DWTS 15: Why I Hated the All-Star Season
Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated…much to the chagrin of my detractors 😉
Yes, I am back, after a rather prolonged post-season 15 hiatus. Part of it was due to a hectic year-end at work, part of it was due to other stuff, and part of it had to do with what I’m about to elaborate on in this post. Thanks to everyone who checked in on me on Twitter, and I can assure you I’m back full-time now 🙂
Many of you have noticed that I tend to take a bit of a break from Pure after the end of each season – mainly due to the level of burnout we all seem to reach after being in full-on DWTS mode for 3 months straight while we’re covering each season. Generally, I just need a break – some time to appreciate other things in my life besides DWTS – and I’m back after a week or two. This time, though, I had a harder time getting back into the swing of being excited and inspired to write about DWTS – and for awhile, I couldn’t figure out why. Then I had a revelation…
…I HATED THE ALL-STAR SEASON.
There, I said it. I hated the all-star season, and I think it has now surpassed season 9 as my least favorite season of DWTS EVER. Reflecting on this past season, aside from a few standout performances (and all the great interactions I had with Pure readers :-)), I was hard-pressed to really feel nostalgic and pleased about it. In fact, what I tended to remember the most was all the frustration, chaos, and general feelings of “WTF is going on???” that I had while watching and blogging from week to week – and when I really got to thinking about it, I found that there were 5 key problems that left me feeling totally turned-off the all-star season. Without further ado, I give you those reasons…
1.) They tried to make lightening strike twice.
The premise of this season was flawed from the get-go: take a bunch of memorable celebs from past seasons and recreate the magic of all of their respective seasons, to create one really great new season. Good idea on paper, I guess – but once you realize that not every single celeb is going to be able to have their original partner, and that the level of competition has improved drastically over the years, and that life has gone on since their original seasons…the cracks in the foundation start to show. Of the intact original partnerships, I don’t think any of them managed to come across as “magical” this season as they did the first time around; of the newly-created partnerships, the only ones that seemed to spark more magic than their original seasons for me were Shawn & Derek and Kelly & Val. Some rose to the challenge of a higher level of competition this time around (namely Kelly, Shawn, & Apolo), but most seemed to either somewhat get by (Sabrina, Melissa, Emmitt, Gilles) or come to the painful realization that the skills that served them so well the first time around were now outdated (think Drew, Pam, Helio, Kirstie, & Joey). This season also seemed to replace the “I’m doing this for fun!” attitudes of some of the celebs’ first seasons with an off-putting sense of desperation – once-charming Gilles turned into an egomaniac, fun-loving sexpot Pam became emotional hot mess Pam, and laid-back cool guy Drew became anxious, discouraged Drew. I think the painful reality of this show (which TPTB either didn’t realize or chose not to consider) is that each individual season is a closed universe, with a specific set of variables (celebs, pros, level of competition, show climate, etc.) that can’t ever be replicated again – and consequently, results that won’t ever be replicated again. To paraphrase an old quote I’m fond of, I’d rather remember a broken vase as it was in its heyday, when it was whole & perfect, than try to glue the pieces back together again and pretend that the result is as good as the original. Leave us with the memories we have of the original seasons – don’t try to make us form new ones that aren’t as good as the old ones.
2.) They reverted back to the “more is more” mentality.
I have always called season 9 the “kitchen sink” season for a reason – it was the season that they decided they needed more of everything in order to make the show better: more pros, more celebs, more dances, more eliminations, more gimmicks, etc. The end result was a season that had wayyyy too much going on, and got unecessarily complex & hard to follow. Well I guess from now on, I’ll refer to the all-star season as “kitchen sink, redux”, because they seemed to regress 3 years when they cooked up the plans (or lack thereof – see below) for it. First of all, 13 couples? That’s (at least) one couple too many, and forces us into double elimination territory…and as I’ve seen firsthand from fans here at Pure, double eliminations make fans really, really cranky. It also creates the need for shortened dances, critiques, and rehearsal packages, and a general rushed, frantic feeling to the live shows…which also makes fans really, really cranky. Then there’s all the new (and ridiculously gimmicky) dances they threw at us – when did the standard 10 ballroom & Latin dances plus the Argentine tango (and the occasional salsa or mambo) become not enough??? Some of the new dances were redundant – why add Lindy Hop, jitterbug, rock ‘n’ roll, and Charleston into the mix, when most of them end up looking like just slightly more wacky jives? Why do you need both salsa & mambo, when most viewers can’t tell a difference between the two? Ditto for bolero – to the untrained eye (watching an equally untrained pro), it’s nary indistinguishable from rumba. And why would you add flamenco, when it’s already incorporated rather heavily into the paso dobles we see? Some of the new dances just had no place on DWTS – if I wanted to watch Bollywood, contemporary, hip-hop, or jazz routines, I could (and do) tune in to SYTYCD. And who the hell knows (or really cares) what a bhangra is, within the context of DWTS???! And to add insult to injury – many of the core ballroom & Latin dances were omitted to make room for these extraneous and pointless dances.
3.) They flew by the seat of their pants.
Show of hands: who, besides me, got the impression from watching week-to-week this past season, that TPTB were just kind of making things up as they went along? I’m willing to bet many of you got whiplash like I did, just trying to keep up with all the changes in schedules, voting, and general format – and for me, there was the added confusion of having a insider who was kind enough to share the schedule for the season with me before it began…and then watching as that schedule basically got ripped up and thrown away as the season wore on. The show already had one major obstacle to overcome before it even began: the election. You’d think they would have worked out all of the details of planning around the election festivities long before the season started, since they had plenty of advanced notice – but working around the debates and election night itself still seemed to trip them up, as we dealt with split performance shows, no eliminations, double eliminations, & funky voting. And then Mother Nature threw in the added complication of Hurricane Sandy – and that’s when things seemed to REALLY get shot to hell. At the very least, it made them realize that the “live elimination” that was supposed to occur at the end of the week 7 performance show was just a bad idea to begin with – and would be a horrible idea if the bulk of the east coast viewers, who would likely be determining who was eliminated, couldn’t watch (let alone vote). So they seemed to scramble for a solution – nix the elim in week 7, throw in an ill-conceived swing marathon dance, and then eliminate two couples in weeks 8 & 9. This is what happens when you take an already funky schedule, make it unnecessarily complicated, throw in a bunch of pointless dances, and then get hit with an unexpected complication – you get an aimless, chaotic season.
4.) They relied too heavily on gimmicks.
It kind of ties in with my gripe about the “more is more” mentality, but really – why the hell did we need all these strange little “twists” TPTB threw at us? Would the season really have suffered without all the new dance styles, the couples picking dances for one another, the team freestyles, the fusion dances, an extra judge, rehashing old routines, etc.? Obviously the show had been ok up until season 15, without these strange little nuances – why mess with a good thing that obviously works? You’d think they would have learned from season 9 – the season that will probably always be remembered for all of its hard-to-follow (and often pointless) novelty dances, and was the first significant dip in ratings since the show premiered. The all-star season was like season 9 on crack – with the added fun of an election & a natural disaster.
5.) The “man behind the curtain” seemed a little too involved.
As the season progressed, there seemed to be a few too many “convenient” (or just strange and out-of-character) things happening for me to believe there wasn’t some manipulation going on behind the scenes. There was the usual favoritism by the judges – it seemed like Gilles was the “chosen one” right out of the gate, and seemed to maintain the lead (no matter how great or how bad he danced, mind you) until about week 6, when the judges suddenly became enamored of Melissa, whom they really hadn’t paid much attention to for the first half of the season. Shawn & Apolo, arguably the two best technical dancers in season 15, seemed to get raked across the coals more often than not, regardless of how well they performed. My guess is that they were trying to level the playing field, but I don’t think they necessarily got the results they were hoping for…especially as far as Gilles & Apolo were concerned. Then there was the commentary and the emphasis placed on salacious, attention-grabbing gossip: the constant “are they or aren’t they a couple???” about Kelly & Val, the delicious reiteration of the “most shocking elimination ever!!!” where Sabrina was concerned, and the playing up of injuries galore. All of the constant attention placed on side-items like these really seemed to shift audience focus, and it wasn’t for the better. Then there were just a multitude of small but peculiar items that bugged – the mini MBT “falling apart” when Melissa was chosing her instant dance for the finale, the shady “real bottom two/not necessarily the bottom 2” toss-up on results nights, the strange dances picked as “redemption” dances in the finale, etc. I can’t be bothered to rewatch the entire season and make up a laundry list of all the weird quirks I noticed from week to week (since I hated the season as a whole), but there were definitely things that made me go “Hmmm…that doesn’t seem like the most logical outcome!” and wonder just who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
So there it is – why I hated the all-star season and hope they never do it again, and why I’m praying that season 16 is season 10, redux: a return to basics and just good, honest dancing. I’m skeptical, though, and I will say this: since about season 11, I’ve noticed that it has progressively gotten harder for me to return to blogging after the season ends, and it gets harder and harder after each season for me to feel optimistic & excited about the next season. And that’s the show’s fault – all this tinkering and manipulation and the constant need to make each season “bigger, better, and more exciting!” than the previous one is starting to seriously turn me off to the show.
Pretty much bang on, Court. 🙂
Well done Court. My feelings exactly.
Firstly, that was very well written, secondly, thank you very much for writing what I have been saying, I hated the All-Stars also, I am a big Derek fan and this does not mean “I would say that…” They could not make it any more obvious about wanted Melissa to win if they tried. Len was a first class knob head (London expression)CAI was beyond a joke, the only one with some sense was Bruno & that’s saying something! I would not be watching DWTS again, not because Derek is not in it, I wouldn’t even if he was.
Just excellent Court and you speak for so many of us. I think if they had just let things happen naturally, judged honestly, and wouldn’t have forced things, they would have had a more successful season.
So good to have you back!!! Yayyyyy xxxx
BRAVO!! Brilliant! Well Done! 🙂
Amen, sister. 🙂
SPOT-ON, Court! 😀
Wow, my thoughts exactly! I always thought an All-Star season was a bad idea and they sure didn’t do anything to change my mind. Still thank the stars, though, that Karina was paired with Apolo rather than Gilles, which I originally thought might be a good idea. She would’ve kicked his ass though! lol
Agree completely!
I downloaded Seasons 1-3, and 5, of DWTS from a website the other day, and it’s so freshening to watch – not an espionage-themed dance in site 😉
That was perfect, Courtney. You said exactly what everyone was thinking. I know I mentioned it when the season was going on, but this is the first year I watched DWTS. In the past I wasn’t really interested in seeing dances that weren’t on a competitive level. I saw that this was an all-star season and had a few celebs that I like (Shawn, Melissa, Joey) so I decided to watch. Although it was a complete mess, I can say that if it weren’t an all-star season, I wouldn’t have watched and I wouldn’t be writing this right now.
That being said, I completely agree about everything. Even though it was my first season, everything did seem a bit off. They would say some people had too many props and not yell at others for even bigger “frippery”. Lots of things going on behind the scenes that are fishy.
I do have to say though that I am very thankful that I found this site. It has really gotten me into the show more that I would have normally and I can’t say that I would have watched the next season if it wasn’t for Pure. I look forward to watching what is hopefully a normal season!
I agree with a lot of the objections, but I have to say, I enjoyed the dancing a lot this season — not from everyone, but on the whole there were a lot of amazing routines — everything Derek and Shawn did, Sabrina’s quickstep, the Call Me Maybe dance, etc.
For me, it was the producer manipulation, the poor casting of some folks (Bristol, Pam), and the random dances (though I did love the Bhangra) that really turned me off. I wonder if, without these things, an all star season may work. I also wonder if a regular season without these manipulations and problems will ever happen again.
With the exception of Season 10, which I thought was an excellent season, I’d really lost my spark for the show since Season 8. So I’m glad to see it’s not just me. Your analysis was spot on!
Thanks all for the kind feedback 🙂 Good to hear on my first post in a few months!
@Donna & Jen – It’s funny you should mention specific seasons as ones where the tides turned for the show. I was talking with my mom the other day, and we both came to the conclusion that season 8 was the last truly “genuine” season of DWTS – the cast was good, the dancing was good, there weren’t any gimmicks, and there didn’t seem to be rampant favoritism from the judges or manipulation coming from behind the scenes. Season 9 was a turning point in that they decided they needed more of everything – and it also marked the first season where they cast someone truly controversial: Tom DeLay. While I still think season 10 is my favorite of all the seasons, I think it was still a bit marred by the casting of Kate Gosselin, as season 11 had the smudge that was Bristol Palin. In season 12, they at least didn’t cast anyone too controversial (that I can recall), but the manipulation/favoritism really kicked into high gear with the WTA cha-cha and Ralphgate. Season 13 is probably my 2nd favorite season of all, but I think all the ado surrounding Hope kept it from being perfect in my mind. Season 14 was really a nosedive, in my mind – they cast two relative unknowns and then proceeded to shove them down viewers’ throats at every turn. The favoritism was really bad in season 14, IMO. And you know how I feel about season 15 🙂
Welcome back Courtney! I agree with everything you said. I’m hoping this season goes back to the way it was, good dancing, no manipulations and fair judging.
@Courtney, thank you for adding your thoughts to @Princess Heidi’s “How to Fix DWTS” series. As for the All-Stars, I liked some of the dances and some of the new couples (except for Anna/Drew and Chelsie/Helio) but the manipulating was more and more obvious as the season went on. There were also a lot of “WTHs” in my household during Season 15.
As for season 16 and beyond, it will not be a surprise if the very arrogant PTB continue the manipulating, continue to pile more garbage onto the show and continue the heavy-handed storyboarding of the couples. I have wondered how many of the couples read their storyboard and have the same “WTH” moments as the audience or do they read it and go along with it and use it to manipulate the media and the audience.
I also wonder why I continue to watch DWTS and admit it is more for the pros now and some of the musical guests. We shall see what happens for Season 16.
Welcome back Courtney. I think the producers hated the season as much as you. Maybe more;-)
I liked season 8 and Season 10 the most. I also liked season 2 but that was long time ago. There’s a reason imo that Shawn and Melissa made it in the finals season 15 as well. I think Gilles would have been there if Peta hadn’t turn him into a Gigolo.
Thanks for the great post, Courtney! Great to have you back! I agree with what you said… they seriously need to fix this show up.
Thank you, Court, for sharing your thoughts on the all-star disaster, and welcome back. I always feel burned out at the end of a DWTS season and need time away. It has to be 100 times worse for you and our other fabulous mods.
Thanks too for reminding us that Season 10 was a nice rebound from the mess that was Season 9. It gives me a glimmer of hope for Season 16.
LOL Mr. John. I think you may well be right about the producers’ feelings toward the All-Star Season. Now we’ll just have to wait and see how they respond.
I just hope last season’s crazy manipulation and shenanigans didn’t scare away all the better casting options and leave them with nothing but those who will do anything to get in front of a camera.
If the producers hated All Stars…it’s their own damn fault. The bone heads.
PH, It’s probably a case of morning-after regret for what seemed like a good idea the night before.
Well written post Coutney, my sentiments exactly. The only bright spot last season for me was Shawn and Derek. I use to love DWTS but hate what it evolved to with all the manipulation. I’m kind of on the fence whether or not I will continue watching the show.
Welcome back Courtney!! Excellent post! Really the only redeeming thing about the All-Stars season for me was Shawn & Derek. Other than that, that season caused me more headache than any other. It may be that I was a bit too invested, but I was also very invested in season 5, 8, and 10, and I recall feeling nothing but joy 90% of the time. I just really wish tptb would understand that what people want to see is pretty close to what the original formula of the show was. I really think most people sincerely want to see some celebrities (non-controversial ones preferably) have the time of their lives, grow as people, learn, and become dancers, good or bad. I enjoyed Nicole, Shawn, Jennifer, Mel B and the like because they brought us such beautiful dances. And most of the time: Genuine dances that didn’t rely too heavily on gimmicks. I felt they let their dancing do the talking, as far as tptb would let them. But I also enjoyed Carson, Donald, Kelly Osbourne, JR, and the like. No, they weren’t knockout fantastic dancers, but they reminded us that dancing is joy. Dancing is supposed to bring not only smiles to our faces, but to theirs as well. People who embraced the show, did their best, and loved every second. I can’t think of too many people who would say “DWTS needs more props, gimmicks, and manipulation.”
I would love for Season 16 to be like Season 10, or at the very least return to “just dancing.”
Courtney, fantastic post, I totally agree with you. And it’s nice to see you back!
Beautifully organized and a pleasure to read, Court. I guess you can tell from the upthread comments how many appreciative sighs of relief and “yes, yes”‘s your post generated for Pure readers as you hit one bulls-eye after another that expressed so much of our collective disappointment so well.
Looking back on some of the nutty choices that TPTB have made in recent seasons, I wonder how many of these are tied to their campaign to draw in younger viewers in the “more desirable” prime demographic. If so, they’re missing the boat IMO, since much of that pandering seems to alienate longtime fans of the show, whatever their ages.
Don’t know if sucking up to Disney kids, for example, and escalating the gimmicky you describe so well is actually luring in the younger viewers they seek. Choosing dance music to appeal to the young set that many viewers are unfamiliar with and that doesn’t even suit the dance; obsessively adding “novel” dances that many of the pros don’t understand are examples of changes that set everyone off – celebs, pros, and viewers. (also,it interferes with our digestion, as Sally so famously said in another venue).
It’s hard for me to believe that such attempts to attract a younger audience and keep the show fresh – if that’s what all these changes are for – work at all to accomplish either purpose. But it’s really clear that those choices are driving away many of the more enthusiastic fans, as well as millions of the main demographic that used to love the show when it had integrity. TPTB watched a simple, highly successful show lose a lot of its viewers without seeming to realize that much of the loss likely comes from their own poorly calculated meddling.
Here ya go. I loved the All Star season because I got to see some of my favorites dance again, Apolo, Hello, Kelly Monaco, etc. Really the only thing I didn’t like about it was seeing a favorite go home so early.
I liked the way they mixed it up with the Fusion dances, the Knight Rider Banghra, etc.
I guess I am just easy to please when it comes to DWTS. Because I just love it so much. It gives me great entertainment twice a year. I always look forward to seeing who will be on the show. I love all the sparkling pro numbers, well everything.
I loved the Gangnam Style and Call Me Maybe group dances! I love seeing the friendships develop among the dancers. I love seeing the costumes they come up with every week, etc.
Maybe a little tweaking is needed here and there but they still have a very viable show to put on the air. It is way better than a lot of other things on TV. They do an excellent job with the production values every week. Everyone there works very hard to bring this show to us.
And the cherry on top for me is getting to see Tom Bergeron every week!
Well written, well reasoned, Courtney. Definitely not a rant! One other point about casting all winners or previous contestants. I think you have to be pretty competitive (except maybe Bristol) to win or even do well on the show, and when you get a whole cast of competitive people who were high performers in their respective seasons it’s like the Olympics, except with biased judging. I loved every single dance Derek and Shawn did and can’t even remember anything specific about any of the others, except Giles looking foolish in his Bollywood costume and the ridiculous dance that went with it. And yet, which one got praised? I also agree with whoever said that Bruno was the single voice of reason on the judges panel
I think, in front of one of the silly theme nights (like the Surfer Flamenco night, or something else, they could have done a theme where they do one of their own memorable dances from the season they were on. I know they weren’t all with the partners they were with originally, but for example:
Kelly and Apolo could have done their Sambas
Sabrina could have done her Paso
Kirstie could have done her Cha-Cha
I’m just reeling some off there. Maybe it’s not a great idea, and it’s over now anyway.
I just read PH’s comment #23. Made me lol! Well said!
This just pissed me off all over again because it just reminded me of the manipulative f**kery that transpired. Idk about the target demographic for DWTS, I’m probably not it, but I only watch for Derek and Karina and became so infuriated with what was going on that I was beyond shocked I was even still watching it after the first half of the season. I almost want to do what they did in season 1 – start a big-ass petition and make them redo the finale.
Then again…Derek and Shawn are too good for that. Like we’ve all said…regardless of whose house the trophy is in, Derek and Shawn, in every respect, were the real winners this season.
Anyway, what I came here to say…BANG on point, Courtney.
Ya NAILED it!!!
Derek was the reason why I started watching DWTS in the first place and since he won’t be on the show any more I don’t see a reason to continue to watch, not after this joke of a season.
Thank you Courtney for giving us your opinion on the All-Star season. 🙂
In retrospect, I hated the All-Star season too especially because of the final result. However, the only thing that I enjoyed from this season and that made it worth watching despite the judges’ inconsistency and the obvious manipulation from the producers, was seeing all of Shawn and Derek’s amazing dances. There couldn’t have been a better dancing couple and I’m so glad that we were able to see them dance together.
I can respect the opinions of others. But no one seems to care what I said. I may just not post my poetry here this coming season.
Lois, why do you think no one cares about what you wrote? We very much care about what our readers write and are appreciative.
A) Lois, what are you talking about? You don’t seriously expect a response to everything you say, do you? NOONE gets that, including you.
B) you recently commented on one of my posts that it was too much for you to read. As a result, I don’t think you have much room to complain about people not caring what you think, true or not.
I don’t take kindly to martyrdom or threats.
Nobody likes a needy commenter.
*sigh* Lois, all I’ll say is that I kinda disagree with your post, so there you go, a response!
I am so sorry everyone. I apologize to all of you. I had a very bad day regarding news i heard about a friend yesterday and didn’t mean to take it out on you on this site.
Please accept my sincere apology.
And I appreciate the hard work you all do to bring us the news of DWTS all year long! This is the best place to come for comprehensive news. Thank you.
While I did not like the gimmick dances the producers came up with; I did enjoy the “fusion” dances especially Derek/Mark and Shawn. Only wish that Shawn was able to perform it with Derek a second time.
@Faby (#25): Right on when you said
“Looking back on some of the nutty choices that TPTB have made in recent seasons, I wonder how many of these are tied to their campaign to draw in younger viewers in the “more desirable” prime demographic. If so, they’re missing the boat IMO, since much of that pandering seems to alienate longtime fans of the show, whatever their ages.”
I also wonder if that desire to shift the demographic younger might drive any show changes – like, putting Hip-Hop and contemporary into the mix (Blech), younger pros (Bye bye Tony, Karina start looking over your shoulder, Kym), and so on. I read somewhere that the average age of a DWTS viewer is 61. I think if TPTB push too hard in the “younger” direction, they’ll just alienate their core viewers.
I agree with pretty much everything you wrote, Courtney. Thanks for posting and good to see you again!
i pretty much agree with everything you said…i for one felt that the allstar season would have been better if they kept the dances and removed some of those rules because these dancers all have experience…it was obvious that they were trying to get new watchers and sacrificing the show to do that…i don’t think i could go back to watch all the dances because of the bad judging, stupid assignments, lack of order…i feel like they have a good formula and there are better ways to shake things up than to throw away the show and make a terrible version of sytycd…