DWTS 15, Week 8: And the Trios Are…
The couples got to pick the 3rd members of their trio dances last night after the show, and they could chose between eliminated pros from this season, or any of the members of the troupe – apparently the “2nd celeb” idea got scrapped (thank you, 8 lb, 10 oz baby Jesus). The couple with the lowest cumulative score got to pick first. So without further adieu, here are your trios for week 8:
Kirstie & Maks + Tristan MacManus
Kelly & Val + Louis Van Amstel
Emmitt & Cheryl + Kym Johnson
Apolo & Karina + Sasha Farber
Melissa & Tony + Henry Byalikov
Gilles & Peta + Chelsie Hightower
Shawn & Derek + Mark Ballas
We don’t know everyone’s dance yet, but I can tell you at least one of the trios is a jive, and at least one is a salsa. Personally, I think some of these choices were a little puzzling…not sure I would have picked the same people, myself. What do you guys think? Discuss 
Can you imagine if Jacoby/Karina had gotten massive votes and beat...
Apolo and Karina are doing the Jive to “Greased Lightning”. Apolo is “Danny”, Sasha is “Kenickie”, and Karina of course is “Sandy”.
Worried for Apolo….Wasn’t Sasha the Trio pro who did the Paso with Chelsie and Roshon the week he was eliminated? After he assured them he never loses anything? Sigh.
Can’t believe Apolo is second from the bottom of the leaderboard! Gah!
That was so cheesy of Sasha, i remember him saying that.
Tristan & Maks & Kirstie? oh well….
Not sure about Sasha, but I trust Karina,s jives she is the best to choreograph jives and also Jives is her dance.
The problem with Sacha , he reminds me Mark dancing, he likes to over dance. I wish was Tristan or Henry.
I think Sasha might be the one dancer who could make Apolo appear a little taller. I guess Karina made a good pick.
Shocked Karina didn’t pick Louis. Her buddy and Apolo has experience working with him already from Team Call Me Maybe. I figured Kymmie would go with Cheryl or Gilles because she’s another tall beautiful blonde. Chelsie is a little thing next to Gilles & Peta, no? I can understand Kirstie picking Tristan. SHe thinks he’s hot and he’s good with…um, slow movers.
Is Sasha excellent at jive? Maybe that’s why he was picked? Someone on forum said they hoped Apolo didn’t have to do a jive this season because apparently cha cha and jive are his worst dances and it’ll be the kiss of death. Interesting comment considering the leader board.
I gave him all my votes on my computers….now need a nap lol.
Waiting for the outcries of Mark has already danced with Shawn…they have an advantage…yada yada.
sheery, it said that the couples with the lowest cumulative scores got to choose first, which means Louis was already gone by the time it was Apolo & Karina’s turn to pick. I would have picked Mark myself but I get that he probably wanted to be with Shawn and Derek.
As for Sasha, eh he’s kind of a nonentity to me. I’m more happy that Apolo got an AWESOME song/theme to play off of. His jive in season 4 wasn’t his best but if anyone can choreograph a great jive, it’s Karina. Anyone else find the John Travolta connection from season 4 interesting? Wonder whose decision it was – the producers or Karina/Apolo?
Chelsie + Gilles/Peta (and to a lesser extent Louis + Kelly/Val) seem like an odd match…I really hope this works against them because I want Gilles gone already.
I’d like to know how Gilles and Peta picked Chelsie. I dont think thats the smartest idea. Not that Chelsie’s bad, shes one of my favorites, she wont fit in well IMO. I’d understand it better if he picked Anna Trebunskaya. Chelsie’s small and while beautiful, not exactly Gilles’ level of sensuality.
So Apolo and Karina is the only pair who picked someone the same sex as the celeb, not the pro.
I don’t really understand the Sasha pick – but I’m kind of eh on most of the Troupe anyway. I’m actually really surprised no one went for Anna. It’ll be interesting to hear the couples’ justifications for their picks.
Karina/Apolo picking Sasha and Peta/Gilles picking Chelsie are the only confusing choices to me.
I think Mark/Sabrina/Derek and Tony/Melissa/Henry look best on paper.
Sasha who? I think most of the average viewer does not really have a clue who the memebers of the troupe really are, and relatively no fanbase.
Well I voted for Karina and Apolo last night, after they danced I really found myself doing quite a bit of channel surfing, and the whole Marathon dance was too distracting, I hate the Marathon dance, and hope that they never do it again. Seriously, I didn’t need to see the footage of Willy sliding across the floor. Yuck!
If Gilles has a sexy Latin dance it’s going to look like he’s dancing with jailbait when he dances with Chelsie. Ewwww
Karina knew she wanted a guy in their trio…hence Sasha. I think everyone knew that Shawn & Derek really wanted Mark, so he was unofficially off the table. That left only Sasha & Henry to choose from.
Thanks for clearing that up Courtney.
Chelsie is gonna look like Peta’s little sister in that trio:). I’m curious if this was Gilles or Peta’s choice. Chelsie has had difficult partners in the past so hopefully she can put Gilles in his place. Excited that Chelsie is dancing again!
Excited about Shawn Derek Mark. They all have so much variety in their abilities.
Derek had this to say about the trio….I think it sounds like it could another memorable, creative number. Glad he likes the song, a bad song is a killer.
“Next week is trios and this trio is back!” Hough said. “The song is – I love the song, it’s very different than what we’ve done before… the song is very, very percussive. In fact, it’s only percussion. There’s no melody, there’s no… it’s just percussion. It’s going to be nice.”
Love that Val and Kelly have Louis…Can’t wait to see that. Chelsie with Peta and Gilles???…I agree with most of you…she’s so small it’s going to look funny. Nothing against Chelsie, she’s been one of my favorites since she danced with Ty Murray. Yes, as someone pointed out Tristan is good with “slow” dancers, so Kirstie chose well. And he is beyond patient which should be a good contrast with Mad Maks,and I get to see them dance at least on more time.
The only one I don’t really get is Chelsie with Gilles and Peta, aren’t Sharna and Emma both taller and a little less young lady looking? *shrug* Oh well.
I do understand Maks and Kirstie chosing Tristan, for the height factor alone. Much more instinctively pleasing to the eye.
Now that I’m not standing in line to vote and responding to comments on my iPhone, I can go into a bit more detail. From what I hear, Kirstie just really has a crush on Tristan, and that was really the only criterion she had for picking him
But I do think he will be a good visual match for she & Maks. I have to wonder if Gilles was actually hoping for Kym – she would make a good visual match for he & Peta. I guess we’ll see if he appears flustered after Emmitt picks her when they show the footage of the picking next week. I think Chelsie was the only blonde left (that he knew of – I don’t see him being super familiar with the troupe ladies) and maybe that’s why he picked her – so he could be the dark filling in the blonde sandwich. Blech. I actually think Sasha may have been a really strategic pick on Karina’s part – he’s a good match height-wise for both she & Apolo, and she probably wanted someone she knew was high-energy for their jive. And who knows – maybe Karina will be able to reign Sasha in better than Chelsie could. I think Henry probably would have been too tall…and Sonny is DEFINITELY too tall.
I kinda wondered the same thing, Evaine – but I’m guessing that Gilles wanted another blonde (just so he could REALLY stand out), and probably has too big of an ego to pick a troupe member for his trio.
Love the trios…but I would have wanted Julianne with Shawn and Anna with Gilles or apolo.
Agree about chelsie, Really odd pick. Looking for kym, mark the rest not só much. Bet derek got salsa
Hey Courtney,
I hate to ask but could you list the cumulative scores for the couples after last night so I can see who got to pick first? Pretty please? When I try and look it up myself, I keep getting the scores after last night only not the cumulative.
Chelsie with Gilles/Peta? Weird group. Either she was one of the only females left to pick, EXCEPT ANNA!? I hope this trio sinks Gilles numbers.
I find Sasha incredibly annoying but it won’t bother me for the Grease number because he is quick and Karina will do a great job. I love Grease, can’t wait to see that number.
I think Melissa/Tony and Shawn/Derek made the best picks.
Apolo/Karina’s trio could work if Karina beats Sasha into submission.
Gilles continues to make ridiculous choices in my opinion.
Visually, Kelly/Val/Louis and Emmitt/Cheryl/Kym work for me, but I don’t expect the dancing to be anything particularly special.
As for Kirstie-Maks-Tristan: All I can say is poor Tristan. The All-Star Season has been a total bust for him. He’s bounced out first after that bizarre cha-cha with Pamela, and now he gets to spend a couple days locked in Kirstie’s house with her and Maks. Hope he brings ear plugs. TPTB owe him a double-ringer next season in my opinion.
I think Shawn and Derek made the best choice. Mark HAS won this thing twice and with Shawn plus he got to dance with her last night! Melissa and Tony made the next best pick! LOVE Henry B! He’s the next Derek, imho. I thought the opening pro/troupe number from last night that he choreographed was EXCELLENT! Can’t wait to see these dances! I still liked the Maria-Derek-Henry Bollywood Samba. It was STILL better than that mess Gilles & Peta danced a few weeks ago!
I trust Karina with the third dancer decision – she did not just pick a third dancer for any dance – she needed to pick a third dancer for the jive, and she did have a challenge of picking a shorter man.
I am excited to see their trio. The last two shows her choreography was fantastic – hoping for the third one.
ALERT: I am going to be a little rude right here. If you don’t want to read my great dislike, please just skip this comment. NOTE: I am really disgusted about it!
Why in heck’s name is Chelsie teaming with Peta? Total opposites! Chelsie is very charming, polite, respected, lady, amazing self worth,loyal,true, as far from smut and filth as a female can possibly be, I have huge respect and highest thoughts and opinions for Chelsie.
Peta for my taste is not ANY of the things I mentioned above about Chelsie. I could say more about what I do think of Peta but I will for now leave this comment as such, those that read this are adults and know where I stand on Peta as a person, professionally and her self worth.
In addition: I would think when asked by Peta, Chelsie is the type person who would not say no to DWTS trio dance even if it is Peta.
*It won’t help Peta get votes, as a TRUE Chelsie supporter, I would NEVER vote for Peta never ever!
*Besides Derek and Shawn are also in the competition and Chelsie people will continue to vote for Shawn and Derek.
Courtney: I am thinking something worse, I believe Peta/Gilles are hoping to pull Chelsie’s votes away from Derek/Shawn.
I am a Chelsie person and this is what I thought of first, but it won’t happen, Chelsie people will see right through it and keep voting for Derek/Shawn. Chelsie will understand our loyalty and that we’re not going to change from Chelsie to someone like Peta/Gilles. UCK!
Before you read my comment please know that I really love Chelsie. Honestly, she is the only pro on this show that is a good role model for the kids watching this at home.
Chelsie dancing with Gilles and Peta might be a good thing. Chelsie almost always gets her partners out on double eliminations, i.e. Louie, Roshon, and Helio. Maybe she can take Gilles down with her curse.
Er, Chelsie people are voting for Derek/Shawn?? And really, if her fans were that powerful she’d still be in the competition.
Sweepster, I don’t think Chelsie really has the option to say “no” to a given couple and it would be unprofessional to do so. She’s under contract for this season so I would expect she has to dance if able.
That said – it’s definitely a strange choice for a lot of reasons.
As for Kym and Cheryl, they are pals, Cheryl went to the down under with Kym between seasons of DWTS not long ago, that is not surprising that Cheryl would ask Kym.
Lindsey HAHAHA as a Chelsie person also, let the curse continue one more time. I totally understood what you meant by your comment. Maybe you have to be a Chelsie person to understand.
Still laughing HAHAHA
Come on curse stand with Chelsie ONE MORE TIME! HAHA
Heidi she probably did not have a choice, that’s why I can’t be mad at Chelsie for doing it.
I didn’t see it mentioned above, so I guess it’s safe to say this: Tony said that he and Melissa have Paso for their trio dance in their OTRC interview. He says he wants to showcase Melissa. It’ll be interesting to see how that works, considering how many times Court has said Paso is the Man’s Dance.
I honestly don’t think Gilles & Peta were masterminding any sort of diabolical plot when picking Chelsie for their trio – I just think they ran out of other options. I’m guessing they were probably hoping for Kym, but got thrown for a loop when Emmitt snatched her up (which I also find to be a bit of an odd choice, given that Kym is noticeably taller than Cheryl). That left Chelsie, Anna, Emma, Sharna, & Oksana – I don’t see Gilles swallowing his pride and picking a lowly troupe member while there are still full-blown pros to be picked, so that only leaves Anna & Chelsie. If Gilles is going for the whole “2 blondes on a tall dark Frenchman” trio that I think he is, then the choice is obvious – Chelsie. I have a feeling they might have also picked Chelsie because of her skills in the dance they were assigned – I don’t want to say any more, though, because I think Vogue is getting ready to post the OTRC interviews.
I have to wonder if Anna might be considered a bit of a toxic asset right now, due to her early elim (which I don’t think she really accepted as gracefully as she could have) and her divorce…and generally rather stern demeanor. If the couples are going for “fun” in their trios, I’m not sure she’s the first name that comes to mind.
Derek/Shawn/Mark sounds like a powerful combination. Wow.
Gilles still concentrating on the fluff. Chelsie’s great, but his reasoning not so much.
If they pick from lowest to highest on the overall scoring of the season, Gilles was second to last to pick (Shawn is now the highest), so I agree that Kym was probably their first choice based on height, but I would still pick Anna over Chelsie if I were Gilles, only because it makes more sense IMO.
Shawn being the last to pick didn’t matter at all, everybody knew that they wanted Mark, so I don’t think anyone would even go there, but saying that, Mark could actually work for Kelly ou Apolo too, or even Melissa.
Melissa trio paso, can’t see that being amazing, paso is not her dance at all.
@Sweepster Lol thanks. *Sometimes* the judges are pretty hard on Chelsie and her partners. Let’s hope they decide to be hard next week.
Where did anyone say that they had to pick their Trio Partners based on cumulative scores? Can someone point that out to me? Or is everyone just assuming?
Please excuse my brain fart. That’s what I get for not reading all the way through. I apologize!!
@Tony – That was the information relayed to me by my source. They did tape the couples picking their trio members, though, so I’m sure we’ll get to see it next week.
Thanks for posting, I’ve been looking forward to seeing the trios.
Kym works well with the football players.
I have a question…..Was Lacey a consideration? Height, jive, fast paced….for Apolo & Karina.
I’ve been wondering since Courtney mentioned that Apolo and Karina were the only one to pick their trio member to be the same gender as the celeb. Is that better, or worse?
@Mo – I think it really depends on the dance. In this case I think it will help – Karina knew the storyline she wanted to go with for their jive, and thus it made more sense to her to pick a man. At least this way, Apolo doesn’t have to worry about leading 2 women – the downside is that his dancing will have to be on-point, or else he runs the risk of looking subpar next to Sasha. I also wonder if the dance will be more focused on Karina or the guys – I could see the judges arguing that the dance focuses too much on her, if she doesn’t take pains with the choreo. But I do think in this instance, it’s going to be better having 2 guys than 2 girls. Not so sure that some of the other couples made the right choice – I’m on the fence about Melissa’s trio. They’re a good mix, but paso doble is the man’s dance – so I think they’re going to have to be VERY careful that their dance doesn’t turn into the two guys dueling while Melissa takes a secondary role.
Mo – personality based on last season, I think it is worse. The best trio’s last season were done by pros with the same gender, I think it just helps to highlight the celeb better.
Thanks, I wasn’t so sure. Since I remember when it was Roshon ( I think it was his trio) that he didn’t look so well against the male pro. Which made wonder if Karina & Apolo made the right choice.
I’m actually psyched that Karina picked Sasha. I thought he did a fantastic job with Roshon on the paso doble last season. That paso doble was one of my favorite pasos ever on the show. The choreography was fast and sharp, and Roshon’s lines were fluid but very masculine. The fact that Roshon was eliminated that week had nothing to do with how he performed in the trio dance. Roshon clearly hadn’t been getting the votes for several weeks prior to the trio week and probably was only around because of the judges’ save. (Note: I was a huge fan of Roshon and Chelsie last season, but was realistic about his lack of a fanbase.)
Karina, meanwhile, choreographed the best trio dance of the night last season. And yes, I am giving no credit to Peta for that jive masterpiece. Nothing she has done this season or last season has come even close to that dance artistically, so the only conclusion I can draw is that it was Karina’s input that made it great.
However, I don’t want to get too excited about this trio dance because then my expectations will be too great.
@sheery – Only pros and troupe members from this season were on the table as choices for trio. No Lacey or Dmitry.
@Mo – I think people forget that Roshon was just kinda doomed regardless – I don’t think it would have even mattered if he knocked the trio out of the park, because he just was not getting the votes. While I’m not the world’s biggest Sasha fan, I think he’s getting kind of a bad rap for the paso trio he did with Chelsie & Roshon last season…Roshon got sent home (because he *gasp* wasn’t getting the votes, period) and everyone seems to jump to the conclusion “Oh, his trio wasn’t strong enough, it’s Sasha’s fault.” The poor kid could have picked the perfect pro, gotten a perfect score, and still gotten sent home, because no one could be bothered to vote for him.
I like these trios but would have thought that Giles would have gone for Kym and Emmit would have chosen Anna.
Oh, I’m not blaming Sasha for Roshon leaving. I just remember one of the trios that the celeb looked weaker next to the pro. It may be William I am thinking of. Or I could remembering things completely wrong.
@Mo – Neither paso trio looked stellar, but I personally think Roshon’s was better. William’s was…nonsensical. But the judges gouged Roshon’s and gushed over William’s. Le sigh. I think Sasha is gonna look a lot better doing a jive trio than a paso one, though.
@vin – I’m gonna assume you haven’t read a lot of the comments, but the couples picked in order of cumulative score – and it’s possible that Gilles wanted Kym but Emmitt got her first.
This is my honest opinion, if you don’t like it… Don’t read it.
I know, as a Chelsie supporter, I HATE HER WITH PETA AND GILLES! Nothing against the 2 of them, but I have never been a fan of Gilles, and Peta is good and all, but she’s a little too forceful for my liking.
I was hoping Chelsie would be with Apolo, I think they would have had great chemistry. But in my opinion Shawn/Mark/Derek is going to be the strongest group. By what Derek says about the music, they’ll go crazy. You have probably the 2 best choreographers on the show, with probably one of the most talented dancers ever on the show. I’m excited.
I agree though with Peta and Gilles just deciding they needed to keep a pro (and not a troupe member), and I could see Gilles wanting to be the “tall dark and handsome” guy with 2 blondies. Still don’t like this group though. Love Chelsie, can’t stand Gilles.
does anyone else notice Shawn & Derek’s amazing chemistry on the floor (obviousy) but in the sky box and in interviews? She seems so relaxed with Derek and at ease with him and she always seems to light up around him which i love. Did anyone else notice in there package when mark went to grab shawn’s hand and she took her hand away and continued to laugh and talk with Derek? I’m loving the relationship that’s blossoming infront of us!! what does everyone else think??
I’m glad quite a number of people are as puzzled about Chelsie being with Gilles and Peta. And as angry 8D
Oh yeah, that Sasha, I remember cringing at the TV at his proclamation of winning in the trio dance package. Ugh. You maybe new but please do study the show instead of spouting nothings on camera. I hope Karina will reign him better XD
As always thanks for the info, Court!
ugh! why does my favorite pro have to be with my least fave celeb.
i was hoping chelsie would join apolo and karina or maybe even shawn and derek, that would make for a great number, alas…
I’m not worried about Melissa getting the “Man’s dance” for her Trio. Tony has never been one to dance around her and he always puts the focus on Melissa so I have no doubt he and Henry will come up with great choreo that will put the spotlight on Melissa.
Her first Paso on her original season she struggled with and had a hard time getting into the character of the dance, back at that time she had trouble wiping the smile off her face in general and looking serious. But by the time she did the Paso again for the team relay in the finale, I thought she did wonderful on that one.
I certainly don’t blame Sasha for Roshon’s elimination. That outcome was in the script long before the Trio dance. He just didn’t do himself any favors with his brash statements in the rehearsal room. You only get one chance to make a first impression, and you’re better off not making grandiose promises that make you sound like a bit of a jerk.
That said, I’m willing to give Sasha the benefit of the doubt. He’s certainly an energetic dancer and the right height to not compete with Apolo. The male celebs seem to appreciate the opportunity to work with a male pro to see how the moves look when a guy does them. Hope Sasha can help Apolo kick his Jive up a notch or two.
Gilles got quickstep, with Peta weak choreo, I think this is the week that we finally say goodbye to Gilles. At this point a lot people can’t stand the guy anymore. Hus karma comment during the marathon rehearsal video was just lame.
Now I’m curios to know what Kelly and Shawn are dancing? since gilles got salsa for trio, Shawn probably got samba or salsa again. Kelly still needs to dance rumba and jive, trio rumba sounds weird, so I would say jive. For the ballroom round, I would say they will probably get waltz and v.waltz, they already donne the rest i think.
LOL you people are cracking me up. Puzzled and angry that Chelsie is with Gilles? He wanted a blonde, she was the one left and she got picked. She has no say in the matter, and if she did she wouldn’t refuse anyone anyway. Deal with it.
Thanks, Buttercup,for the confirmation. Seems like the Occam’s razor thing at work here
Hmmm. When Derek said they were doing a dance to a song that was only percussive no melody, I thought of the Triplets of Belleville – Cabaret Hoover that Wade Robson choreographed on SYTYCD, which would be funny since it is a Trio dance afterall. If they go that route, I REALLY doubt Len would like it. Given that it’s Derek’s last season, I don’t think he gives a crap.
Another possibility for Derek and Shawn’s trio is Hip Hip Chin Chin – if I remember Lacey and Danny’s samba from SYTYCD correctly, it was pretty much all percussion. And Shawn’s trio may be the samba – it’s the one latin dance she hasn’t done yet (though they could give her salsa instead).
Anon – he said ONLY percussion, not pretty much all, probably no singing too.
I think will be great, Shawn was amazing in her mambo, so this will be awesome too.
Derek said there’s no melody, Anon….and Hip Hip Chin Chin has a melody as I recall.
Yeah, of course!! Hip Hip Chin Chin is very popular in pro ballroom. Len would eat that up. Max & Yulia (super long unpronounceable names) did it at Blackpool in 2006. It was freaking outstanding!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f631anLeVcY
Yulia is a freak of nature. The only woman I’ve seen who can dance better than Karina at the height of her partnership with Slavik!
Hip Hip Chin Chin has been used several times already on DWTS. I have a hard time believing that Derek would get excited about it. But who knows?
ETA: and one of those times was Derek, actually, now that I think about it. I think Derek and Brooke’s Samba??
Awww, I googled it. I haven’t watched since Apolo’s last season. Mark B. already used that song (Hip Hip Chin Chin) with Chelsea Kane in Season 12. Oh Well. Are they recycling?
My bad – it was what popped to mind when Derek said pretty much all percussion. But he also said it was something that had never been done on the show before, so it can’t be Hip Hip Chin Chin since it’s already been used. I had forgotten about Mark and Chelsea’s dance to it.
You’re right, Princess Heidi. Derek and Brooke danced to it too in Season 7. Guess it’s something else!
@Courtney (43): Again, sorry for not having read all the way through. Though it’s curious you say that because Cheryl cut her OTRC interview a little short so she could go pick her Trio member.
I pretty sure that is not Hip Hip Chin Chin, like Heidi said, I don’t think Derek would be excited too. And again the no melody, just percussion, that is not Hip Hip Chin Chin.
Hip Hip Chin Chin has even vocals on that.
I thin Derek is excited because the music is kind like te acoustic paso stuff, probably just pure rhythm, witch sounds great for a salsa or a samba.
Derek and Brooke did dance the Samba to Hip Hip Chin Chin. The glasses and tie came off. I remember because it was the first time I really noticed Derek. I had never really watched DWTS before that dance. I had heard about Derek from a coworker, but I had never really watched. Since that Samba I have been a faithful DWTS viewer, and a faithful Derek supporter ever since.
Triplets of Belleville, that routine by Wade was terrific. Great song for a trio. I am worried about Mark out dancing Shawn and even Derek, especially as he is recovering. I am Karina did not pick him for the trio, Poor Apolo, jive too. His over dancing would make Apolo look bad. Like Wade, Derek has such a complete vision.
“Kelly & Val + Louis Van Amstel” Not sure Louis adds voting appeal. I would have picked Kym, talented and good vibes. NOW, if formers pros eligible, would have gone for Edyta or Ashley!!!
“Kelly & Val + Louis Van Amstel” Not sure Louis adds voting appeal. I would have picked Kym, talented and good vibes. NOW, if former pros eligible, would have gone for Edyta or Ashley!!!
Shawn with Derek and Mark. Keep Mark under control and you could have a great Vera-Ellen with Gene and Donald routine.
MArk did not out dance Shawn in the paso tango, so I’m sure they will be just fine for the trio.
Thanks for the update, Court.
Just finished reading all the comments – interesting to read everyones view point.
I too was surprised with the Chelsie pick (other than Gilles wanted a blonde) – whatever!!!!
I think the trios will be very interesting.
Derek does seem pleased with the percussion music – could be epic!
Mark has a tendency to over dance especially in Latin dances so right to be concerned. Hopefully he keeps it in check and Derek reminds his bro to watch it too.
Mark doesn’t “out dance” he tends to “over dance” – the key distinction being that he’s supposed to fit in to the choreo, not be over the top with it.
I wonder if Louis brings an experienced choreographer to the Kelly/Val trio? Val has never been this late in a season so he probably wouldn’t mind tips and he and Louis are friends.
I figured on Tristan with Kirstie due to the height. Could you see her dancing with little Markie? LOL
Same as I figured Kym would be snatched by Emmitt for Cheryl and Mark would be taken by Shawn.
Agree with Melissa: Derek-Shawn-Mark as a trio might be amazing if Mark can reign it in. I’m worried that he won’t and his over-dancing may be very distracting. I don’t know why he does it, because he is a beautiful dancer imo, without all the wild and spats-tastic gyrations.
Apolo and Karina have the tango and Trio dance Jive
Emmitt and Cheryl Vietemese Waltz and Trio dance Salsa
Gilles and Peta Quickstep and Trio dance Salsa
That’s all I know for now
Vienesse Waltz for Derek and Shawn and Samba for the trio
My only worried about the v.waltz is that I bet Len will say that they didn’t dance in hold enough like what happened with Maria last season. If that happens I will kill Len this time, because as much as I loved Apolo V.watz (amazing), they did less then 4 seconds in hold (I don’t really care), and Len still gave then a 10. If that was Shawn and Derek , he would have give a 8.
Am I the only one that automatically thought “samba” before anything was said except “percussion only”? I don’t know if other people got that without having to be told, and I’m not trying to gloat or anything. I just put one and two (that samba tends to feature percussion and the fact that their trio is only percussion) together… But like I was asking, surely I wasn’t the only one?
If you all are going to tell us who’s dancing what, you have to provide a source. We already know – but we want to know where you’re getting your info.
OMG….the world has ended. Derek spilled both their dances. The quiet one speaks. Amazing.
Princess I got my info from wikipedia
Heidi, he must be really excited for this one, I smell Epicness.
I love that Derek loves both of their songs. I’m interesting about their Viennese Waltz song. He’s said it’s one of the most beautiful songs ever. I hope he’s right. Viennese Waltz is beautiful when danced to a great song.
Ah, so it’s not real info at all yet. Wiki doesn’t count.
Samba and a percussion only song… I doubt DWTS would ever go that route, but Cave’s “Street Carnival” is a percussion only song.
I’m looking forward to see what everyone’s dances will be next week, both as couples and as trios.
I think Derek-Shawn-Mark can be great, but Mark will have to be careful, as people have mentioned, not to overdance.
Not really crazy about Peta-Gilles-Chelsie because I don’t see her fitting in with the “Ooh, Gilles is so sexy” routine, but who knows.
I think Val-Kelly-Louis can be good because I think Louis is a talented choreographer, but we’ll see.
Cheryl-Emmitt-Kym…I’m glad to see Kym again because she’s one of my favorite pros. I didn’t care for Cheryl’s trio dance with William last year (but then I thought William was overscored way too many times), but maybe with Kym helping it will be better.
Kirstie’s fun and all, but I think she should’ve gone home last week instead of Sabrina. It will be nice to see Tristan again, but I hope we don’t get a cougar-schtick with the trio routine.
I’m not familiar with the troupe members, so I can’t really say anything about the trios that they are part of.
Thanks PureDWTS for keeping us updated!
Sorry Heidi…I got it from Derek’s twitter…I just assumed you had already gotten it…lesson learned…took a time-out sat in the corner…at a brownie…but I sat in the corner…of course my recliner is in the corner… but I sat in the corner.
Melissa says she has Quickstep along with her Paso Trio (she confirmed it in a reply to someone on her Facebook).
Princess Heidi I also got the information from Cheryl and Derek’s twitter as well
You’re fine, Lynne – it’s just we would prefer people provide sources when making assertions.
Really, Donna? Cause you just said you got it from Wikipedia. Which is it?
I know this isn’t the best place to ask this, but do you guys still do DWTS Search Engine Round-Ups? I found some of your old ones and they were REALLY funny.
Courtney If you go to Cheryl Burke’s twitter its right there.
Sorry I did not know we were not suppose to reveal the trio dances I meant no harm
Donna, I wouldn’t think Cheryl would say she had the “Vietnamese Waltz”…that’s why it’s questioned, too.
Val and Kelly choosing Louis is not a surprise. Louis coached Maks and Val when they were competing and Louis is a well regarded choreographer. Tony wanted Louis too but Val and Kelly got first pick. I think it will be fun to see Val and Louis work together.
There’s one team on that list that will positively KILL it, and that’s Derek, Mark and Shawn. With Shawn’s capabilities, it’s the closest you can get to a reunification of the Houghs (Derek/Julianne) and Mark. And judging from what they’re hinting at, I can gather that the dance they’re doing has an exceedingly high danger level, and that it’ll be something never seen before on DWTS. Pretty eager to see what this A team will bring!
Well, i think you alread saw but, Gilles confirmed Chels on his trio salsa.
https://twitter.com/GillesMarini/status/265898120901165056
Yes, she will be part of the trio Salsa next week. I’m so happy @chelsiehightowr .Hope @h3lio will be there to support! http://img.ly/ppGl
Any info on what dances/songs Kirstie and Kelly will have?
@jr – We’ll reveal their songs later this week in Heidi’s “Who’s Dancing What?” post. Kelly has a jive trio; Kirstie has a paso doble trio. As for the ballroom round, one of them has waltz and the other has Viennese waltz – we just don’t know which is which, yet.
Agree with you on the choices! Im not sure I would have thought some of the choices. Was hoping Tristan could dance with Melissa. Darn!
With Apolo being almost at the bottom of the leaderboard, to say that I am worried, is an understatement. I hope his trio dance is a hit, but dancing with relatively unknown Sasha, I am just not getting my hopes up. And quite frankly at this point, I am not sure that Apolo can make the finals.
Derek and Shawn picking Mark, was genius. At this point, I think Shawn is just coasting her way through and will easily take home the MBT for this season.
Kirstie just may have gotten the “kiss of death” if she’s got V.Waltz and Paso. I know she scored 27 on her first V.Waltz, but I’m beginning to believe Court when she says she doesn’t think Kirstie can pull off a good Viennese Waltz. I think they got a weird song for their paso the first time, and I could tell she was tired and just not feeling the paso when she danced it the first time. That is to say, if my memory serves me correctly.
As for Melissa, I didn’t see her FB or Twitter post about having the quickstep, but it’s not hard to figure out that she does. If Court tweeted there are 2 Quicksteps and everyone else has done a quickstep, and Gilles has the Quickstep… lol I wanted her to have the one Waltz… but I think she can pull off a good quickstep.
How are the Quickstep songs Courtney? Are they both good?
I veer between being worried about Apolo and thinking he’s going to win in a walk. I wasn’t worried at all until this past week. The thing is, if they keep talking him down like that, people might stop voting for him. If they’re playing a game, it’s a dangerous one this season.
@Tony – Viennese waltz is quite a bit faster than regular waltz, and I daresay fast dances don’t exactly play to Kirstie’s strengths. For that reason alone, I think Kirstie would probably fare better with a regular waltz. Guess we’ll see which one she gets. As for the music, I’ll go ahead and just give a brief overview of what I think, because I know if I start answering questions about one couple’s song, people are bound to ask “Well what about so-and-so? What’s their song like?”. I’m actually really pleased with the songs for the ballroom round – I know some people were rolling their eyes at the Veteran’s Day theme, and were complaining about not wanting to see “dead people dances”. Well I can assure you, these aren’t dead people dances – three are quite uptempo, and even a little bit campy (but still cute, and appropriate to both the dance and the theme). The two quicksteps are very fun – one is totally cheesy (but fun!) and the other is very cute. All three Viennese waltz songs are beautiful and have been used on the show before. The waltz song is kind of old-timey and slow, but not unpleasant. The tango song is also kind of campy and fun. Come to think of it, I think all of the ballroom songs used this week have been used before, except the waltz song. As for the trio songs – the two salsas are very different. One is very traditional salsa, the other is a more modern song that I don’t know is really all that salsa-y. The two pasos are also quite different – one is really dramatic, the other is more non-traditional. We obviously know Apolo’s song, and I daresay he got the better of the two jive songs, although Kelly’s isn’t bad. I think Shawn hit the jackpot with her samba trio song, though – I think this is going to be a performance to remember, because the music alone is just wicked. As Derek said, it is entirely percussion (with a little bit of Tarzan-ish hollering) and feels very tribal. Very heavy drums.
Keep an eye out for “Who’s Dancing What?”, because we’ll start spoiling them there
Shawn, Mark and Derek are dancing to the theme from “Survivor”?
Thank’s Court! I had completely forgotten about the Veteran’s Day round! It’s good to know Melissa’s got a good Quickstep song.
I hope she’s got the dramatic song. If I had to put money on it, Gilles probably has the non-traditional song for his Salsa, but I could be wrong. I can’t wait for this tribal Samba Shawn, Derek & Mark will cook up for us.
Thanks for the info, Courtney. I’m looking forward to the “Who’s Dancing What?” post.
LOL, Evaine.
*dramatic song for her Paso lol.
Courtney – loving the music comments.
Funny that they do like to recycle a lot for v.waltz song, ever since maks and erin did that terrible v.waltz to “February song”, I wanted someone to get that song again and make a amazing dance, that song is so beautiful. It is a long shot, but I wish it was one of the three v.waltz song.
I bet melissa got the dramatic paso song and Kirtie the non tradicional.
I’m getting to excited by Shawn trio samba, they will defitily go for the tribal theme, I bet derek and Mark will dance shitless and start the dance playing like he did with mambo. I’ve seen some African sambas on sytycd and they are awesome.
@Heidi – The way the judges have been treating him, the viewers may have rallied behind him and will sail him straight to the finals. I hope so!
Did the pros have the music before they chose their 3rd trio member?
I apologize if this was covered previously, I looked for it and was unable to find it.
I’m looking forward to Monday night, bot the Veterans Day ballroom round and the Latin Trio round. However, I’m trying to stay grounded and not get my expectation leve up so high that nobody could meet it.
My heart says the viewers are rallying behind Apolo to spite the judges, but my head is worrying that they’ll fall for the judges’ low-balling and stop voting for him. Tuesday is going to be brutal.
I have high expectations for the trio, I really enjoyed last season. I actually liked all the trios, even Melissa was fun dancing with val and maks. This time apart from Gilles I’m really looking for all the dances (Kelly with louie and val don’t excite me much too, but who knows, maybe the dance will be good)
I’m already predicting, Shawn/Derek/MArk scores, 28, Bruno and Carrie Ann will go crazy , but Len will say “this is not a samba”.
Looks like the dances are filling in.
Thanks for all the spoilery goodness. Maks said in his TV Guide blog that he and Kirstie are dancing the Viennese Waltz this week, so I guess than means Kelly has the regular Waltz.
I’ll be interested to see what order everyone dances in this week since there are so many “duplicate” dances. I can’t decide if I’d rather be the 1st to dance that style or the last this week – I guess it depends on who else was dancing it!
Poor Emmitt. He’s never danced V. waltz or salsa before. Disadvantage I think, especially in a double elim week.
@Heidi and @Sandy I know I was one voter that was so annoyed with the judges and Apollo that I voted all I could for Apollo. I know Kirstie and Emmitt have huge fan bases and I apologize to any that are fans of them on here, but I think Kirstie and either Gilles or Emmitt should be the next two eliminated. My reasoning is because I am one fan that likes to see the better dancers stay. That doesn’t always happen as we know, but that is the way I feel. I like both Kirstie and Emmitt, but Kirstie did make mistakes last week and Apollo none. Again, feel the lower score was because the rules of the fusion were not clear ahead of time. Apollo does not deserve to be that low on the leaderboard. I really liked Emmitt on his season, but I see a different Emmitt this season. I also see a different Gilles this season and liked him on his season. I just feel that Apollo gives it his all, but the judges are not in his corner. Much like what Len has been doing to Shawn until this week. I really believe that both Shawn and Apollo deserve to be in the finals. Again, just my opinions.
I am looking forward to this week and I really hope that Apollo can kill it. Hope the judges can be fair as well. Not sure that we will see that, but I can dream.
I remember Henry from that bollywood samba. He is a great dancer but ugh, that was one of the many disasters of that season. I never liked that samba. But then again, there is not much Henry could do, I’m not blaming him. I hope this time Henry and Tony will come up with something spectacular. Can’t wait for the quickstep and paso of T-Croft.
I think Emmitt’s salsa will be amazing with Kym. Happy to see her again. And I think Shawn’s samba will be amazing, too. I hope Derek lets Mark choreograph the samba because I really enjoy Mark’s sambas.
#115 Evaine,
Wow, the Survivor theme, that’s a great guess and it sounds about right hearing Derek talk about the song and George’s comments to them about their attire, etc. Its going to be a fantastic routine but with that song it would be epic-lol We’ll see once the songs are posted here if that’s correct.
Hope they do a proper samba with tricks and no lifts. That will save Derek’s neck and get them higher scores. Want them to be in the finals. Derek and Mark can use proper samba and create a masterpiece. I wonder what the surprise is that Shirley spoke of? Hmmm?
if i was a betting person i would say that Shawn and Derek’s VW will be a proper one- or close to proper as Derek would like to do…but the samba is going to be a full on, creative masterpiece that will have very little samba in it…they are going to make it memorable and that is all people are going to talk about is that dance….len will not be happy and will def call them out on it. Maks said it best in his tv guide article…this season is about making the dances memorable and for the audiences…its not really about the scores bc 2-3 point spread doesn’t really matter…getting a 30 vs 27 means nothing if you don’t have people voting. Side note- anyone else feel like Mark is screaming a little “look at me” on twitter? i know he and D are bros and ultimately nothing like DWTS would come btw them but i feel like he is trying a little too hard to say that he is contributing and being a “team” player…from the bear photo, to them both walking shawn down the stairs, etc….enough already! Shawn is Derek’s partner..move on:)
I loved the Bollywood Samba – but then I like Bollywood. But Maria was not a great dancer – there is only so much even Derek can do. And there’s no way in hell he turns choreo over to Mark. Not happening.
*LOL* Dee, you know I made that suggestion tongue in cheek, right?
I’m curios about this samba, it won’t tradicional for sure. To be Really honest samba is not Derek’s or Mark’s best dance ( and Shawn too), in 10 seasons They were part of the show, i would probably say is Their weakest dance overall. But They actually seens excited about this one, when Derek gets excited something genius normally happeens.
Looking forward to Monday night, dreading Tuesday …..
Just saying about the Derek/Mark thing….we keep talking about them and the more Mark “acts out” on Twitter and such the more we talk and pay attention to Shawn.Has anyone given Mark the benefit if the doubt that he wants the attention ON Shawn and therefore the whole oat attention to me thing us just that….pay attention to Shawn?
IMO, Mark’s recent tweets are all about Mark and not Shawn. His tweet regarding the Spotlight dance was about MY dance (especially that ending) with MY dancers. Derek is not my favorite, but I admire his talents and talent for putting his celebrity partners first and making sure the dances focus on them.
I think the judges are playing a numbers game at this point, but they’re doing it at the expense of the more accomplished dancers. I think they know that Apolo and Shawn are killing it in votes and they are trying to even the odds up by low balling them every week, and then throwing them a bone every once in a while. I’m sure this upcoming week, unless he does horrible, Apolo will get a high score to put him back near the top, and Shawn will probably get a low score on one of her dances. My feeling is if the other contestants aren’t getting the votes then sorry about your luck.
I really don’t like Carrie Ann. It was the last straw when she had the nerve to say Gilles dancing during the group country dance was one of the best when the whole time he was looking at the other male dancers to figure out what to do, and she included him with Sabrina and Kelly when clearly Shawn and Derek had more content and technique. Gilles mouth is always open like he thinks he’s hot stuff, and no offense to anyone, but during “I feel like a woman” I told my boyfriend he looked like an old gay guy who still thinks hes got it, and my bf, who can’t stand dwts, said he looked more like a woman than Brittney Griner. Maybe he was supposed to look like that because of the song, but I doubt it. She rewards flash over technique and I really hope when some of the dancers retire they replace her on the panel. Someone like Anna or Karina.
Sorry don’t usually comment, but thought I’d give my two cents.
Just a random technical question…but how hard is the samba? Like, technique-wise? Because I remember I read somewhere that, out of all the dances, samba is Derek’s least favorite to choreograph. Is that because it’s one of those you-have-to-be-trained-in-order-to-dance-it-well dances? I mean, if the YouTube video from the Poland 2004 championships is anything to go by, he doesn’t seem to have any trouble with it.
The one thing we know for certain….DWTS will not allow 2 Olympians to be the Final 2.
In this video with Good Day LA, http://www.myfoxla.com/story/20043268/olympic-gold-medalist-shawn-johnson-dances-with-the-stars, Shawn states that there is going to be double elimination this week, double elimination next week and then the finals. That’s good info to know!
Sara- the pros always says that samba is the hardest dance in the show, to be honest I don’t know why, I’m from Brazil, and this is the only dance that I’m good at (samba is from here, so pretty much everybody here is good at samba). For us that Batucado step , that most celebs looks horrible doing, is by far the easiest one, even when the pros do that step they don’t half of the rhythm that some professional brazilian samba dancers do. I remember Cheryl and MArk talking about how hard it is the samba bounce (still don;t think is hard, but of course it is easy for me to say that , when here we do that since we are three).
I’ve never heard Derek saying that samba is his least favorite to choreograph, but I believe it is true. Derek is by far the best choreo in the show, but of there is one dance that he never really amazed me is the samba, I liked the one with Brooke, the one with Maris was fun because of the bollywood thing (genius). But still not his best work ,when you compare to his pasos, tangos and….. The same goes to Mark, I liked the one with Chelise Kane, but nothing amazing.
@chachachoochoo – “The one thing we know for certain….DWTS will not allow 2 Olympians to be the Final 2.”
Can I ask you, How do you know this for certain?
Yes, Kaitlyn, and it’s information what we shared on this site some time ago.
Dream on, chacha. We don’t know any such thing for certain or otherwise.
Yes, Derek has said it’s his least favorite dance to choreograph.
It may have not been his favorite to choreograph but he sure dances it well-lol I’ll never foget the DwTS tour! Derek has a great dancing partner in Shawn-IMO they’re magic together! They seem to have what sounds like a great song. I think he will choreograph something spectacular for this routine.
Thanks for the confirmation Heidi. And thanks, Laila, for the info! It’s nice to get a perspective from someone who understands the dance.
As much as I love sash I feel the only two troupers that proved they should been in a trio is Henry and his girlfriend EMMA SLATER she was absolutely amazing in the opening number this week anyone else agree!? I hope since cheryl Derek and kym will be leaving this upcoming season Emma/Lindsay Arnold/WitneyCarson feel those girl spots I want those three on the show as pros and Henry is a definite shoe in for dereks spot he is such a beast
I did question why Karina and Apolo would pick Sasha. But if the song is spoiled correctly above, I think this trio will be a memorable one come Monday night.
Grant- Emma , Really? I find her so blend and Boring as a dancer. I would say Sharma is the real deal, she has so much fierceness , and I get a lot of Lacey vibes from her ( please bring Lacey back)
And we have enough Blonds, we need brunets. But I would love to see Lindsay Arnold Witney Carson on the show,, they are fierce, I would put then on the troupe first on Oksana’s and Emma’s place, and the next season put them as pros.
I agree that Henry is so in next season, but Sasha not so much.
Heidi, I asked a week ago and Courtney made a guess that it would be that or one extra person in the finals, but I hadn’t seen it confirmed. I apologize that a lot of information is on here and we don’t always see everything.
I think you’re mixing up the info, Kaitlyn – it’s a double elimination in week 8 AND a double in week 9 or an extra person in the finals. Week 8 used to be week 6, but that double elim was never in question. The week 9 option or extra person in the finale was added because of the no elimination this week.
That sucks! Two double eliminations back-to-back. I always liked the Top 5, then who will make the semi-finals and then the finals.
This just seems like they jammed too much into the season… and now quick they have to cut it short.
@Grant: Emma is actually Sasha’s girlfriend, not Henry’s. And I’ve heard Derek is leaving (and I think Henry is pretty much a lock to be promoted); Cheryl and Kym going too is news to me. If one of the girls does leave, I’d rather see Sharna, who is distinctive and seems to be a talented choreographer. Emma is blander than bland, and we already have Chelsie filling the pint-sized blond slot.
Sandy–#144 above “for certain” Don’t know for certain. It just seems “certain” to me that’s how DWTS rolls. I think it would be the ultimate FINALE, though. So I hope I a wrong.
I’m going to need to see a link to where it says Kym is leaving – that’s news to me. Yes, Derek said a while ago that this is his last season and I don’t anticipate that changing. Cheryl said she’s taking ONE season off – not leaving for good. Since both Lacey and Chelsie are what I would call part timers, I think that have just as much or more of a shot of being on next season than Emma or Sharna. Who ever moves up will likely get the boot when Cheryl comes back.
ChaCha, I believe you used the words “We know for certain” – there’s really no way to weasel out of either “we” or “certain”. The meaning of those words are quite clear. I suggest in the future you choose your words more carefully, since you will get called on assertions like that.
No, Grant, I don’t agree with you about Emma, SASHA’s lovely and talented girlfriend. I agree about Henry and see him as a real possibility of being promoted. By the way, Grant, your relentless spamming of the cast for twitter follows is really entertaining. #followback #killitinrehearsal #wontgiveup
Hehehe…touche, Deena
And I’m in agreement: the only trio member who might have a hope and a prayer of becoming a pro is Henry – at least he’s proven himself with some good choreography. As for the other 5 knuckleheads…ooh wee. Sonny & Oksana need to work on simply staying in synch with everyone else, Sasha needs to cut back on the acrobatics, Emma needs to do something about those freaky eyes of hers, and Sharna needs to figure out some other way to convince me she deserves to be a pro other than RT’ing fans that say she should be a pro. Oy vey.
I apologize that this is off topic for this thread but I don’t know where else to ask this. I was wondering why there has been no mention on the site about Derek’s inclusion and the great things said about him at the recent Emmy choreographers event? I know it’s posted at PDH, but isn’t it relevant for general fans of DWTS also who aren’t inclined to search out specific information on any of the pros (at least on those other than their favorites) and who only know about things if they are reported here?
We post on Derek here too, Peonies. It just depends. For instance, we did a new post up on Derek with his thoughts on Brooke today.
Anyway…yeah, please visit Pure Derek Hough for more in depth coverage on Derek as PDH is a sister site to this one.
Ya know, Peonies, there are only so many hours in a day. And if we didn’t get to it, well, perhaps in the off season. It has been discussed in the comments on another post, so plenty of people are aware of it.
#113–I’m worried because some of Apolo’s fans on the board who have a lot of account and vote really hard for him, were actually debating if they should “waste their time if the judges already have their favorites.” they think it’s rigged….sigh.
Well yes the judges probably do have their favorites. But the audience also have their favorites. It’s half and half, folks. The judges’ favorites don’t overrule your favorites unless you let them and stop voting.
Word, Buttercup
Buttercup, how dare you be so rational.
hahaha im just a huge fan i love to show my support they are awesome now that im getting opinions i understand where all of yall are coming from. I feel Emma deserves a chance she seems pretty cool to me and she is fantastic but i mean its anyones game i hope she will get in but i would love Lindsay Arnold and Witney Carson from SYTYCD to get a spot before them. haha i didn’t know i was spamming?! im glad you guys find it entertaining hahaha you guys are awesome though i love this website such great dedicated workers (courtney vogue heidi) keep up the great work really appreciate it