DWTS 15 All-Stars: The Great “Previous Dance Experience” Debate – Pam Anderson Edition
You know the drill by now, kids – go here if you want to see the previous editions of this series. I’ve got 2 more editions to get through after this, and very little time to do it in before the premiere 
For Pam’s best dance, I picked her famous “9 to 5″ quickstep:
And for her worst dance, I picked her waltz:
I’ll be honest: I don’t think Pam is a GREAT dancer. I’d even go so far as to say that, besides Kelly & Bristol, she is probably one of the weaker dancers this season. But there is something about her that is just so FUN to watch – she may have been totally missing steps and getting off-time in that quickstep, but to see her bobbing around and smiling so big and having a great time doing it, I was mesmerized. Ditto for any of her other dances – she got so into the character of her cha-cha, foxtrot, rumba, paso doble, and Argentine tango that it didn’t seem to matter as much to me if she was wobbling awkwardly or missing steps. She was just fun to watch. That’s not to say that I was completely able to overlook her snafus, though – on the whole, I really liked Pam, but she always struck me as a bit of a stiff mover, even though she was really quite flexible. And when she wasn’t able to completely connect to the character of her dance (such as in her waltz), she seemed to look a bit aloof and lost. Her waltz, while not technically bad, just felt bland and chilly to me. I get the feeling that she’s someone whose performance hinges greatly upon playing a character – and if she can’t really play one, she’s just kinda…there.
Now unlike some of her cohorts this season, Pam has actually done something in the past year to hone her dance skills that I think may come in handy. As Vogue (and reader Carlos) reported last summer, Pam competed on the Argentine version of DWTS, Bailando por un Sueño, with Damian – here they are doing what looks to be a paso doble:
Granted, they did withdraw in week 4, but I still say that any contestant this season that has somehow managed to do some dancing within the last year or so (even better if they did more ballroom) is probably going to have at list a little bit of a leg up on those who haven’t danced at all since their original season.
Court’s verdict: Pam’s not the strongest dancer, but I do think she’s fun to watch – and that could keep her around for at least a little while. Bonus points if she can connect well to both the dance and her partner.
What do you guys think of Pam? Is she going to stick around awhile…or be out early, as she was in the Argentine verison of the show?
Pam gives no impression of being fiercely competitive. I think if she takes it a bit more seriously this time around, she could last a few weeks longer. I do want her to do well, because she’s fun to watch and Tristan is nice to look at.
Her demographic isn’t the DWTS one, so I don’t see her lasting all that long, anyway. Tristan’s fans might buy her a couple of extra weeks, though,
She should stick around for a little bit. Hopefully she isn’t the first one voted out. That would be terrible
I agree on all fronts about Pam. I LOVE her, but she is going to have to bring it skills-wise. Very interested in seeing what Tristan gets out of her. Her biggest problem is clarity in her steps, missing them occasionally, and having issues with some weak, “scraggy” lines. If she works on her stability and strength, that alone I think will REALLY help.
By the way Courtney, I kept up with Pam and Damian during their Argentine DWTS time, and that dance is what they called “Pop Latino” or Latin Pop style. It’s really a hotpotch of moves to Laitn Pop style music. Here’s a couple of examples of other Latin pop dances (you’ll see what I mean in the videos, it’s really a jumbled up style, can be done in a lot of ways depending on the music, Paso being one that’s done at times.)
Sorry, by the way that link above the video shown in my comment is a separate video, so if you’re interested in seeing other examples, click the link as well.
Granted she is not the strongest dancer, but something magical happens when he dances.. But sadly, this could be Tristan’s earliest departure yet, this cast is just too strong.
I don’t think Pam will last too long. Not against the powerhouses in the All Star season.
Insightful commentary, as usual. Great series, this.
Pam is one of my faves, so I expect to enjoy her run as long as it lasts.
These too have a serious likable factor and are so sexy and passionate. I just love them. The only thing I worry about is they won’t get as much promotion and this will hurt them unless she starts a push on her You Tube channel like what Nancy Grace did.
I think many people have a problem with Pam displaying a “persona” on the show – the sexpot. I see that is part of her humor, but I think a lot of the voting demographic does not and they just don’t connect with her. I also truly don’t know that many guys that are interested in Pam anymore, enough to turn on the tv and vote, anyway. In order for her to stick around I think she needs to up the quality of her movement, connect with Tristan, and most importantly connect with the audience – a way to do this would showcase more “real” moments, not the cheesy interview shlock with the fuzzy camera that they did last time. Again, I like Pam. I think she’s a good person and has a good sense of humor, but I think that her personality makes it seem like she’s acting, even if she’s not. It’s something I’ve always noticed about her – more than even most Hollywood people, she seems to be “on stage” at all times. Show some real moments with her kids. Let her be sexy and funny, but maybe less starlet and more grounded. This is just my experience, so it may all be bunk but that’s my take on it.
You make some good points, Fig. I’m not sure even Pamela knows where her persona stops and her inner self begins. My guess is that line is always moving. If I had my druthers, she would have been able to clear her schedule and work hard at improving her basic technique. At least then she stood a chance of getting decent judges’ scores to make up for a lack of viewer votes. As things stand, I just hope Pamela and Tristan can work some magic and stick around a couple weeks because I love ‘em.
You really nailed it for me with this couple, Courtney, but then, you’ve been pretty much on target this whole series. The byword for this season seems to be “we’re having so much fun, fun, fun.” And while I believe that’s true to some extent, at some point all that frantic tweeting about their fun feels a bit forced. But Pamela is so out there and seems to say exactly what’s on her mind and simply not care what anybody else thinks. That’s what made he so likable during her season and I judging by the promos so far, she and Tristen are having a great time. Others tweet about fun … but Pam and Tristen actually HAVE it! LOL!