PureDWTS Season 17 – The Great “Previous Dance Experience” Debate, Part I
Yes, it’s time once more for us to sit down and examine this season’s crop of contestants and see who might have the edge based on dance experience they’ve had prior to doing the show. Mostly, though, we just tend to make fun of the bizarre and often embarrassing clips we dig up from the stars’ pasts…so take it with a grain of salt, please 😉
Also, I have a request to make of our Pure readers: for as easy as it was to compile the clips from this season’s ladies, I am REALLY struggling with the guys – I already have clips for Corbin & Bill N., but I’m having a hard time with Bill E., Brant, Keyshawn, & Jack 🙁 So if you happen upon clips of any of the 4 that I mentioned doing some dancing in their past (it can be any kind), please send ’em over – preferably via the “contact us” button at the top of the page, or you can tweet the links to me @putuincespence. DO NOT post the links in the comments section, please 😉 If I use a clip you send me, I might see if John will be willing to throw in some gratis memberships to our “members only” area as a reward 😉
First, let’s take a look at Elizabeth Berkley – who’s probably known primarily as Jessie Spano from Saved by the Bell and Nomi Malone from Showgirls, and she did a bit of dancing as both. First, what Saved by the Bell retrospective would be complete without a look at this gem from the famous pill-popping episode?
And in quite possibly the only Pure-appropriate clip from Showgirls I could find on the web that didn’t contain nudity, sex, or drug use, she strutted her stuff as a Vegas showgirl:
Courtney: Elizabeth is quite obviously no slouch when it comes to dancing – even though Showgirls is widely considered a total joke of a movie, she no doubt underwent quite a bit of training to do the dance sequences in the film. I have two concerns, though: one, both of these clips are almost 20 years old. Can Elizabeth still move like that now? Two, she seems like she has a tendency to get overdramatic – is she going to be like Sabrina, who had a tendency to “overdance” and throw herself off? A third, more trivial concern – is the makeup department going to horribly overline her lips like they did in Showgirls? Eeeek 😛
Heidi: Well, she’s pretty ringer-y and she’s not that old – I bet she still has moves. And she did the whole “Oh, but I’ve never done ballroom” schtick which, hello, doesn’t make you a non-ringer sweetheart! But it does echo Nicole, who was MAYBE a bigger ringer (but not by much, if at all – chest pops anyone?). Elizabeth has much more dance training than either Jennifer or Ricki did for their movies – and she’s 10 years younger than Jennifer without a pin in her neck, nor is she over weight like Ricki. So it will be interesting to me to see how big a hypocrite the C bros will be when it comes to Elizabeth. Plus, Val’s had two huge ringers in a row (not counting all stars) – and yet I sense that we will hear no complaining due simply to the lack of the name “Derek”. I do fully expect the make up to be out of control, along with the costuming…but the real question is…will she dance in heels?? 🙂
Vogue: LOL The hair styles from the 80’s! I use to fix my hair just like Elizabeth’s. Do I want to go back to the tight long and painful perms? NO! 😯 With that said, Court has just reminded me all over again why I loved “Showgirls” so much. Elizabeth had some power moves…and with her hands too. Not only that, girl could bend and get her “sexy” on. She had rhythm too and I bet she still does. It’s something born into a person. I think she’s one to watch out for. Just please, Elizabeth, don’t attempt to get your “sexy on” with Val or vice versa.
And now for more a G-rated palate-cleanser, we move onto Valerie Harper, who began her career as a chorus girl on Broadway. In this adorable clip from the episode of The Muppet Show on which Valerie guest-starred, she showcases those skills as she sings a song about how she can’t do anything right as she attempts to do a synchronized dance with…ummm…some furry blue things? 😛
Heidi: Well, this is an instance of a former ringer who kinda falls out of that status due simply to age. There is no way that I would call a 74 year old an actual ringer. But I bet she’s good and very entertaining. And inspirational.
Vogue: Go Val and look at those multiple of twirls at the end. I would have been so dizzy afterwards and fallen. Though look at her. Girl kept on dancing. So cute. Her timing is good with the beats of the music and I love her expressions too (which is key in dancing a good dance as well). I would just love it if Val ended up in the final four. Being that she’s had some Broadway experience, anything is possible.
Courtney: I just think this clip is adorbs 😛 Highly doubt it’s really indicative of Valerie’s dance skills this season, other than that she’s obviously a showman and does have some rhythm, but I do think it shows how lovable she can be 🙂
Moving right along, we now come to Leah Remini. I wasn’t expecting to find any clips of her dancing, but I did find this short little ditty from her stint on The King of Queens – the dude she’s dancing with is actually her husband in real life.
Vogue: Great find, Court!! The guys in this clip were fun to watch and they were good too. She just needed a little more force in it and she could have been dancing a salsa right with them.
Court: Hubs looks like he’s been dancing salsa for awhile – which makes me wonder if he’s danced some salsa with Leah in the past. Maybe she’s not quite clueless in the dance department?
Heidi: I’ve never liked Leah. Perhaps it’s best if I say nothing else. 🙂
Now let’s take a look at Christina Milian – someone who has likely had some dance experience through her singing career. Since I’m partial to CSI, let’s take a look at this clip from an episode she guest-starred in a few years back:
Court: I’m just not quite sure what to make of Christina. I’m sure she’ll be one of the better female celebs this season, but I’m not sure that she’s going to be the shoo-in for the finale that everyone seems to think she’ll be. Her style is definitely more hip-hop – and we saw what happened when a hip-hop dancer tried to apply the same principles to ballroom (Sabrina – and she also had Mark as a partner). I’m also kind of wondering about her fanbase – are they going to be the type to tune in & vote? Or could she be a shock elim like Brandy?
Heidi: I’m leaning toward a Brandy type right now, I think. I think she’s probably a good dancer, but I have doubts about the fanbase. If Val and Elizabeth can keep the gag quotient down, I think they might beat her on ability – although this season doesn’t have a Jennifer to beat the Brandy (Christina) so it’s possible that Christina can pull it out. I think both might get hosed by the ringer Disney boy, though.
Vogue: I get the feeling Christina is going to be ringiest of our girl contestants. If Mark can tame the hip-hop in her, watch out. Note too how she knows how to work her “hair” like the girl pros.
Next up: Amber Riley. While looking for videos of her doing some dancing on Glee, I noticed that she was more often than not performing some of the more diva-ish, belt-it-out songs…which more involved standing still and gesturing dramatically, as opposed to doing any “hardcore” dancing (which was reserved more for Heather Morris & Harry Shum Jr.’s characters). However, she did seem to do quite a bit of showchoir-style grooving:
Heidi: Yeah, the choreo on Glee is pretty simplistic and there isn’t much of it. Girl is a singer for sure – and anyone bitching about her experience is idiotic, considering Elizabeth, Christina and Corbin. Very irrational. Typically. 🙂
Vogue: It cracks me up for those thinking that Amber can’t move or dance because of her weight issues. Court found the perfect video to refute this. Just like Derek has said in recent interviews, Girl has energy and charisma in spades. She can pose, act, entertain, and she has the perfect facial expressions as well. It’s going to be interesting to see how Derek can perfect her technique.
Court: I think those who are crying “ringer” should seriously check out some Glee episodes – because Amber seems to disappear when the heavy-duty dance sequences start. Not to say she doesn’t have rhythm – she does – and she can handle more choir-y choreography…I’m just not sure she’s the phenom that everyone seems to think she is.
And last but not least, we have Snooki – whose dance background is probably the most dubious of this season’s ladies. She was a cheerleader in high school, but is probably better-known for her alcohol-fueled fist-pumping in the clubs on Jersey Shore…not quite sure what is happening in this clip, but Snooki appears to be teaching a group of fans how to dance “Snooki-style” in the club:
Court: I know some seem to think she’s going to be the “big surprise” this season, but I’m skeptical – especially after watching this clip. I don’t know that “tree dancing” is going to be enough to please Len 😛
Heidi: I think she’ll be a surprise – but not necessarily for dancing. I think her personality might be surprising. As for dancing?? Well, she’s dancing with the dude who doesn’t think he’s actually dancing if he’s not throwing in backflips. So…that could be interesting. 🙂 I can’t really see Snookie doing a tumbling run down the center of the court.
So what do you guys think? Do we have ladies who have a ton of experience to help them these season…or just a head full of embarrassing memories from their previous dance experiences? 😛
Great read! I really love all these girls. Think they will be great, but I am rooting for Elizabeth even if she is a “ringer”.
I think Amber will be good, her dancing improved a lot during season 3, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjR4D1_L910 , this is one of her best dance moments, when she did Survivor. She might not be the best dancer, but she sure can move.
Totally agree on the Cristina/Brandy comparing.
I agree with Heidi, if jennifer with a pin a ten more year than Elizabeth could still dance, I’m sure Elizabeth will be just fine.
I wonder if snooki still knows how to flip from her gymnastics days, if she still can, with sasha as her partner i could see them adding in a lot of flips into there dancing.
Thanks for sharing that, laila, but please – no more links the comments, k? We found the specific videos we wanted to share and put them in the post itself.
Not quite what I was saying Layla. I was saying more like Jennifer was 50+ years old and called the ringer but somehow I don’t think Elizabeth will be even though she’s 10 years younger and has more dance experience.
Love the vom-ing emoticon, Vogue! 😀 AS for the Amber clip, being a Naya fan, I was to busy watching her to really notice Amber. lol
Jennifer and Elizabeth both had not-insignificant dance training when they were in school, which is somehow rarely discussed when it comes to their “ringer” status and the focus tends to be on how much they did for film rather than their prior abilities. Anyway, I’m sure Elizabeth will move well since she danced for years, but I doubt she’s going to have the personality/endearment/fanbase factors for her to actually win.
I’m interested to see how Christina comes across. Again I’m sure she’ll have abilities but not convinced she’ll be able to win voters with other personalities that are likely to be more endearing. I could see Amber winning a lot of people over to give her time to gain ability/confidence.
lol Thanks Jim!!! 😉
Enthusiasm, energy and charm can get you very far on DWTS. Jacoby, Helio, Emmitt, Kelly Osbourne. All of them not necessarily the best dancers in their season yet all made at least top 3. I think this will happen with Amber. Plus, she has Derek with his agile and creative mind.
For some reason, I’m thinking Elizabeth is going to have trouble with nerves and it’ll affect her dancing.
I have no idea what to expect with Leah.
Tristan has stated in the past that he likes the acting side of dancing. I think that will benefit Valerie. She has experience in Broadway dancing with it’s emphasis on character. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Tristan can come up with.
I think the Snooki/Sasha pairing will be fun. I do hope he really tries to teach her some actual ballroom technique.
I’m sorry but Christina does nothing for me. I don’t dislike her or anything but I’m just meh on her.
I think Val and Elizabeth are going to have the gag factor out in full force. I don’t like either one of them and hope they are the “shocking” elimination early in the season. I don’t even want to imagine what Val will be like if he were to win.
Susan2, I agree, Christina does nothing for me either. Or Leah.
I’m really hoping Valerie makes it far. No, she isn’t going to win, but I hope she does well.
Derek is probably going to be able to pull off his magic again and show everyone thinking Amber can’t move because of weight issues that they’re wrong. She will probably do as well, or better, than Rikki.
I do think Snooki will be a surprise, hopefully a good one. I don’t want to see the hot mess we all know she can be.
These vids are all gems! Thank you to the mods!
Just a bit sad that Christina’s is not available in my location.
Ringers are okay with me as long as they don’t get irritating, hehe. With that said, I do believe Elizabeth is the ringer among the ladies in terms of dance experience. Maybe, she still got the moves and she looks very fit.
Valerie’s number with the Muppets reminds me of my childhood. Loved the Muppets. I think Valerie’s personality is her strongest asset. Her positive aura is infectious.
I’m not so sure about Leah’s dancing but she’s been fun in her recent interviews. Hope she’s like that throughout her stay in the competition.
Amber has rhythm and can move despite, as she said, the “humps in my rump.” 😉 I’m looking forward to see what Derek can make her do.
I don’t know how this came about, but I’m excited to see what Snooki and Sasha can do. I’m not their fan at all, but the excitement to see them dance is there. Feel kinda strange about this, LOL!
Bring it, ladies! 😀
Just like people tend to ignore that any dancing (real or imagined) was 30 plus years before DWTS AND that she had a pin in her neck, eh, Fig??
Yea who would of thought snooki and sasha would be one of the couples I and alot of ppl. seem to be looking forward to. Ive never seen jersey shore but they seem like a lot of fun and after watching sasha so long in the troupe it will be fun to see what he can do. Leah seems real fun and funny after seeing her in all these interviews. Amber and christina are both alright. Valarie is so inspiring and Im meh on elizabeth right now. It seems alot of ppl. who watch the show are turned off by celebs with previous dance experience so im betting it will be a non ringer who wins it.
I’m just going to say it. After having to play Bellboy, I am HAPPY for Sasha to finally get to dance 😛
I don’t know much about her but just looking at some info, it looks like Amber has a fairly large fanbase? right? So I just wonder if Amber and Derek happen to make it longer than Eliz and Val, how big of a fit will Val and Macs throw?
I just get this weird vibe every time I see Val and EB, cant explain it, but yeah if he keeps it up with the chemistry blather and lays it on as he usually does !! Bleech. I wonder if she will look with him, sizewise, kind of they way Stacey Kiebler did with Tony D. Size matters so much with how the dances look and come across IMO
Has Corbin been dancing all his life? I think he’ll prob take it but I sure hope that Brant can dance and Peta keeps her head and seriously does some good stuff for him.
@RaineMayer, I understand about the vibe, I’ve been getting one too from the same pair…. I didn’t really mind the size difference with Stacey K and Tony D, probably because of Tony’s personality, he’s almost always calm and soothing, and pleasant….. EB and VC?…. They may look good together, but there’s still that something………….. And it niggles me.
About the guys, I’ll not go off topic right now, since this post is the ladies post, just remind me…
Of the 6 women, you could hang the ringer label on Christina and Elizabeth, if it was a big deal to you; but not the other 4. Yes, Valerie started out on Broadway but even with the best will in the world, she can’t move like that anymore.
As for Snooki, gymnastics and cheerleading don’t equal dance experience for me, but I bet her wanna-be-gymnast pro is going to overplay that card. When he does, the Stooges better call them on it. They were all over Shawn and Derek about “too much gymnastics” (yeah right), but my guess is *nobody* will say “boo” if Sasha has Snook-ums backflipping all over the dance floor. 🙄
I remember watching The Osbounes when they had their show and in one episode where Ozzy and Sharon renewed their vows or somethingso you might find something there but I am 100% sure that in one episode Jack dances with Christina Aguilera (which Kelly hated and whatnot) and I actually looked up the name of the episode for u guys it’s called “What A Boy Wants”. I hope I kinda helped.
So now I can comment on the videos and what I expect from these ladies.
1) Elizabeth: I’d bet she remembers a lot of that training.
2) Valerie Harper: That was adorable and I would bet that she still can dance.
3) Leah: If her husband si that good I’d bet he is also helping her out as well. Might wanna watch out for that one.
4) Christina: She could do well.
5) Snooki: Yeah…….personality is going to help her.
6) Amber: Glee choreography is not the most complicated but she makes it look easy…….gotta watch out for this one too. Saying that I am a Gleek and have been watching since episode 1 season one and she was the last person from Glee I would have expected on the show but I am glad she is there (I always thought it would be Mark Salling that would do the show so I hope he does the show eventually)
Whoa—about Vins comment regarding EB—Just saw her tap-dancing on Access !! Ringerrr BIG time !! Danced with a ballet company, tap, we’re talking co-ordination, musicality, stamina and more.
I would say Elizabeth is the biggest ringer of the bunch, especially considering that the tapping she was doing wasn’t from that many years ago. I think she’s actually one of the biggest dance experience ringers the show has had – probably on par with Mya (and more dance experience than Nicole).
Christina also seems to have a fair bit of experience – it will be interesting to see how that translates.
Valerie might have been a ringer of Elizabeth’s caliber if she were 30 years younger – but at this point, I don’t think it’s going to have tons of impact. I do think, though, that it will keep her from being a Cloris – so I will most likely enjoy watching her dance.
Leah, Snookie and Amber obviously have done some kind of movement before – but I don’t think it’s anywhere close to Elizabeth or Christina.
Oddly enough, Elizabeth and Christina are probably the two women I connect to the least in terms of their personality and what they’ve shown in interviews, and based on the comments I’ve been reading here, I’m not the only one who’s not connecting with them – so despite their dance training and experience, I think they might have a tough time getting to the finals, especially if people are really connecting with others who have more engaging personalities – and can also dance well.
Why are TPTB so desperate and keep throwing the ringers at Val? He gets them and still loses, which says something to me. I’ve said it before, they’ll do well, but I hope they’re out around the halfway point. I see the gag factor on this pairing equal to or worse than it was with Kellie Monaco.
If ValBeth are smart, they’ll play up the “new mom wants to get fit again” card instead of the “Showgirls hottie, stripper pole licking chick who gives Val a woody”.
Elizabeth is more than just that one movie made years ago so I hope Val acts accordingly.
I really don’t mind ringers on the show. Looking at it positively, they give the non-dancers an incentive to improve and really who want’s to watch the Tucker Carlsons of the world dance for two hours straight every Monday night?
I don’t mind people with dance experience either, because it definitely makes for a more enjoyable show – though as Kelli last season (and others) have proved, you can have great dancers who have had no dance experience.
What annoys me is all the hoopla made about it, particularly (or maybe only) when Derek has someone with dance experience. I’m interested in seeing (given Maks and Val’s comments in previous seasons regarding Derek’s partners), how the C bros will play this one, as well as how the public will perceive things.
Are Elizabeth & Val seriously calling themselves ValBeth as their team name? It sounds a little too much like “Valtrex” to me…eeeeewwww. 😯
I hate all team names… period. I like to refer to all contestants and pros by their given names.
Yeah, I’m with you there, Sandy – all the cutesy portmanteaus of the couples’ names get to be a bit grating after awhile. Especially when some of the more juvenile fans are hashtagging that sh*t all over the place. I really blame the official ABC boards – I think they just wanted another excuse to generate hits and make some money selling t-shirts.
The only team name I have ever endorsed is Team PicklerDick 😛
LOL Courtney – How could anyone resist PicklerDick….. 🙂
There was a newbie posting last season that kept referring to a couple using a cutesy name… and I literally wanted to claw my computer screen each time that I read it.
@Courtney and @Sandy, Team PicklerDick was fun! 😉
I am completely with Butterfly…
Whilst Christina and Elizabeth have the most experience, I connect with them the least out of all the women. I would rather see the other four go further because I like their personalities.
It’s a bit Aaron Carter-y. He was a pain in the ass, but he could move, so he stayed around for a while, and we lost some people who weren’t such good dancers but had amazing personalities (Melissa JH).
I’m really hoping Elizabeth and Christina pull some personality out soon.
I dunno…I kinda liked “Team OhYes” Then again, I kinda liked Apolo 🙂
I made up ValBeth myself, just because it sounded stupid. How about ChermBerk?
Apparently their official team name is “Chmerkley” o.O
Chmerkley???? 😯 That’s got to be one of the silliest. I thought the stupid team name craze had faded. Guess not.
Cidra, nothing will beat Kyle and Lacey’s “Team Schmurgles” in terms of team name silliness.
Team Wagandbunns was pretty damn bad 😯
I think the only name I’ve ever liked was KaneN’Ball. I just liked saying it 😛
I do, however, like the name that Bill & Tyne are using .. “Team Hot Knowledge” .. oh dear.. hahaha
Good point, Matt. Schmurgles was cringeworthy.
“Team Hot Knowledge” at least shows creativity, which is what I’d expect from Bill Nye. Apolo/Karina also got some creativity points for “Team OhYes”.
It’s the name mashups that really get on my last nerve. The mashup thing is so tired (Beniffer, Brangelina, barf!) Most of them are just inane. However, for a name mashup “KaneN’Ball” isn’t bad.
Oh, Court, why did you have to bring up Wagganbuns? I’d actually managed to erase that one from memory, and now it’s back. 😕
Yeah, I have to laugh at those pointing at EB’s age as a reason why she might not be a ringer – where were these people when Ricki and Jennifer were on the show?
Didn’t you know? Dancing with Derek automatically erases about 20 years or so… 🙂
LOL – totally forgot about that, Butterfly. 🙂
I am really excited about this season. I think that Leah is going to do well, I like Christina and Amber too. I agree with the post earlier about Elizabeth, for some reason I think she is going to have a problem with nerves too, I hope not.
Dancing with Derek instantly erases about 20 pounds as well 🙄 so of course that means Amber now qualifies as a ringer 😉
Derek must be magic – he can instantly erase 20 pounds, erase 20 years, *and* add natural talent (to people like Joanna and Shannon)!
Hi everyone…I’ve been lurking…but I’m back…lol. So, I wonder how the 4 hour maximum per day practicing is going to change the scheme of things. You will have those that pick things up quickly…vs. those who don’t. I wonder if anyone will try and cheat…lol!
Do we know why they’re limited to 4 hours a day rehearsals? At first I was thinking it may be to ease them in and avoid injuries (but you’d think that have happened after a season with injuries), but I’m curious if that’s how much Valerie’s doctors have said she’s allowed to do & to make things fair maybe they imposed that on everyone?
I think they’ve actually had limited hours for rehearsals before (to reduce injuries) in the weeks leading up to the show. However, they restrictions went away once the season started. My guess is that the limits will be lifted now – at least based on what Melissa Rycroft implied on GMA.