seems to favor style over substance. I’m guessing that Kym was trying to really choreograph to Joey’s strengths as a showman, but upon close scrutiny, it seems like there’s a lot of “fluff” and not a whole lot of basic steps in some of their routines – I think they got called out for it big time in that 2nd cha-cha. They may have been able to get away with excess “fluff” in their original season, but with so many talented, strong technicians this season, I don’t think they’re going to have any choice but to buckle down and give Len some good meat-and-potatoes choreography.
So now comes the obvious question: how is his time in the Vegas show going to give him an edge this season? Well I think obvious benefit is just being in the “swing” of being onstage – as I said in my post about Drew, I think anyone who has been performing on stage within the last year or so is probably going to have a bit of advantage in that they are still in the groove of performing, and are likely feeling confident in their stage presence.. Given that Joey has actually been doing ballroom for the past few months in the DWTS Vegas show, too, I daresay he is a lot less rusty than some of the others who haven’t done any dancing since their initial seasons. In particular, he seems to have cleaned up his technique and become quite the lifter:
All in all, I think it will be a big advantage for Joey, given that it’s actually given him time to sharpen up his skills. But I do see a few possible drawbacks, the biggest of which being burnout – Joey has already been dancing for a little over 3 months straight in the Vegas show, and although he seems to have a bit of a break between when the Vegas show wrapped earlier this month and when rehearsals begin in the next week or so, I think its entirely possible he may just get exhausted by the middle of the season. We’ve seen how celebs meltdown after only a few weeks – can you imagine a few MONTHS? And keep in mind that the pace of the tv show is pretty breakneck compared to the Vegas show – Joey really just had to repeat the same routines night after night out there; now he’s gotta go back to learning & performing new ones (and performing them well!) in only a few days. Keep in mind, too, that the Vegas show is a lot less “strictly ballroom” than the show – there was quite a bit of hip-hop, jazz, disco, and other genres thrown in out there. It was what I like to call “watered-down ballroom” – and we all know that’s not Len’s cup of tea. Will Joey be able to make the transition?
Court’s verdict: Joey will definitely be one to watch this season, but he’s going to have to clean up his technique quite a bit if he wants to be a real contender. Kym is also going to have to focus on giving him routines with a lot of basic steps and without a ton of fluff, so they don’t get called out for lack of content. Overall, though, I see him lasting quite awhile, and possibly even making it to the finale 😎
So what are your thoughts on Joey? Big contender, or overrated?
I love Joey and Kym. (I was torn on season 4 between joey, laila and apolo until I saw Julianne and the i like to move it move it samba)
Hope they last, at least, top 6. =]
I wonder if more lifts will be allowed this season, which might work to Joey’s advantage.
I think it’s possible, Karen – especially if they’re somehow looking to “up the ante” and create a more competitive season.
I hope that he makes it. He’s one of the strongest, most exciting performer, and I actually think his technique is quite good when he focuses on it (his Paso Doble stands out in my mind, and I also thought his Rumba technique looked quite good, despite what Len said).
I do agree that his routines will need more ballroom content, and he needs to keep his technique cleaned up all of the time.
I look forward to seeing him perform this season.
To answer the last question of the post, “Big Contender”. 😀 After all, Joey must have known he was going to do Season 15 while DWTSLV was still going on – and eating, sleeping, living, and breathing around a bunch of ballroom dancers, I figure he had to pick up a thing or two, by osmosis if nothing else. 😉 I also hear what you’re saying about Kym’s choreography, but IMO she is the best (with Derek at #2) in catering the choreography to the skills (or lack thereof) of her partner. So if he’s stepped-up his game, I think she’ll hit him with more complex routines. All in all, I look for Joey & Kym to be top 3 this season.
I love these so much Court, thanks!!! Something tells me Joey is going to be a real force especially if they have some cool and different tricks and lifts up their sleeves. And you know Kym…the quiet Leo is a dangerous thing. If she’s got someone who can dance, watch out.
Oh he’s definitely a contender. He definitely needs to clean up his technique though.. You know Len will be watching, especially since he’s been on the DWTS Tour in Vegas.
The contestants coming from the Vegas show should IMO be scored a little tougher as they have performed for the past 3 months and have had an opportunity to polish their performance skills. Forgive me but its almost unfair in a way. I hope the others that haven’t been dancing for a while will be able to keep up.
One thing for sure we’re going to see some great dancing this season.
Excited.
Don’t mean to spam the thread, but I just went back & watched the “Jump, Jive & Wail” video. I think it’s a GREAT example of Kym’s “dance face” – take a look at her at 1:07 into the video. That face of hers cracks me up!!!!!! 😀
I like Kym and Joey 🙂
I also like the idea of allowing them to do more lifts….hopefully that’ll help Bristol, Kirstie and Pam say an early “sayonara”.
Very engaging series, Court – I like being alerted to the challenges each celeb may face in this particular season. I like the vids you choose. I like the way you make your points with logic, illustration and example, and effectively use your knowledge of ballroom and DWTS history.
When I read your analyses I often find myself going yep, uh huh, that’s right, too, throughout, and by the end I always feel more knowledgeable. (and sometimes think I’ve come to your same conclusions on my own, when of course I haven’t, LOL … but I believe that’s what they call the art of persuasion)
Great preparation for the shows to come.
As far as the original pairings go, I believe this one could surprise us. With Joey’s fun factor, his LV experience, and his connection with Kym, these two could possibly bring some new life into this team.
Could these two make the finals? I think so! Kym is one smart cookie she knows how it works, and if they manage to stick around, look out!
Thank you, Courtney, I like this series very much. Just a silly question, do you have time for anything else in your life?
With the amount of time and effort you put into this site, I would find it hard to find time to eat, LOL!!! Thanks again to all #puredwts, , I read this site primarily at work, it is my “health” break.
They are another of my favorite couples. He’s just so entertaining and it makes me happy to watch him.
Never thought of Joey as having poor technique, but maybe because he is so entertaining I overlooked it. He and Apolo should each have gotten an MBT that season. I thought they were equally good.
Thank you, irina & Faby 🙂
I seem to be having a problem submitting my comments?
My previous comment never submitted and when I try to do it, it says that it is a duplicate comment and that I already said that. Well that would have been my first comment on this topic. 🙂
All good now, Sandy 🙂 For some reason, your previous comment got stuck in the spam filter…no clue why. Apparently it sounded “spammy” to our handy-dandy spam cleaner-upper thingie. Funny how it marks stuff as spam that isn’t, and doesn’t catch some stuff that is clearly spam 😛
Thanks Courtney 🙂
Me three for thanks to Courtney for her always insightful, interesting, and educational comments. I learn a lot as well as being thoroughtly entertained by her and the other PDWTS folks. This is a fabulous site! Now, on to Joey…I agree that he is a fab performer and I love watching him. I hope that his moves this season are more refined and correct to ballroom technique. Can’t wait to see what he can do!!
Of the original pairings, Joey and Kym are the ones that I think could bring something playful, fresh, and different to the dancefloor.
Kym has really grown as a choreographer since she last was partnered with Joey. She now has 2 MBTs under her belt… I say definitely these two will be ones to watch.
My list of favorites is growing. 🙂
Oh man, I am so confused… Now I see my previous topic came through above ….. Sorry, I do apologize
These two are my pick to take home the trophy!! When you give Kym someone with talent her ability to make them standout and shine knows no bounds!! I really think they can win this!
I definitely think this is the only one of the three original couples that will have a serious shot at the finale. Bristol, no way, and Emmit Smith has a much different Cheryl than he did before (although I hope he can bring her back down to earth). He and Kym have a genuine shot at winning this go-around, and I think maybe Shawn & Derek, Peta & Gilles (if he’s not too hurt), Apolo & Karina rounding out the final four.
If you want to split hairs, I think Joeys worst dance was his D.A.D. Tango with Melissa.