PureDWTS Season 19 – Partnership Spoilers!!!
The first rule about spoilers is that you do not ask where we got zee spoilers ๐ The second rule? If you want to be surprised come Thursday’s cast announcement, whatever you do, DO NOT click the link below.ย Got it? Gooooood.
We’ll update this post with any additional spoilers that come our way between now & the official announcement.ย Please, no begging to know [insert pro here’s] partner – we take the spoilers we get, and don’t always get to pick and choose what intel we get.
ETA #1: I know I said on Twitter that I was done spoiling for the night, but I was SO STINKING EXCITED when I heard who Witney’s partner was that I just had to share ๐ I have been campaigning to get Mr. Carlton Banks on the show for awhile now…and Rob Wade seems to actually be listening now. Everything else that happens this season could be complete sh*t and I wouldn’t even care – cause I got Alfonso to cheer for!!! Aaaaaaagggghhhhh
ETA #2: Heidi here with a couple updates…and we have a couple clues on Sharna’s partner. ๐
ETA #3: And Sharna’s partner is finally out of the bag.ย They must have started rehearsing just today, because as of Saturday they had yet to commence rehearsals.ย Was asked by Deep Throat not to reveal until they had actually started rehearsing – hence the silence.
Peta got Tommy Chong
Karina got Randy Couture
Sharna got Tavis Smiley
Emma got Michael Waltrip
Cheryl got Antonio Sabato Jr.
Allison got Jonathan Bennett
Witney got Alfonso Ribeiro (!!!!)
Derek got Bethany Mota
Tony got Betsey Johnson
Val got Janel Parrish
Mark got Sadie Robertson
Artem got Lea Thompson
Keo got LoLo Jones
I’m such an idiot…. I googled tommy and it didn’t hit me that it was chich and Chong
Thanks for the post Courtney! Peta got Tommy Chong?! Wow, what a stretch from Brant & James. He seems like a funny guy. I think that I’ll enjoy him. I’m curious to see how Peta will do with an older partner.
Yay I am loving that Peta got Tommy Chong. That mixes things up for her and they will be fun.
YESSS!!!!!!!!
Peta got Tommy Chong! Awesome. She may actually be more likable depending on how she comes off with him. Oh…I’m so excited because it’s totally unexpected and I just asked for Peta to get him in another post.
Thank you Sir Rob Wade for mixing it up. Made my day. ๐
Cheryl has Antonio Sabato Jr. for sure. She posted a picture on IG yesterday with the hashtag #Memphis. Which is conveniently where Antonio is working. I commented that I figured it out & she quickly reposted it minus the Memphis hashtag.
That just made me so excited. The past 4 seasons she’s had the hot young guy so it’s nice that it’s mixed up a bit.
A million thank yous
The UK series starts in 4 weeks. So we can enjoy each-other’s versions together and bridge the USA and the UK through the power of DANCE
Anyway Peta goes from Sexy Brant and James to Saggy Tommy hehehe. Now she is going to know how Emma feels
Tommy & Peta? Color me surprised and happy! I like Peta but I have always wanted to see how she would do with an older partner ๐ Hopefully they stick around for at least three or so weeks, cause I think Tommy is gonna be a hoot!
So happy Peta has Tommy. Would not have liked her to get another sexy partner. We will be spared the bump & grind dances…hopefully! ๐
Thanks for these spoilers! I’ll also keep checking in here. Now time to google Tommy Chong…
#4 Ashley, don’t be too exited bc Karina got Randy and I think it’s even worth.
@alicia – Randy? Randy who?
@Sandy-Randy Couture. He was a rumor this season.
I’m really happy about this, Peta catches so much hell for having it easy all the time and I’m really excited to see how she does with this type of partner. Hopefully they can bring the personality!
@Jocelyn – Thank you!
I wonder if Sharna is the pro paired with the “major hollywood star”.
I don’t see the point in having contestants over the age of 65 TBH. I end up feeling concerned for their health. Painful to watch.
Peta lol she is in for quite a challenge. If I am right this is her oldest partner on the show thus far…..hopefully she doesn’t just check out right out of the gate.
Sandy- You’re welcome ๐ and I hope Sharna is paired with “the major Hollywood star.” I want to see her choreograph a freestyle this time around. I think it’ll be super creative when she finally gets the chance. Of course, being famous doesn’t guarantee you’re a good dancer but you’ll ride on popularity votes for a little while.
Paula, I don’t agree. I have loved watching some of the older contestants. It’s not always about dancing, it’s about their personality, heart, charm, and journey too. George Hamilton, Jerry Springer, and Valerie Harper have been a few of my favorites.
A. I’m delighted that Tommy Chong is on !
B. I think an interesting choice for Peta – give her a chance to show a softer side ?
C. PureDWTS is the absolutely the PureBEST
@jocelyn Sharna already got her major chance last season as she was partnered with a ringer…so I don’t see why she should get the “best” partner…and is there going to be a “major hollywoodstar” anyway? of course the producers would like to have one but can they really get one on board? rumours are not that promising so far…would be a nice surprise for sure if they sign a big star!
#11 Alicia
I actually don’t mind Randy Couture with Karina. She may be great with him, maybe not. I just love something different. It’s just nice to see some of the pros who always have the same ‘type’ get something totally different. As opposed to the pros who have been around awhile and have had a broad range of celebrities. It also can be a bonus for the new pros to show some depth and diversity in their personality.
I hope there’s more surprises!!!
Who do you think has Betsey Johnson if she is indeed on this season? She will be a ton of fun and super energetic I think.
Judy, Keo hinted the other day that he had a blonde. From googling pics of most of the female stars, it seems betsey is the only one that’s blonde.
Ashley, she got a total dude last season. There is no reason to cut her stay short for another one.
@Judy – I don’t know. But in my opinion, Betsey Johnson is okay in small doses. I think she is too over the top and many viewers could tire of her quickly. The novelty will wear off.
I’m hoping Emma got Josh Murray if he’s on this season. I didn’t want him on this season originally but then I remembered he’s a baseball player. I’ve always wanted one on the show since the athletes are usually either football players if Olympians. And if a baseball player is one he might as well be on my 2nd favorite female pro (I can’t give up Karina since she’s been my fave since the 1st season I watched) right? ๐
@Mindy
I think Lolo Jones hair is blonde now & she is 5’9, so her & keo seem to make since as partners
Ugh, just when I was looking forward to Betsey Johnson. Well, this bites.
I am so excited for the season. I always like to see the spoilers. I can’t wait. I couldn’t even wait to see if I was having a boy or a girl when I was pregnant…lol. I have the just gotta know gene…lol
Cheryl and Tony couldn’t be more perfectly paired too, imo!! And I’m really looking forward to Cheryl and Antonio!!
I glad Peta got Tommyโฆgives her a different type of partner to work with. HmmmโฆI really thought Tony would have Lolo for some reason not Betsy. That only leaves so many males for her because of her height. Keo is really the best option as he’s the tallest.
I knew Cheryl would get Antionio! I think they’ll have some good dances. I think this is the first time I’ve ever predicted a correct partnership in all the seasons lol. Tony & Bestey… I like Tony but think his choreography is boring. I’ve never heard of Betsey Johnson before she was a rumor this season and all I know is that she’s an eccentric fashion designer. Meh, I’ll skip these two when watching.
Ok I am 1 for 12 on my predictions so far hahaha. I am actually very much looking forward to seeing Tony and Betsey.. she could bring out the fun and crazy side of Tony. God know he needs it.
Antonio and Cheryl scares me.. I just don’t want Cheryl to go back to the William Levy ways after having such a good run these last couple if seasons. We shall see!
@CC- I immediately was having William Levy flashbacks reading she’d be with Antionio. Honestly, I liked the two. Their salsa was ridiculous but otherwise I found them to be pretty enjoyable. I can see your point though. Cheryl really overdid the eye candy bit and I always thought that William never really wanted to go as overboard as she did. I haven’t watched then for awhile so I can’t say that for sure but that’s how I felt during the season.
Well color me surprised. I know nothing about, and don’t like, boxing and that mma stuff (all girls in my family).
I was expecting a one dimensional, meathead type. I just saw a 5 minute interview with Randy Couture and was quite taken. He is soft-spoken, intelligent and there was something very sexy about him. Not what I expected at all. I ended up watching a 45 min. documentary after that and he’s quite an interesting, thoughtful, wise and measured man.
This ought to be interesting.
I really hope Rob Wade allows for plenty of background and interview clips so we can get to know who we’re voting for. Had I not just watched what I did on Randy Couture, I would have been way off on my assumptions of this man. I am certainly not going to do background on the other celebs. I did this for Karina and it was well worth it. I think she got very lucky with Randy.
Betsy Johnson is fun and a fashion legend. More kooky but so much of the 90s looks of the baby doll dresses, I think of her. I hope she gets input on costumes because Tony dresses everyone horribly. Leah’s outfits were not flattering. Maybe she can teach tony a thing or two.
Why do people see Antonio as William Levy? Let’s hope he’s a Gilles and not William. That’s who I see Antonio being. I think it’s time for Cheryl to win her third and then walk away from DWTS. She’s been so loyal to the show.
@ Madelaine- I believe some of the criticsm is more towards Cheryl and her choreography that season than Antionio or William. That’s how I feel. I actually really liked William and like Antionio too. I just wasn’t impressed with Cheryl’s choreography for the salsa (some people seemed to feel that way the whole season) and it felt like a lot of people were overdoing the eye candy bit too. So it’s just more of an issue with Cheryl than her partners.
I think the problem with the Cheryl/William Levy partnership was the MAJOR shipping by TPTB of William Levy that season. They wanted him to win in the worst way! He seemed like a real sweetheart but the constant shirt off and shaking his groove thing got old REAL quick. So, I hope we get the Cheryl that we saw with Gilles and not the one we got with William Levy.
Peta & Tommy–that’ll be interesting. Once again, Tony gets an old lady. I hear the complaints already starting. Well for all we know, maybe Betsey ASKED for Tony???
Thanks for the spoilers Courtney…they are much appreciated. Hope you’re enjoying your vacaction….you DEFINITELY deserve it!!! I start my new job on Tuesday ๐ Onward and Upward ๐
Yay, very excited for cheryl and antonio, and I find it cool how antonio’s wife is also named cheryl!
Wow, Alfonso is actually doing it! Good for him!
@Jocelyn, I see what you’re saying and I agree. I too was annoyed especially how long William lasted during the dance marathon and him sliding on his knees across the floor. Lets hope we get the Cheryl from the last two seasons combined it with her season with Gilles than they can go far.
Finally a name I know!! So excited!
Yay!!!! Alfonso has been wanting to do this show!!!! So HAPPY…here’s my team ๐
Fans loved when Jaleel White was named and happy he had Kym….we all know he messed that up big time, but I don’t think Alfonso is anything like Jaleel.
Finally, a celeb to be excited about!
Alfonso Ribeiro! Yay!! It’s about freaking time. Witney and Alfonso will be awesome together. Okay, now I’m excited.
Hopefully Keo has LoLo.
And if he doesn’t do the Carlton dance…well, there IS NO justice! And Will Smith BETTER make an appearance in the ballroom!
Awww..I was hoping Peta would get Randy. Hasn’t Karina already had a boxer/fighter?
Funny that Karina’s dog is also called Randy!
OMgosh, Carlton?! My inner 80s child is so pumped now. I need to find a gif.
OMG Alfonso Riberio is actually doing the show! I’m afraid I’m going to wake up and it’ll be a dream lol. Now I’m excited for the season! I think he & Whit will make a really fun couple.
Just got home from work, and I feel like im repeating what everyone else said but Im glad Peta got Tommy Chong. Good chance for her. I thought he was either going to Emma or Alison just because shes the newbie.
Hearing all these rumor names I was having a hard time deciding who I think would win this season, but everyone seems really excited about Alfonso, so as of now hes my pick to go all the way.
Yay! I’m so excited that Alfonso Ribeiro will be on the show! And I’m super happy for Witney…she got a great partner! I think they will be a really fun, exciting couple to watch. I hope they make it far! ๐
I don’t know if Karina has had a boxer/fighter before but Anna Trebunskaya did.
The Fresh Prince was past my time BUT at least I know who Alfonso is! What a great partner for Witney.
Tony and betsey should be a hoot. I like when he gets a larger than life personality because he gets creative. And creative tony is good tony. Antonio and Cheryl…….hmmmm how do unsay this nicely: this could be great or it could be dull as dishwater. Maybe Cheryl can bring him far considering his tame personality. Alfonso…… Yes!!!!!!! Carlton banks is in the house! The show hasn’t started yet and I already know who i am voting for on a weekly basis lol.
I was kind of hoping Antonio would go to Karina… but I guess Cheryl makes sense as well.
Yess Alfonso yes, he’s going to do so well too, because he does have previous dance experience, praying that Witney gives him great choreo and I do believe she can do that, I can already sense them being the type of partnership we could a look of when she was with drew carey. Wouldn’t have minded seeing him with Karina or Sharna though.
Yay! Alfonso has been one of my dream contestants for many years and I love Whitney’s style -first couple I feel really excited about.
Witney is one lucky gal. Oh they have to dance to It’s not unusual.
I’m with Courtney, I’m so glad Alfonso is finally doing the show. Watching him and Whitney will be a lot of fun. I’m not that excited about the others that are doing it or rumored to be so right now this is the bright spot of the season.
Like everyone before me, I am glad that Peta finally has an older guy. I think, with the right mindset, this partnership will help her become more versatile. I am mighty glad that Alfonso is going to be on! Woohoo! Glad he got Witney as his pro. I cannot wait for the season to start!
It looks as though Emma is partnered with Andi’s fiance Josh Murray as Emma just followed Andi on Twitter.
I keep seeing a lot of things on Twitter and Tumblr that Derek is partnered with Bethany Mota but haven’t seen anything factual to back it up. Has anyone heard anything factual on this or is it just fan casting? I’ve seen quite a few things on it where people are flipping out about Derek getting her over Val which just confused me since I hadn’t seen anything for certain on who Derek’s partner is.
Holy Alfonso! :O Now this is getting exciting! Witney sure got lucky. I don’t know if he’ll be a great dancer or not but he is very loved, and well known (considering the cast this season..) . I am excited to see what he is capable of doing!
@Michelle I think part of it is pure speculation but DWTSGossip said something about Derek’s partner living in LA and since Bethany lives in LA… I mean it seems plausible and it’s whom I think Derek got. Guess we’ll have to wait and see ๐
Or you could check PureDerekHough for Derek’s partner. ๐
I think it’s refreshing for Peta to get an older partner (considering her last two showmances made me roll my eyes)
and yessss! at Derrick getting Bethany! I actually watch her videos (yes, I still somewhat fit in that age group) and I feel like their personalities would definitely match. She is very down to earth but very quirky so I think it would be a great pairing!
and um… Alfonso Ribeiro?!!! What?! SO AWESOME! I hope they incorporate the “Carlton” in one of their dances!
PH #65 Made me laugh. I wondered if one of of you would say something. You never disappoint.
Can we PLEASE get a Samba to ‘It’s Not Unusual’ for Most Memorable Year Week , complete with the Carlton dance and Will Smith in the audience? ๐
I have a feeling Emma’s partner is Todd Chrisley (ugghhh, I hate myself just for thinking it). Explains why Emma is in ATL, the “ya’ll tweet” and mainly the build and light hair of the guy who was in the car with her.
@Paula
Actually Karina’s dog is named after Randy Couture, She and her family are HUGE fans of Randy and UFC
Emma having Josh? To me the physique and skin color of the guy in her car looks nothing like Josh. Josh was so thick across his upper torso that he could barely walk upright, let alone dance. This guy looks completely different.
I think Sadie is a fan of bachelor/ette. She also follows Sean Lowe and Catherine. But for Andi to follow Emma? now that doesn’t sound random. Someone also mentioned Amy Purdy is following Bethany Mota and I know Amy always follow everything Derek ๐
Anyway, I’m so excited for this season. I don’t know most of them but I think it’s going to an interesting and fun season to watch.
Interesting that Derek is going from someone like Amy Purdy to a teenage beauty guru! I’m sure he’ll make it work, he’s had a diverse group of partners over the years and he always seems to make it work.
I like Bethany, but I’m nervous about her fans. Youtubers are notorious for having some intense fans, and people on tumblr are already complaining about Bethany’s “psycho” fans. That seems to be an issue with the younger celebrities sometimes. I hope that they aren’t as intense as some of Zendaya’s fans.
I hope this season is not going to be a twitter contest love fest. It’s so annoying and unfair to the other seasoned contestants that may not have the fanbase associated with that.
Does anyone else get the feeling that the huge television star that TMZ referred to could be John Stamos? And he’s Paired with Sharna.
I saw Alfonso Ribiero on Broadway years ago when he was in a show called The Tap Dance Kid. Amazing dancer as a child. He will definitely be the one to beat this season!
Yay 4 for 12! Hahaha. Wow, these are some good pairings! But I gotta admit, kinda bummed Emma didn’t get someome like Jonathan Bennett or Antonio Sabato. At least Michael Waltrip isn’t as old as Billy Dee Williams. And at least Emma didn’t get stuck with the oldest one, Tommy Chong.
Bethany & Derek I am excited about! Can’t wait to see those two kill it out there. I think some people are gonna end up really loving Bethany even if she might not be some television superstar.
Allison & Jonathan is my second favorite pairing. I just have a feeling that they’ll be the dark horse this season..
I am also excited for Lolo and Keo! Just hoping Lolo can move! Haha.
And tbh, Janel and Val don’t excite me that much. I have a feeling she’ll be great but I just won’t feel connected to them. Buuut we’ll see.
Randy and Karina could be fun, too. Hopefully we get some more Karina this season… I didn’t realize hoe much I missed Karina’s dancing last season being that she was gome by week 2.
I’m just gonna guess now that Mark got Sadie Robertson and Artem got Lea Thompsom and Sharna got… well.. I have no clue! :O
As it stands now my favorites are Alfonso and Witney and Keo and LoLo. The rest don’t interest me at all.
Witney says her partner is killing it in rehearsals. I am over the moon excited about this pairing.
I’m an Irish viewer that has been reading this site for about two years now…
Guys is anyone so SO disappointed that Emma didn’t get someone younger? Going off the last two seasons I suppose 50 isn’t that old judging by her parters.. But I was DYING for her to get someone young like Jonathan..
Delighted for Allison though, HUGE fan of hers from SYTYCD.. anyone else watch So You Think? From what I’ve read on previous posts people don’t have a huge knowledge of her, but she is unbelievably talented and with someone as young and fit as Jonathan combined with her talent I’m gonna say a definite contender, first time around or not!
Emma…got a Nascar driver. Nascar fans vote. Mike Waltrip is a very popular Nascar driver.
Emma’s happy, I’m happy.
Riot on!
Bethany fans are young. Unlike Maks and Val and some of their fans who are older and should know better.
Val gets another young one who can dance and big twitter following. Shocker. Where is the Val gets the best partner talk? With his celebs, Val is underperforming with his record and no wins.
Youtube stars are watched than tv stars in that key demo so Bethany is a good choice if they venture there. No different than a reality star IMO. Also bethany was bullied as a kid and motivating her fans which I think matches up with Derek and his aims too.
This makes me wonder who the last three are…… I have a feeling Mark got Sadie Robertson but Sharna and Artem are a toss up. I really hope it’s not the stupid bachelorette couple….. I couldn’t give a bigger crap about those two
Was TMZ actually saying there was going to be a huge TV star, or were they snarking on the fact that there is a complete lack of tv stars?
Emma with Michael Waltrip. I’m not a race fan so didn’t know who he was, so looked him up only to find he is 6′ 5″ and 210 pounds. Emma will disappear!
Alfonso is definitely one to watch out for. There are lots of Fresh Prince of BelAir fans out there, including me ๐ I hope Will Smith shows up for support. But we can’t underestimate others such as Sadie, Britney, Antonio, Janel maybe even Betsey or Michael Waltrip. They have solid fanbase. It will be an interesting season.
One more thing since MnM fans are campaigning for those two to make a dancing appearance. I hope Rob Wade is listening: no more MnM! Their time is finished. The fans can always YouTube their dances. It’s time to move on. MnM are old news.
#78 Eabha I’m totally with you. When Antonio Sabato’s name was floating around I was hoping Emma would get him. I still think she would be a better match than Cheryl. We’ve seen Cheryl and her hunks. We’ve not seen Emma with a hunk and I think she’s due.
If you want to see a little dance by Allison and Derek try YouTube, 2013 Emmy, choreographer’s performance. She was also nominated that year with Derek for “Heart Cry” from DWTS, which, if you haven’t seen it, try YouTube. I’m excited to see what she can do as a pro.
Good lord. The little psychopaths need to let it go. MnM is so last season. You don’t see Derek and Amy fans campaigning and their dances got an Emmy nomination.
The lineup looks good ๐ #Excited to watch Antionio-Cheryl. Antionio is defiantly one of the most hottest they ever had .. Dunno about Bethany Mota, but i hope she is good and can match upto Derek.
Val as always got the best and the most popular one. But really don’t care about him much. Tony also, as always got the worst one. Just googled Betsey, and she looks like a drag ghost ๐ Hell, they can never give Tony a good one.
Also looking forward to Witney-Alfonso. FINALLY, Peta got an old-non sexy partner who she can’t make her toyboy ๐
I hope Mark gets Sadie and Artem gets Lea. I have a feeling Sharna will get Josh Murray?
Oh, well I don’t know much about Nascar, being across the pond, should’ve done my research! Regardless of the fan base I still would’ve liked someone younger you know? I loooved Bill Engvall don’t get me wrong, but I don’t like how the producers tend to stick the pros in the same kind of partnerships – anyone agree?
(Eg. Peta: Gilles/Brant/James sexy weird showmance thing [which she clearly Loves…]
Val: given a lot of type A girls – Liz/Danica
Tony: a lot of mouthy characters..
Emma: Older guys
etc etc – I enjoy some of them but I find the same kind of partnerships leads to comparisons and different competitors blending into one [James/Brant anyone?]
PS I love watching Vals choreo I think he is super super talented the stuff he did with Zendaya was unreal – not to bash Kelly and Derek I felt either one of those couples could’ve deservingly one and I cannot stand the stupid viciousness of some internet viewers. But I Definitely see what people say about him given ringers (I hate the word at this point of the series. This thing used to bother me about maybe the Meryls and Charlies “unfair advantage” kind of thing, but not anymore. The show NEEDS that kind of talent to pull viewers. I love my Bill’s and Drew Carey’s – but you need a balance.
But he has been given Zendaya, Liz and Danica consecutively so I do wish the Chmerkovisky fans wouldn’t bitch about him not winning when he’s had opportunity..
I hope that Artems partner will do well he is fantastic, I’m wondering if anyone has watched the dances he did with his partner he won the British version with? Definitely worth the look.
And finally, to avoid numerous posts – on the whole YouTube star thing:
It’s been a few years now really since they’ve had an across the board very famous/recognisable cast. But I think thats no longer the point. I for instance didn’t know many of the competitors on last season but it doesn’t really matter how famous they are – I think as long as they are relatable and charming they still have a very watchable show…? Although I feel like they shouldn’t take on lower than 19 as I feel like ages can be very restricting..
I agree, I think when TMZ said “a major Hollywood star” they were making a joke about the lackluster of actual stars in the cast. I don’t think they meant they know a a big star that isn’t revealed yet.
I just finished watching a video clip of The Graham Norton Show from 2013 with guests Will and Jaden Smith and the onstage surprise guest appearance of Alfonso Ribeiro performing 2 Fresh Prince dances… Awesome!! A definite must see.
Josh Murray? Who the heck cares about him? Besides it’s football season I doubt if he or his family will pull themselves away from brother Aaron’s big spotlight.
I only watched bits and pieces of the bachette series and neither Josh nor Andi have any star quality whatsoever. I don’t get it.
I don’t know, with the exception of Peta, Cheryl and Whitney’s (yeah Alfonso!) partners I’m not excited about the cast at all. I don’t consider myself old and out of touch, but I had to google the rest to see who they were. I will be interested to see how they do though.
Love Alfonso and wanted him on the show for years. Witney is lucky with this pairing. He is a good one. His appeal is across different ages and demographics, broad appeal. With nostalgia, he will go far. He has to do the Carlton.
Rob, can we get a Derek and ?Alfonso tap routine just for the fans?
Tony fans who complain he gets bad ones, well why not say Val instead of Derek getting the good ones. Val’s only partner with no dance background was Elisabetta. Depending on who Mark’s partner is, I would be annoyed if I was Mark that Val got one of the shorter celebs this season who also happens to be a popular one and can dance.
I’m soo happy about bethany with derek !!! and a saw a video of her saying that she was a hip hop and jazz competitive dancer so I’m so excited ๐
Who’s surprised about Janel & Val?
No one.
@dwtsfan19
I don’t think Janel is the most popular at all. I think of all the names, that hands down goes to Alfonso.
After that, i would say that Bethany & sadie are more popular than her too. Heck, janel isnt even top5 most popular on her own show.
Im excited for alfonso, bethany, lolo & janel
Who was Val supposed to get? I dont really understand the complaining. Who should he have been paired with because I really dont think anyone else fits.
I think Artem and Lea Thompson would be an interesting pair…. but it still makes me wonder who Sharna is going to get. UGH – I dont want the freaking Bachelorette couple.
I dont think there are huge stars on this cast, but I still think it’s pretty solid and really diverse. I think it’s hysterical that 1) Karina loves wrestling, and 2) she got the wrestler who her dog is named after. She’s so hot, yet she’s such a dork! lol.
they really want val to win a shiny ball don’t they lol however I think a male celeb will win, i want witney and Alfonso to win :)but i do think keo and lolo will look stunning together and keo is a wonderful dancer so im intrigued by them. If artem has lea that could be interesting she is a trained ballet dancer because a lot of artems choreography has ballet styling in it ๐
They seem to always give the conservative women to Mark – Bristol, Candace, and now Sadie.
Thanks for the spoilers. Very interesting and diverse cast.
@Megan I think the “complaining” is more about the fact that people are always saying “Derek gets all the good partners” and then Val gets Zendaya, Elizabeth, Danica and Janel in a row. All four with dance training (Janel’s resume says she was trained in hip-hop, jazz, tap ballet and broadway dancing, just in case). And actually, I could have very well seen Val with Betsey Johnson. In fact, if both of them make it until the switch up, i hope they are put together. I could also very well see Val with Bethany and even Sadie.
I had forgotten than Lea was a ballet dancer (was feeling bad for Artem for a bit). I think those two could be pretty good together.
Holy Crap! Alfonso Ribeiro?! Dream come true for me! He did musical theater as a kid and danced in one of Michael Jackson’s Pepsi commercials in 1985 I think. He’s definitely got the moves, plus a huge nostalgic fanbase (myself included!) and I think he’s a lock for the finale. Witney hit the jackpot! They’ll be such a fun couple! I’m hoping for Most Memorable Year they do the jive to It’s Not Unusual. And that Will Smith shows up in the audience too ๐
When Will was on the Graham Norton Show with his son and Alfonso came out to do the Carlton dance, that was golden! I I agree, I recommend anyone watch it ๐
I know some are upset Val got the partner with the biggest twitter following again, but I’m not so certain that guarantees anything. Even with his 6 million followers, Cody made it to week 5. I think Janel might struggle to gain fans in the show’s demographic throughout the season. I predict a week 8 finish.That’s how far the Pretty Little Liars fanbase took Brant and Val went that far last season anyway.
Janel likely isn’t massive ringer though, (I know she did local theater in Hawaii, but idk how much dance experience that amounts to.) so that’s a bit different for Val.
Michael Waltrip! I’m excited.
I can’t wait for the season to start. I’m most excited to see Karina/Randy then Witney/Alfonso, Lolo/Keo and Michael/Emma. Oh and Tommy Chong. I wonder if Cheech will drop him off to meet Peta in the van? Ha! I love this eclectic mix this season. I’m so in. ๐
I hope Sharna gets someone good, dance-wise and personality-wise.
I think all the girls this year save for Betsey are pretty even keeled
Bethany: young, dance training, good following
Janel: young, dance training, good following
Sadie: young, dance training, good following
Lea: older, the MOST dance training, decent following
Lolo: young, Olympic athlete, good following
I don’t mind when people complain that val gets good partners. They are right. He has, that’s a fact that I don’t think val or any of his fans would dispute. They have a right in maybe wanting to see him with an older lady or another partner with zero experience.But there is a difference between the good and people exaggerating that he always gets ‘the best and most popular partners’. Name one season outside of zendayas where he got ‘the best and most popular partner’ …
They are complaining Derek gets all the “good” partners because Derek can get a GOOD partner and make them GREAT and win occasionally. Maks had a freak out last season because he knew he had a ringer in Meryl and that she could win but he also knew he was not at the Derek level of choreography. We all saw Val & Meryl’s A.Tango….it blew away ANY dance Maks choreographed. Perhaps the one of other dancers That Paul Kirkland was talking about (when he said Sharna choreographed other dancer’s routines) was Maks. They did spend a lot of travel time together during the show.
I am loving the thought of Witney & Alfonso, Derek & Bethany and Allison & Jonathan.
Oops, I stand corrected about Janel. I didn’t know that her dance resume was that diverse :O I guess same old same old with Val. I like Val a lot so I do hand wave some stuff, but this is 4 ringers in a row & he’s only been around 7 seasons. Forget the comparison to Derek, no one has lucked out as much. But as chelle said, the stars were only perfectly aligned for Val with Zendaya: she had both the most dance training and the hugest fan base. So yea, I think exaggeration is in play here. But I think Janel comes close to the stars aligning again.
Aside from that, I actually think height-wise it would make more sense for Mark to get Janel and Val to get Sadie. Oh well, there’s always switch up week.
Alfonso & Witney are my top picks, but I’m looking forward to LoLo & Keo. They’ll be a good looking statuesque pair.
Betsey and Tony will be hilarious, so I can dig it.
Antonio & Cheryl- I’m hoping she can work him into a Gilles or a Cristian. She hasn’t had a hot guy in a while, since Peta became pro. Before, either she or Karina got the hotties.
I think Bethany and Derek will be really cute. I’m kind of surprised because he’s never had a partner so young before.
103 chelle – I have to agree…. Val is my favorite pro but I’m not about to dispute the talent of his partners. Maybe the crazies would dispute that but I’m not crazy and I’m not going to be thrown in that group. I’m up for whatever when it comes to talent but looking at this list…. Those girls are pretty evenly match with the exception of Betsey. I’ve always thought that tony (and possibly mark) gets thrown the worst partners. I mean come on, tony got freaking Kate gosselin one year…. That’s about as low as it gets.
Wasn’t Sharna supposed to have Bruce Jenner last season before he dropped out at the last minute due to a scheduling conflict and they did a 3-way switch with Peta, Karina and Sharna?
I can guarantee VAL will win this season. This is Val’s season to win, just like last season fans yelled ”it’s Maks turn” and he won. This season Val will win with Janel. Maks fans+Val fans+Janel fans+Derek haters =Val winner. Remember my comment ๐
I’m so happy witney has Carlton. I’ve always wanted him on the show. And being a PLL fan and Val fan, I’m happy they’re paired together as well. I’m satisfied with both of those pairings. Lol
HIGHLY disagree, DWTS19Fan. I think Alfonso is gonna give Janel a run for her money – and ultimately win. Val is not “owed” a win this season; and not everyone was of the opinion that it was “Maks’ turn” last season.
Only 3 pros left, wow that was fast. Happy for Keo and Whitney! No idea who Sharna will get. Curious about the last 2 males Artem and Mark. The only females left are Lea and Sadie, the most obvious choice would be Sadie/Mark and Lea/Artem, but maybe due to height they will be switched, don’t think they will give Mark the second tallest female (Sadie). I hope I’m wrong, I think Sadie is the best partner for him and Lea/Artem will be an interesting pair.
[quote] Maks fans+Val fans+Janel fans+Derek haters =Val winner. [/quote]
But Maks’ fans claim they are no longer watching, because Jules “stole” his gig? Yeah, didn’t believe it either ๐
Oh good Lord….
Yeah I am going to have to disagree with you also dwtsfan19.
I think the hands down front runner for the trophy is Alfonso. After that I would place my darkhorse bet on Bethany. Have u seen her twitter feed ? These arent Cody’s fans that mindlessly shout follow me follow me, her fans are Engaged. I was a Val + Zendaya fan, and I would argue to say that Bethany’s fans seem even more hardcore. If she dances well (which she will), I think she could be serious competition with alfonso
Loved Alfonso is in, and loved more the fact he’s with Witney!!! Man, that’s amazing news!!!
And hopefully Artem will get Lea… New pros with good stars! That’s what I wanted for life! ahahahahahaha
I was a little disapointed on the way things were going to be painted, but I’m so hungry for this season right now!
I want new pro faces in the finals, ppl, c’mon! =]
LOL to #108 DWTS19Fan. So you agreed that last season MBT was basically given to Maks because his cray cray fans yelled ” it’s Maks turn”? What I’ve been witnessing everywhere are Derek’s haters spreading their vile hates toward Derek. On every articles, every twitter, Facebook, even ABC forum. Geez, give it a rest.
My only Alfonso worry is that he recently did a UK reality show and came across as having a bit of a short fuse. Overall he seemed really fun but occasionally he could snap.
I’m sure it won’t be much of a problem because I agree, he will probably be a fantastic dancer, and right now he’s one of my favourites in the cast. I just hope he doesn’t have a Jaleel White moment which loses it for him, because I predicted he’d win back in Season 14.
Saying that, he’s got Witney…and I don’t think he’s gonna snap at her. I think they’ll work together great!
Waltrip?! I’m super psyched over that one. Such a chill cool guy. My guess Artem and Lea (also I highly expect a Back to the Future themed cha cha to “The Power of Love”). Mark and Sharna are left…..naturally two of my favs lol. That spoilers cannot come soon enough ๐
#116: the most cray cray Maks fans are the ones who keep vowing to swear off this season because their man isn’t the fourth judge yet spend so much of their time discussing how terrible DWTS is. Thank goodness the Voice will take them out of their misery. I bet there will be a lot of “peeking” and, of course, once their man tolls the bell they’ll heir nights voting for little bro.
This season is going to be a tough season ratings wise, but I like how there is no massive ringer and they are including a little something for everyone. I’m looking forward to seeing them all so far.
Janel & Val is a good pairing. I figured they would be together. I love race car driving so I’m happy enough with Michael & Emma. I don’t know much about Randy Couture. I don’t know Jonathan either. LoLo & Keo is a good pairing. I figured that one too. I’ll be rooting for Janel, Alfonso and Bethany. Derek will be good for her if they are together.
No no Maks’s fans are going to watch The Voice but vote for Val. Between them, Val’s fans and Zendaya’s fans they can take him all the way to the mirrorball! Even though Val and Zendaya’s fans couldn’t even get them to the mirrorball and Maks’s fans couldn’t get him there without a huge assist from the show itself.
It’s really sad that a veteran like Tony never gets a good partner, but Val does. Tony is a phenomenal pro, only if they ever let him show his talent. He got the most patheticest partners ever -Kate, NeNe, Wynonna, Wendy etc. Once he got a good one, Mellisa, he won with her.
But Val got so many ringers, yet he never could win with ’em, clearly shows what he’s capable of.
Pretty sure Tony has had his share of good partners – Stacy Kiebler, Sara Evans, Jane Seymour, Audrina Patridge and Chynna Phillips come to mind. Seems to me the producers are letting his talent shine. I guess the problem is in me, I’m just not able to see its light all the way here in Europe ๐
Very happy and delightfully surprised that this is most of this seasons line-up. I’m estatic about Tommy Chong and I may be slightly biased here, I was somewhat hoping Sharna would get Antonio, but I’m assuming her partner must be worth keeping a secret until the 4th. A part of me is semi-hoping it’s Will Smith, so the new PTB could have a fun rivalary between Will & Alfonso.
Great post as always, but the question I’m having is who are Mark and Artem’s partner’s. It seems locigal that it would be Lea and Sadie because they would match up with them Mark/Lea and Artem/Sadie. Part of me thinks their doubling up on reality stars with Betsey and Sadie (if she’s on the show) yet a smaller little thought I had was Sadie isn’t involved this season. We don’t have anyone in the singer/songwriter category just yet. I hope it’s Jesse James Decker or Shania Twain, but then again Sharna’s partner could be filling that bill… if that’s the case I’d be elated if her partner was Will Smith as I said above.
Can’t wait for the 4th!!! ๐
Well dwtsgossip is confirming Mark has Sadie.
And they say Sharna’s partner is NOT on the rumored list! It better be good. If it were John Stamos or anyone of that kind, I’ll be thrilled. Can’t wait to find out!
Sorry for posting twice in a row, but wouldn’t it be interesting if another “Full House” star was on this season as this alleged “famous tv star” that hasn’t been named yet? Lol, just a fun thought. It would be a good way to really promote this “Full House” revival.
When people say Lea is a “trained ballet dancer” are they being serious or ridiculous? Because taking ballet as a child doesn’t exactly make one Misty Copeland. So, which is it?
Spare me,DWTS19Fan. Val has had how many ringers in a row and couldn’t close the deal? He’s still got a ringer, but she is a lower level, less popular ringer than his previous ones and he’s going against some big talent in Alfonso (to name just one).
Chelle, Val has had the most ringers vs number of seasons of any other pro on the show. That is, people with actual dance experience. He’s almost had more actual ringers than Derek or Maks, both of whom have been on the show more than twice as long. I haven’t looked at my chart recently, but he may have passed Derek. Maks was number 1, and he may still be.
That is what people are complaining about – nothing to do with popularity, although that’s a convenient twist to the argument. Fact is, a ringer
5 ringers for Val, since Sherri trained at DWM well before the season started.
Lea’s age is listed as 53 years old. At this point childhood training is almost nonexistent.
But Kelly wouldn’t count as a ringer, right? Because everyone that season was, really.
I still counted her Jen, because I did count everyone as a ringer to some degree that season. But you can’t argue that Val wasn’t blessed with a great ringer that season, because he wasn’t with Bristol or Kirstie, was he.
Tony has had good partners in his day. Just look him up on wiki.
Why would they waste great partners on him when his choreo isn’t that great? I wouldn’t call any of his dances with Melissa spectacular, especially when compared to other pros with similar partners.
Yeah, Sandy, that’s why I was asking. I’m updating my ringer post and I won’t make her a huge ringer at 53, any more than I did Jen Grey.
#127 — Heidi, Kristyn tweeted Lea’s dance resume yesterday or the day before, and it’s pretty impressive. She’s not a “I had ballet lessons as a kid and that’s it” contestant. Lemme see if I can find it —
Here it is:
https://twitter.com/KristynBurtt/status/505114439973343232/photo/1
Totally agree, Val could have done worse for sure. Although at the same time, Kelly had learnt the least routines of the cast from their first season and was from 7 years ago.
Do we know if Janel has any experience?
Shirley even said that all star season Tony should up his choreo for her. Shawn improved vastly from her season to all star. Melissa still danced the same and still lackluster on Latin dances.
Val getting Janel is surprising. Who else could get Janel? Well height wise Mark. Especially if Mark gets Sadie since she is taller than Janel and Val is taller than Mark. People say let’s see Derek tested when he really has been given many different types. I would like to see Val truly teach someone not formerly trained.
Someone elsewhere mentioned Val finally getting someone in his decade. Oh, poor Val. Only took Derek to the all stars season to get that. People forget until Shawn all of Derek’s partners were older than him.
I agree PHeidi, Tony has had some good ones. Can you imagine the difference in the dancing if Derek would have been Melissa’s pro partner. But, Derek had Shawn and they together were fantastic that all star season!!!
Funny that u mention misty Copeland, Lea is ‘I have danced for the american ballet theatre’ ringer. Kristyn burtt has a post about leas training, and it is extensive.
I’m not sure of your argument. I have acknowledged that Val has had a lot of ringers and that people had a right to complain about that. I was responding to a particular set of people who were complaining that he always gets ‘ the best and most popular’, using their words to state that that simply isn’t true.
Also as the seasons have progressed their have gradually been more & more ringers to be had. Dwts has gone from seasons where 1 or 2 people with dance experience was an outrage, to now where its not uncommon for half of the cast to have some kind of dance experience, especially the females. Val, being a newer pro, has certainly benefitted from that trend. Artem too, look at him, if rumors are true, first season in and gets the most experienced star.
Jannel has a TON of experience according to several ppl on here. I haven’t researched her yet.
Yep, I would agree that puts her well into ringer territory.
Mark has Sadie…….well that’s going to be amusing or just awkaward. She kinda reminds me of Bristol in the personality department.
Sidenote, I was thinking about it today and how cool would it be if they got Julianne to dance with the pros and cast in the opener performance. I feel like she would go for it.
I like Mark and Sadie, I wouldn’t compare her to Bristol at all. Bristol had an attitude of I don’t want to do anything. I don’t get that impression with Saide, she does all kinds of different things on DD. While she may be more conservative I don’t think she’ll be negative.
Ahhh! I am so waiting to find out who Sharna’s partner is! I hope is someone who can dance at least half as good as Charlie. Basically, someone who isn’t that much of a step back for Sharna.
I feel like, regardless of the Duck Dynasty fans, Mark and Sadie are probably only gonna make it half way to the show. Same goes for Lea and Artem.
I didn’t read your post that way, chelle, and it still sounds like you are trying to excuse Val’s partners. When I post my ringer update, I think you’ll see that your “everyone has benefitted” argument doesn’t hold water. Derek, for one, has had two ringers in the last Five seasons – one of which was all star season where everyone actually did have a ringer of one sort or another. Val, by contrast, is pretty much 5 for 5 those seasons.
Is this a good cast though? Maybe Sharna has someone young from the pop world. It is an older cast on the male side so maybe she has a younger celeb.
Chelsie, yes there is a trend of more stars with experience. But even with that Val has gotten the more ringerish ones of the bunch. Elizabeth on a season with Christina and Amber. Danica was second ringer after Meryl. Zendaya got her own genre on that season. I mean Danica who had the nostalgia and dance experience when Derek who gets ringer backlash when his partner was Joanna or Lil Kim still got more criticism and ringer talk when he had Amy. Val has gotten it easy in that department and most just say it is crazy Derek fans. No, just using the same criticism thrown at Derek. Objectively look at it against Val.
Janel has jazz, hip hop, ballet, etc. She is pretty crossed trained ringer.
If the familia called Jennifer Grey a ringer, their boy Artem got a bigger ringer than Jennifer. And his first season too.
Ooh I just realized who Lea Thompson is. I love her! Artem got a good one. I know a lot of people don’t like Sadie but I’m willing to give her a chance.
Exactly, Melissa – it’s the criticism that gets lobed at Derek EVERY season, yet When it’s clear that Val has had it far better no one says a word. Bunch a hypocrites.
I like ringers on the show. What I don’t like is the double standard employed by certain fan groups.
Oh Heidi I hope that smiley next to your little update snipit on Sharna means we’re getting a good surprise. The suspense is killing me. ๐
Well no need to watch GMA now on 9/4 since we have the pairings ๐ Might as just mail the mirror ball to Alfonso since every one already has him picked to win :)………LOL………….
Gonna root for Derek and Beth ๐ it’s gonna be interesting to see how is he gonna deal with a teenager ๐ he is gonna make her shine, no doubt about it ๐ I’m excited for this season ๐
Thank you so much ladies for spoiling us, I really appreciated it!
Youngest male so far is Jonathan at 33 – surely Sharna should get someone under 30?
I am overjoyed to see Keo,Alison and Artem got good partners! But I’m Team Bethanny & Derek and Betsey & Tony
According to my Mom, I actually have a Bestey Johnson purse. I never realized that.
I swear every season we have the same conversation of people saying Val doesn’t have ringers and Derrick always does ha.
But tbh, besides Val’s first season, he has had a ringer or a partner with extreme potential every season. Just because they can dance and are considered a winner does not mean they are 100% going to win. It’s the votes that count (ex: Zendaya and Val)
Younger isn’t always better. Experience and personality can count for a lot more.
Not that Sharna would have John Stamos or that he would ever do this show but if he did, I don’t know who would be saying ‘oh he’s 51 and over the hill’.
He’s hot and a huge name and catch. Rob Lowe is 50 etc. I’ll take these men any day of the week and twice on Sunday over some newbie beginning man.
Oh, I totally agree. It’s just it would be a bit strange to have three women under 30 and no men- I’m just taking a guess.
Its the product of the time & the ringer. I consider Nicole the opener of the ringer floodgates because she had to bare the brunt of so much unnecessary criticism. If u look at Val’s partners.
1) elisabetta – no backlash because she isn’t a ringer
2) Sherri – if considering a month of cha cha lessons or so before the season a ringer. She received very little backlash. Why? Because there were bigger ringers on in hip hop dancer roshon & Katherine ‘probably trained in everything’ Jenkins
3) Kelly – if we are considering everyone that season a ringer. No backlash why? Because even then Shawn, Melissa, and even joey ‘nysnc’ fatone were bigger dance ringers
4) zendaya – biggest ringer of the season, and got plenty of backlash
5) elizabeth – ringer and got some backlash, not much though because amber, Christina, Corbin were also ringers with Corbin being the most heavily trained of the bunch
6) Danica – dance ringer second only to charlie & meryl and massively overshadowed.
See, I don’t think its being hypocrital towards val, and i think most people recognize he has had some great partners. But the biggest ringers usually & unfortunately bare the brunt of the criticism, and outside of zendaya, val really hasnt had them.
I just hope whoever he is that it’s a big name or something great. To have Sharna’s partner be the only one we don’t know yet just makes you want something extra special. Of course she was announced late. Oh the anxiety of waiting. I hope it’s worth it.
We’re not sure yet, Nico. It should be good, but we’ll see
Chelle, Amber was NOT a ringer and Danica had previous ballroom experience. You can’t deny that 5 out of 6 (and now 6 out of 7) of Val’s partners have been massive ringers. Appalling favoritism.
Nice tap dance, chelle. BS. Not everyone is as discerning as you claim to be. You don’t see all the posts where someone says “Val needs to get a great partner for a change, instead of Derek.
You keep avoiding the point or excusing or explaining away Val’s partners.
Gasp……a couple of clues on Sharna’s partner!!
Oh gosh what are they? Do we get hints or an ETA?
Serenity now….serenity now……oh please don’t be a dud. :/
I *might* call Amber a mini-ringer (barely)…but she doesn’t come close to Elizabeth who was, in fact, the biggest ringer that season. Very highly trained in tap (video to Prove it), whereas I don’t think Amber did much actual dancing on Glee. Corbin was secondary to Liz, from what I recall. Liz suffered from wanting it too badly…but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t the biggest ringer.
Chelae, you seem to try to explain why Val isn’t getting the ringer backlash but actually more like people just look for any excuse not to 1) give Derek credit and 2) admit their faves got just as good if not better celebs but didn’t get the same result. Bias and excuse making.
I’m not trying to excuse anything about val partners, they have been great and most with some degree of ringerdom. I was trying to explain why there has been so called ‘very little’ backlash for val & his partners.
Elizabeth took a 20yr break from dancing before starting up again a few yrs before the show, so I would still consider Corbin the numero uno that season. But we can agree to disagree.
@ Melissa
I feel like this has turned into something else so I’m gonna end my remarks here:
1) i have no problem giving Derek credit for anything. His 5 wins speak for itself, he is an amazing choreographer & does great work for his partners
2) I’m not making an excuse for any of Val’s results and especially not compared to dereks
#162 Chelle, the first ringers I remember anyone making a big thing out of were Kristi Yamaguchi and Mya, not Nicole. But that doesn’t negate the fact Val has had quite a number of them. Same with Maks. For all the crying his fans do about him never getting good partners (I mean, seriously, some of them have said Meryl was his first and only good partner) he had Mel, Erin and Brandy, all of who were just as capable of winning as Amber or Kellie. And we have no idea how good Misty might have been if she hadn’t gotten hurt.
Aha I think I finally figured out with the root of this conversation is about? Not Val vs Derek, but rather why doesn’t EVERYBODY ELSE get the criticism that Derek does?
The answer: because he wins so much. People are sore losers, its stupid, they dont like to see the same people win all the time. Why do u think they’re were so many people rooting against the heat? i personally think you should keep winning until u cant win anymore.
So with every derek win all of his partners become magnified.instead of ur number 1s being like ur nicoles, jennifers, and ur shawns, all of his partners start looking like number ones. I bet if val wins a couple times in a row, people will look back and be like damn that sherri sheppard was the beat contestant her season, he always gets number 1s.
So i think i should maybe take this start of some val criticism as a hopeful sign of good things to come
^^^^^^^^^ this right here
I really hope Michael Waltrip ends up being at least halfway decent, because if anyone, as far as i’m concerned, has paid their dues and deserves a good partner, it’s Emma.
I agree # Rachel Plows. I think Emma deserved Alfonso before Witney.
Wow, since I was on you guys revealed a lot of spoilers! I’m so excited to see who Sharna has! Now time to google everyone in the cast that we know of so far and comment again in about 20 minutes with my opinion on them (thanks, generational gap!).
Wikipedia has Michael Sam (the football player who recently came out) listed with Sharna. I know it’s a “big get” in that it’s a big story in the news but I was really hoping for a “big name celebrity” like a John Stamos or the like. Now I know not to trust Wikipedia but still makes you wonder…
Never mind Val this year. Witney’s partner is the biggest ringer ever. Kristyn Burtt said check out yt video 1984 Tony awards tap dance kids. I assume he is the featured young dancer midway through. A long time ago but that dude can dance!
Oh wow. Was kinda hoping it’d be Sam Smith because Sharna’s been posting a few things on twitter about him and his hit ‘Stay with Me’ made me wonder if maybe he was a last minute get. I could see it, but still want to wait until Thursday.
@Nico: She could just be talking about the song because she, Charlie, Candace and Mark all danced to it in the Spring.
How tall is Emma? Witney looks shorter to me and Alfonso is more stocky and not as tall. I agree love Alfonso and Witnye is not my fave and would rather see him with Emma but maybe height was a factor.
Chelle hit the nail on the head. Anyone who is partnered with derek is a ringer because he can make anyone a ringer.. I remember for season 18 everyone was all “oh what’s derek gonna do now” or “well this just isn’t his season” I mean give the man a broom and he will make it dance. I think that everyone on the show is talented and we shouldn’t be negative about val and ringers but just let the season play out and may the best dancer win. Having said that can’t wait to see Derek and Beth! ๐
Melissa #92: a quote directly from Witney’s DWTS bio: “Being trained in many different dance styles including Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Lyrical, [b]Tap[/b], Latin and Standard Ballroom, she has competed and performed all over the world.” WITNEY CAN TAP! So we could see some tap this season.
Joanna #117: Remember that reality TV can present people differently than they are in real life. As other people have said, Maks is different in person than on TV.
PH #135, can you post a link to your ringer post once you’ve finished updating it?
Carrie #176: Not to insult you, but I get a bit annoyed when someone uses the word “deserved” in the context that you just used it. I personally think that the two both deserve him equally – both have put in a lot of hard work to get on the show in the first place, and both put in a lot of work in their previous season(s) as pro. Has Emma maybe earned Alfonso more? Possibly. But keep in mind that the producers have to keep personalities in mind, and maybe they thought Emma would be more compatible with Michael and/or that Witney would be more compatible with Alfonso. I’m sorry about this rant, but the word “deserved” bothers me sometimes.
@Tony: I know, but it was just a pipe dream. Lol
Okay, I don’t usually get in the guessing game and I’m not exactly sure who it is, but I think Sharna has a partner that is based in Atlanta and is maybe a hip hop singer or something. Now it’s just a guess, I wish I knew which artists were based out of there. lol
Thinking about this Derek vs Val “who always gets the best partners” thing, I am reminded of something Richard Nixon once replied when asked about his participation in Watergate. “If the President does it, then it’s not illegal.” Similarly (at least in my mind), the implicit argument of those who say Val hasn’t gotten good partners is that if he had, he would have won. Conversely, the proof that Derek always gets good partners is the fact that he’s won so many times. Interesting that those who otherwise think that the win is all about the pro, clearly think you win if you get a good partner. File under: Having it Both Ways
Whitney is a center stage/vibe alum so I know she is cross trained. Excited about tap though I would love to see Derek and Alfonso. Come on, Rob. Make that happen.
Lynne #185: One rapper that comes to mind it’s from Atlanta is B.o.B
OK, now my comments on the partnerships.
Peta and Tommy: This should be a welcome change for her. I’m not familiar with him, but I think that this will be a very different Peta than we saw last.
Karina and Randy: I think we all know who the most excited for this partnership is, and it isn’t Randy. Karina is going to be so happy just to work with him, that I think this partnership is going to be hard to not work! I’m looking forward to this one!
Emma and Michael: Compared to her other two partners, Michael is a spring chicken! I’m not sure exactly what to think of him yet, but I think this will also be a welcome change for Emma.
Cheryl and Antonio: Well, swoon. I’m really looking forward to seeing him shirtless lol! I am hoping that this is a Gilles and Cheryl and not a William and Cheryl pairing; though I didn’t watch the William Levy season, I’ve heard plenty about it.
Allison and Jonathan: OMG MEAN GIRLS! I think Jonathan is going to be a solid first-time test for Allison – popular enough to carry them at least two or three weeks, but not necessarily the best dancer, so it will give Allison a chance for him to teach. A good combination.
Witney and Alfonso: This is going to be excellent for Witney. Having such a talented partner in only her second season is amazing. I’m very excited. At the same time, they’re going to look very interesting next to each other. This is going to be a good season for the two of them! And, as I mentioned earlier, Witney has trained in tap, so maybe we’ll see some tap out of them at some point.
Derek and Bethany: Fanbase wise, this is a power couple. She has 7 million subscribers on youtube, while Derek is consistently becoming more and more popular. I’m excited to see her – she seems really energetic, and I connect to girls like that! I also really connect to young females, so I’m so excited for her! Plus, when was the last time we saw Derek with someone this young? Shawn?
Tony and Betsey: The only person that I would rule out of winning this season is Betsey. She seems eccentric and really fun to watch, but compared to basically every other woman on this season, I wouldn’t put her on top. I think she is a good fit for Tony – she might not be a Mirror Ball winner, but she’ll be a hoot to watch, and Tony often does well with those partners (NeNe, Leah, even Suan Lucci!). So we’ll see how this goes.
Val and Janel: RINGER. I’m not super invested in either member of this couple, but she is pretty and seems like almost all of Val’s partners from the past few seasons. So no surprise, no good things, and no bad things. I’m reserving judgement until I see her Week 1.
Mark and Sadie: I’m not huge on conservative Christians, or Duck Dynasty, but as I said, I do connect to young girls. This has the potential to be a great pairing, or a very mismatched one, but I think Mark will be able to handle her. Again, kind of indifferent to this pairing.
Artem and Lea: Do I hear ringer? Yes I do! She’s one of the biggest ringers, like, ever. But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything, as we seem to have like 7 ringers this season. I think she will be fairly easy for Artem to teach, but I’m not sure how she’ll connect.
Keo and Lolo: She’s basically the only one in this cast I’ve heard of. It’s a good thought to get another Olympian – even though M&C weren’t treated well, they did do great things for the show. She is determined, strong, and agile – I mean, she is/was a hurdler – and versatile as well. I wouldn’t discount her yet!
I honestly can’t pick a winner – I can see almost everyone winning it all! I’m just so curious to see who Sharna got! One interesting fact is that no first year pro has won the show since Julianne in Season 4. So that kind of stacks the odds against Allison, Keo, and Artem, but they each have a partner who could break that. I’m just excited to see everyone dance Week 1 to really judge who I think will win!
Melissa #187 – they are bringing back the switch-up week…
Wow I decided to look up Lea’s dance training after Aviva’s post and it’s some pretty heavy stuff. She had already danced in 45 ballets by the time she was 14 and won 2 scholarships to ballet schools. I won’t hold that against her since she’s in her 50’s right now and turned to acting when she was 19. I’m also a Switched At Birth fan too but I found this stuff to be interesting. I also don’t mind since the ringers have never really bothered me. In fact I actually end up loving most of the ringers. Corbin, Zendaya, Meryl & Charlie, Nicole & Jennifer have all been some of my favorite contestants.
Even tho Shawn was young, she had already been on the show for a season and had won. Bethany is a real newbie which is definitely something different for Derek. I’m interested to see how he approaches it, and what he discovers in her.
@Lynne – Sharna posted a clip of Stewie from Family Guy on her twitter. I believe Eminem is associated with Stewie. But I can’t believe he would ever do the show.
#193 Susan Well, maybe she is a newbie in some way, but, from the sounds of things, she might have more dance experience than Nicole, and certainly Shawn. Certainly she’s not as big a newbie as Kellie, not that I have anything against ringers.
Well I don’t know anything really. I am just guessing. I am doing a lot of inferring I tell you, reading between the lines…lol. I just wanted to stick my toe in the sleuthing…lol. I am sure our mods know much more than they are telling. We are all like kids at Christmas trying to see what gifts are in the boxes, and there is always that ONE you can’t figure out but it’s a lot of fun to try.
Stewie-Family Guy. Isn’t that Seth McFarlane. I can picture him doing it for some reason. He’s a showman. Sings Sinatra style classics. From what I remember he has a fantastic voice.
Not that it’s him but that would be a real surprise.
There has been rumors this past summer that soccer star Landon Donovan was going to be on DWTS. Could he be Sharna’s mystery partner? That would be a huge get for the show.
@197-I think Seth McFarlane would be an interesting pick. Probably polarizing to done viewers though. I don’t really like Family Guy since its just not my taste but I found Seth hilarious when he hosted the Oscars. I think it’s really unlikeky but I’m all for him being on the show.
*Most viewers. I have no idea where I got “done.”
Family Guy not my taste either but I like Seth from what I’ve seen in interviews.
This has turned out to be such a cool mix. I’m really liking it so far. I don’t have to know everybody but I like the ones I do know.
I agree this has turned out to be a really good cast. I was super disappointed with all of the rumors but I actually am excited for a lot of these couples.
#195 Rachel Plows When I wrote newbie I really meant more than just dance. I don’t think she’s ever been on, certainly never performed on, a prime time network television show — or really anywhere else for that matter. Kellie had done American Idol and countless tours, Shawn had both performed on the Olympic stage, and by the time she got to Derek had done a season of DWTS. I think Bethany is much more of a show business/performance newbie than any partner Derek has ever had.
#203 Susan Oh, good point. This will definitely be a totally different kind of journey.
Sadie and Mark -Everytime Mark gets the expressionless/boring partner (Alexandra, Bristol, Candace), i hope she has got some peppy expressions to match upto Mark’s. Also she’s got a GREAT twitter following. So if she dances well, she might reach Top-3 or even win.
Lea and Artem -Now that’s a pair i’m eagerly looking forward to. Lea will be my personal fav. this season. Back To The Future movies are my all time favorite, so a li’l nostalgia here ๐ I hope she dances well and reaches as far as possible in the competition. But i’m afraid she doesn’t have a big following, so do Artem as he’s new. So they might not last long. ๐ I hope i’m wrong.
BTW, Bethany seems like Cody to me. Cody too had a huge twitter following, but he barely could last 4-5 weeks. I am afraid the same doesn’t happen with Mota too.
I’m thinking Sharna’s partner is either John Stamos, Landon Donovan or Stevie Wonder!
@C
Stevie Wonder and Landon Donovan are to big for the show.
Dunno about John Stamos though.
No one considered Gladys Knight joining the show. Plus Stevie Wonder has mentioned several times about participating on the show. Just throwing it out there.
My thoughts of the pairings:
Tommy Chong and Peta – A very different celebrity for Peta. I’ll be honest I’ve never heard of Tommy. I wonder how long they will last.
Alfonso Ribeiro and Witney – OMGGGGGGG IT’S CARLTON!!!!!! By far my favorite contestant this season!!! I know Courtney is excited! Congrats to Witney!!
Bethany Mota and Derek – I’ve never actually heard of Bethany. But turns out she’s actually very popular. I think she’ll bring something different from DWTS since she’s a youtuber. I’ve actually saw some video of her saying she competitively trained in Hip-Hop and Jazz. So I wonder how she’ll do in Ballroom/Latin.
Jonathan Bennett and Allison – Allison is VERY lucky to be getting someone well known for her first season. I seriously think Jonathan will do pretty well. Congrats Allison!
Lea Thompson and Artem – Just like Allison – Artem got lucky. Been hearing also that Lea had some Ballet background. So I think ballroom and probably contemporary will be her forte. I think her lines and posture will be amazing.
Antonio Sabato Jr. and Cheryl – I think this is a good partnership BUT all what I’ve been thinking about is a repeat of Season 14 (William Levy). I’ve LOVED Cheryl for the past two seasons BY far with Jack. PLEASE Cheryl don’t ruin it.
Betsy Johnson and Tony – I’m ready to see how Tony will handle Betsy. HAHA. She’s kinda crazy. Hopefully she’ll turn Tony’s boring choreography into something fun.
Lolo Jones and Keo – Again, all the new professionals are getting AMAZING partners! Lolo is an Olympian. Olympians do well. So high hopes for this pairing.
Janel Parrish and Val – Another somewhat of a ringer for Val. He always thinks he got the winner. But in my mind Witney does. I think she’ll do ok. But who knows.
Sadie Robertson and Mark – I’m not a fan of reality stars. But I honest do like Sadie! She’s honestly one of the NICEST people ever! I think she’ll do pretty well this season. Hopefully all the drama what Duck Dynasty has had this year. They won’t be hateful towards Sadie.
Michael Waltrip and Emma – Never heard of him. But I LOVE Emma and her choreography. So hopefully she’ll bring a dancer our of Michael.
Randy Couture and Karina – I’m actually liking this pairings. I just hope Randy can dance because Karina is my favorite female pro!@
Hmmm I wonder who Sharna’s partner is!!!!!
If John Stamos ever does do the show, I really want him for Karina because I know how he’s been a dream partner of hers for a long time now!
#205 While I do agree that Bethany’s fanbase could be similar to Cody’s, I think partnering up with Derek is a great bonus for her and could really help her go far. Because Witney was in her first season with Cody, she didn’t particularly have such a fanbase herself to help drive them further as a couple.
Well im exited for the season
I love alphonso and witney is my favorite female pro so perfect
I kinda Follow bethany mota so it will be dun watching her in the ballroom plus shes paired with derek
So for now this is the couple i will be voting for
Thanks for the spoilers
Okay. So I totally think that Sharna is partnered with NASH OVERSTREET (singer from Hot Chelle Rae). He has been posting pics of a disco ball. And he said you’ll find out on the big reveal as to why I’ve bought this disco ball in a few days. If that’s the case they’ve gotten one person I’m interested in besides Derek. I really hope Nash is partnered with Sharna and on the show. They’d be so freaking amazing together.
Dicso Ball? First name that comes to my mind is John Travolta.
Yeah the mirror ball trophy is resembled out of a disco ball. If you got to nashoverstreet Instagram handle then you’ll see his post with one and read his captions.
I liked Witney last season (Cody not so much) so, I’m happy she got Alfonso. Hope he does well. Other than him, I’m not interested in the cast as a whole. Hopefully the first show will change that.
Hm. I initially wasn’t very thrilled when I heard the full cast (well almost full cast) as it seemed like they didn’t want to put the effort in getting any “big” names (at least big for DWTS). BUT I think once I got over the name recognition level for the celebs and just thought about the personalities and partnerships themselves I think there are quite a few couples I could really get into. You just have to put aside the thoughts of “who is she? Some youtube star? Who cares?” and just enjoy the partnership.
Pre-season my favorite is definitely Alfonso, it also helps that I adore Witney after last season. I’ve heard Sadie is a sweetheart so she and Mark might be fun to watch. No idea what to expect from Bethany but if anyone can take her far it’s Derek. On the male side I like Antonio also and I’m hoping a male celeb wins it this year. Even though I’m a Val fan is it weird I’m not that excited about his partnership with Janel? Skill wise she’ll probably be in the top 3 and she has a passionate fan base but it’s kind of the attitude of “same shit, different season”โฆwe’ve seen this partner for him a million times before.
I agree that it’s hard to pick a winner at this point as there is no stand-out pre-season to me. We also don’t know Sharna’s partner yet so that could change things.
@Jo – Thanks Jo. Good find. Sounds like it may be him. Next question, Who the heck is Nash Overstreet? Never heard of him.
Okay, I don’t know Nash Overstreet, but I’ve heard of Chord Overstreet, since he was/is on Glee. And I don’t watch it, but since it is a part of “pop culture” media has made sure people know who they are on the show. So, guessing…. Nash would be either Chord’s old r brother or father?
@Sandy – He is part of the band Hot Chelle Rae. They sing the song – Tonight, Tonight ( the one that goes like this… There’s a party on the rooftop top of the world. Tonight tonight and we’re dancing on the edge of the Hollywood sign.) and other songs like ‘I like it like that’ and ‘honestly’. They area great band.
@Lori – He is Chord’s older brother. It’d be a awesome match if he is with Sharna. He would have been really perfect if Lacey was still on the show. But he is a big good and very lovable. I think people would fall in love with him.
So pumped to see Beth!! Love her.
Thanks Jo. Because I love Sharna I guess I’ll give him a chance.
Really worried about dwts ratings this season, they have alot more competition than usual, plus I just found out the voice is getting Taylor Swift to be an adviser, so much for pulling the young viewers to dwts.
Btw I’m not sure Nash Overstreet is on with Sharna, but he is great friends with Mark. Maybe Mark got him to do it.
Wow…I just checked Nash Overstreet’s twitter page and if that isn’t a DWTS hint then I don’t know why he has a mirror ball for. He’s 28 so is close to Sharna’s age.
just looked at his instagram too. 2 pics in a row of a shiny disco ball and talking about a big revealing the next couple of days. Hm. And he has an integral pic of Zendaya’s charity or something with her picture.
I don’t know who he is but I checked the band’s website and under tour dates, Hot Chelle Rae doesn’t have any listed at this time. Could give the band more exposure maybe if Nash did the show. This is getting interesting.
not ‘integral’ pic of Zendaya, ugh, instagram.
Hmm. Good find, Jo! I know the band and their song but didn’t know of Nash Overstreet (I just know Chord Overstreet. Didn’t know he has a brother).
That’s a pretty big clue that he could very well be on the show (especially the “reveal” part). Not 100% sure that he is in and is Sharna’s partner but I guess I wouldn’t mind it. Could be pretty fun!
Mods, if we guess right, will you tell us? Because those two Nash Overstreet disco ball instagrams are pretty suggestive of DWTS. I mean, for what else would one use a disco ball? Jo (#212), good catch!
Very diverse cast and there appears to be something for everyone. Have heard of most of the more mature stars (Lea, Tommy Chong, Betsey) and as a sports fan, Michael and Lolo.
Lolo is not only a track star, but she was also the brakeman for USA#3 in the women’s 2-person bobsled in the Sochi Olympics. Lolo can be polarizing, but I hope that stays off-screen so my new crush, Keo, sticks around for more than a few weeks.
Aviva…uuuuhhh no. lol Seriously, remember what Court posted about “no begging to know…”etc.
Except there is great video of her tap dancing less than a year before DWTS, so I don’t excuse Liz at all.
I don’t think it’s that hopeful Chelle. The people posting on this site are trying to apply the same standards to all the dancers because we’re sick to death of hearing it about Derek. Honestly, Derek would have won with most of Val’s partners. For whatever reason, it’s taking Val longer to get the formula. And for all the jibber jabbering that maks fans do, they aren’t all that powerful a voting block on their own, otherwise both would have won before the massive set up of last season.
Don’t believe the Michael Sam thing.
Lea is not even close to the biggest ringer ever. Not even a little. The vast majority of her dancing was more than *30* years ago. And if you don’t think that makes a huge difference, you must be under the age of 30. Or in denial. ๐
Lea’s probably got a decent following that squares with the DWTS demographic. I’m not too worried about her exiting early.
I don’t doubt that Janel will probably have a lot of experience, but I haven’t been able to find anything suggesting it yet. Although she has performed on Broadway, so I guess that could count in a way.
Maybe Nash is performing in DWTS. Don’t think he’s dancing….although I could be wrong.
Could Sharna’a partner be Rob Lowe. I believe he just flew back into town the other day, just in time to do KTLA in the morning. Just throwing it out there.
Oh but it’s SOOOOOOO hard not to beg! I wish the season started tomorrow! Thanks for all the scoop and all the hard work pure!
I think its equally as presumptuous to say that Derek would have won with most of Val’s partners as the people who presume that maks, tony, mark & whoever else would have won if they had most of Derek’s partners.
@Joanna go to her official website and then on her resume it lists all the dance training she’s had. i thought at first that all her dance experience was hula but it turns out she’s had a lot more.
I almost counted Rob Lowe out ever since he did that joke tweet about it a couple seasons ago… can’t remember how it was exactly worded, but it almost sounded like a permanent denial.
I was keeping fingers crossed that Nash’s brother Chord would be paired up with Sharna. But I don’t know… I just want a male under 30 to really finish rounding out this line-up.
@CC Thank you!
Hmm, interesting. States Jazz, Hip-Hop, Tap, Ballet, and Broadway Dance. I really had Alfonso and Lea as the top ringers this season but maybe Janel is the biggest one. It’ll be interesting to see.
Of course you think that. But Derek’s record with total non-ringers is so solid that I feel pretty comfortable with that comment.
I wonder if they are looking for people with experience or if they just get lucky?
Lol OK, well I’ll just say I strongly disagree.
Anyways, I probably most excited to see how Alfonso & witney do? On paper they seem like a fun a dynamic pairing.
Also lolo & keo. Shes tall, gorgeous, in phenomal shape, and from a few videos that I’ve seen of her goofing around, seems ti have some rhythm. They have potential to be a really powerful & striking pair together.
Well this is shaping up to be an interesting/diverse cast.
There are obviously some with more dance experience than others but that’s usually the case.
But in the grand scheme of things I’m liking what I see.
Sharna’s partner is not Nash Overstreet, John Stamos, or Rob Lowe. Sorry.
#234 Heidi how different is Lea from Alfonso? Those two have to be pretty close to the same age. I’m not saying that she’s one of the biggest ringers, but she’ll probably have fewer restrictions than Jennifer Grey.
Whoever Sharna gets, I will be happy because it means Sharna is on my tv screen competing ๐ This cast is very diverse. Something for everyone. I love Hot Chelle Ray but Nash isn’t that well known. If they are holding back on this mystery celebrity it must be a big one.
Sidenote, I wonder if it’s Brett Farve? He was rumored for a past season (and I think a couple of past seasons)but now that he is officially out of the NFL, he might be it. Plus, it fills the football player spot that we know DWTS loves. Another one I thought of was George Lopez. That could be fun.
There are several of these “stars” I have never heard of at all. I will watch because it’s habit, but can only say there are a couple that I am interested in. I think Alfonso, Lea, Sadie, Michael and Antonio will be fun to see. I don’t have a clue who this Janel, Bethany or Randy are. Tommy Chong and Betsey Johnson may be a little out there. Jonathan Bennett is handsome, but I don’t think he is too well know and I don’t know much about Lolo Jones. My early thinking is Alfonso will be the front runner.
Wow, just reading thru Tommy Chongs twitter, are the producers serious?
He seems more into…ahem….’relaxing’ than the exertions of dance.
Still think he’s too old for this show.
There have been several seasons where I didn’t know several pro’s and yet found myself excited about them after a couple of weeks. For example, I knew very little about Kelly Osbourne and she ended up being one of my favorites that season. I am going to wait and see. Now this is only my opinion but Chelle you sure seem to be fighting hard to make people see things your way. Problem is, the facts don’t back you up. You suggest that Maks, Val, or Tony could have won with any of Derek’s partners using your logic. The problem is it isn’t logical. Many of Derek’s partners had significant issues that Derek had the creativity to work around. Jennifer Grey and her neck, Amber and her knees, and how can we forget Amy. Derek has the ability to work around challenges. If you believe your logic is right…why don’t you show us any of the three pro’s you spoke of that had a physical disability like Amy, or even major challenges like Jennifer or Amber. This isn’t about ringers so don’t try and go there about dance experience. I am talking about clear cut, flat out physical challenges or disabilities. I know I will be waiting for your response. Let me say again this is just my opinion, and perhaps you are feeling the wrath of too many seasons hearing the same old crap, but if you are so sure, you will have no problem identifying any of their partners who had the same issues.
Interesting group of celebs this season. When the pros were initially announced and Sharna wasn’t one of them, I was fairly disgusted with the show/producers. NOW, I’m kinda hoping Sharna ends up with either a HUGE ringer or someone with such a HUGE cross-generational following that they will be HUGELY popular and stay around until the bitter end. (It would ALMOST make up for how she and Charlie were treated last season. Almost.)
Well I don’t know about everyone else, but I think having an older partner is a compliment. People already know the masterpieces you can make with a younger partner so they want to see how you can handle and older one. Also, I think that it means that you’re more caring and more mature that you can actually handle an older partner who might have trouble moving across the dance floor.
Rachel, please learn to make some distinctions. I said she’s not even close to the “biggest ringer ever”. NOTE that two of those three words are very important to the context of what I’m saying. Biggest and Ever. Someone else – you? – claimed she was the biggest ever, which is ridiculous.
She’s not even close. Meryl was the biggest ringer ever, along with Kristi and possibly Donny Osmond. There are LOTS of ringers, tons. So to say someone is the biggest ever is a pretty huge deal. And Lea is 52, pins in her neck or not – if you don’t recognize the limitations that come with age, then you must be a youngster. Yes, she is a ringer – never said she wasn’t. Maybe the same size as Alfonso, I don’t know. Also note that I NEVER said that Alfonso was bigger than her or vice versa – just that she’s not the biggest ever.
All the words that I write have some importance to them and they’re not overly large or hard to understand.
I agree, Fran. Age is just a number imo. Plus this show isn’t about just dancing anyway…it’s about the journey, the message, etc. I have loved the older celebs on the show and Valerie Harper has been my favorite…so touching and inspirational.
Paula, he’s going to be fun. It’s not always about age. Why not wait to judge until you see their journey on the show? I’d like to know how many times I thought I wouldn’t like someone for some reason or another and I ended up loving them.
Once a contestant hits late 40s or beyond, I really don’t take much stock in the ringer talk. I don’t care how great of shape someone was or is in, or how much of a ringer they once were, once you hit middle age (cough, cough).. Everything changes. Your body and joints are definitely starting to show the signs of wear and tear.
@Vogue – So true.
#253 Paula, I agree with you on Tommy Chong. Hopefully he will be an early departure.
I think that Tommy Chong will be fun.
@260- I agree with you.
I agree Vogue. I am always surprised by someone. And how much I ended up loving their dancing. I am so excited! It’s soon on with the show!
I got sidetracked with the Nash Overstreet rumor, but I wanted to mention that I wondered if Paula Anka could be the surprise? He was in the audience on last spring’s finale….
So my friends said something about dwtgossip and Brad the Lad (whoever that is)
Tommy should be a hoot. he definately is a little odd to some people (myself included) but he definately is going to definately make a splash in the ballroom ๐ Also, Alfonso was on a show with celebrities singing that had Marie Osmond as a judge. Also on that show were Cheech Marin (of Cheech and Chong fame), Lea Thompson (his competitor again apparantly) and past DWTS competitior Chris Jerhico. I am going to bet that TPTB will play that rivalry up.
#267 @Vin Yeah, don’t buy into that. Brad the Lad Long is a notorious Twitter/YouTube ‘troll’ who makes several ‘gossip’ accounts and gets people to believe that he’s going to appear on different reality shows. He’s said that he’s going on Celebrity Big Brother in the UK about 10 times, even though he’s 17 years old and the age limit is 18.
I wasn’t sure so I figured I’d run it past you guys here at PureDWTS ๐ He seems like a piece of work…..hopefully you are right. I got thirty messages from thirty seperate people and I was like “Well off to the people that can tell me if this guy is for real.” The majority of my friends seem to love this guy and I just can hope they didn’t cast him.
Chelle, didn’t you say you were ending your argument (whatever it was–I lost track) about 50 comments back?
TPTB sure are being careful to keep Sharna’s partner under wraps. I’m going to guess a sports figure. Someone last night mentioned a basketball player was listed on Wiki as her partner. It may not be, but I believe it’s someone along those lines.
I didn’t misread what you said Chelle. You, on the other hand continue to dance around the questions. How do you even know if I am a Derek fan. I have voted for Derek but I have also voted for many others. If your logic is so correct, then take the challenge. BTW, I thought of another celeb Derek took a long way…Maria…she had numerous fractures in her feet by the end of the season, imagine that another physical challenge. She didn’t win, but she made it a long way. I have backed up my statements with fact…I would just like you to do the same. However, I guess I will just have to think “you protesteth too much.” lol It is what it is.
Yeah I saw that on Gossip about the LAD, I am hoping that it’s not true. DWTS doesn’t need another You Tuber.
Vin no chance on George Lopez. He has a gig out in the Cochela Valley (Palm Springs area).next weekend and he has been out here for the last couple of weeks golfing.
#271 I hope you are right. This youtube lad as a celebrity would be stretching it quite a bit. I’ll be happy with whoever Sharna gets. Knowing her track record, we can definitely hope to see some good dances. ๐
@lynne
I think u still might have misread my post, so I am going to restate my point with an example.
What I was saying was that it is just as illogical to say that Derek would have won with ‘most of Val’s partners’ as it is illogical to say that maks, mark, Tony or whoever else would have won with most of Derek’s partners. It does not make sense to extrapolate a history of doing well with nonringers into meaning winning with any ringer. With that logic Derek would have won with Shawn & Ricki lake.
Its like me saying, oh gee, Cheryl has a history of really doing well with some none ringers, i mean she got to the finals with Gilles, rob, jack, and even won with emmitt. That means she definitely would have won with half of Karina’s partners…Mario Lopez, Mario Barrett, Aaron, Ralph, corbin. Its faulty reasoning that doesnt take into account a bajillon factors. That’s the point I was making. Now to ur statement of Derek doing well with injured partners, I agree, he has done a great job with them.
@rose1 i did, but people, not unlike yourself, who im not even originally talking to, jump in to ask me questions, to which i politely reapond…just like i did u.
This is totally not happening, but wouldn’t it be awesome if Sharna got Hugh Jackman? ๐
Watch your step, chelle. I suggest you quit while you’re behind, before you cross the line. People are disagreeing with you and I don’t see any reading comprehension problems on their part. At some point, you have to wonder if it’s YOU.
I wonder if Sharna is actually paired with someone big? Or if it’s just the case of Sharna was the last of the pros signed so it would only make sense that we wait to hear her pairing. And in the end it’s really not that big of a deal.
We’ve heard “big” – but big is certainly in the eye of the beholder. ๐
I understand chelle….. She’s saying that there are many factors that go into a win and summing it up into a few factors isn’t completely fair
So here’s how Webster defines a “ringer”.
an athlete or horse fraudulently substituted for another in a competition or event.
Hmmm….just doesn’t seem to apply to DWTS, until they started that pro switch up thing. I guess then you could actually say that Derek is “the ringer”, and not the celeb. Just ask NeNe Leakes.
IMO Derek has his Doctorate in Dance. The other celebs are still at the Masters level. More often than not, I’m watching Derek dance vs his partner–even at MOVE!
Clues please? Really can’t wait to guess who will be Sharna’s partner! It’s getting more intense and interesting!!!! ๐
Never heard any of these people except Lolo & Alfonso. I’m sorry but not even Derek can get me to watch this season. The Voice will be getting my views. :/
lol Rose, I’d like a nickel for every time I’ve heard someone say that, but, it’s ok, don’t watch. The show will survive without you and it will be your loss.
@PH 168, if Elizabeth Berkley’s training amounts to jazz and tap, then I’d argue that Corbin is still a bigger ringer. Corbin trained in ballet & jazz from age 2 onward, then mainly trained in hip hop at Debbie Allen’s dance academy. Then there’s the High School Musical franchise, and he’s done Broadway throughout his life with a recent leading role in In the Heights. Probably the most cross trained ringer ever.
But yea, I get your point. For some reason Val’s had more ringers than anyone and in a much shorter time span. Derek’s had 4 ( Nicole, Jennifer, Shawn, Amber) & Mark’s had maybe 4 (Sabrina, Kristi, Katherine, Christina) over the course of 14-15 seasons. And then you have Val, nearly 6 out of 7.
@ Susan 187, that reminds of what Tony said after the pro announcement–“We’re basically at the mercy of our celebrities”–it drove me crazy. Completely the wrong attitude to have. Because au contraire, the celebrities obviously depend on the pro’s choreography to make them look good. Weak choreography can kill one’s chances of winning. But maybe Tony can’t seem to grasp that since TPTB seem to have storyboarded his All Stars win.
I just want to quickly address something:
dance experience does not make you a lock for the finale. Mark’s exited early twice with ringers–Sabrina Bryan & Christina Milian. Val failed to make the finale with Liz and Danica. On the opposite end there’s Derek, who got his first win with Brooke Burke, who’s never danced in her life, and successfully broke the “model curse” on the show.
People erroneously look at how much Derek’s won and claim he only could’ve won if he got the best partner. It’s a compliment to Derek though, that he makes his partners look so amazing that some falsely assume they all must’ve had prior training. If we’re being honest, up until Nicole Scherzinger, Derek’s list of celeb partners was pretty unremarkable in terms of dance ability and fanbase. But he was already so consistent–all his partners made at least to week 7. So my only question is when did the revisionist history start?
I’m looking forward to another exciting season. I’ve actually heard of most of the people on the roster – which is a novelty for me LOL. Regardless though – whether i’ve heard of them, whether i’ve heard good or bad about them – the show never ceases to surprise me. That’s part of the magic of DWTS, IMO – any preconceived perceptions I have are tossed to the wind. So many contestants I thought I would not like but ended up loving; some I thought i would love turned out to be snakes. Some I’ve rooted and cheered (and voted) for that couldn’t dance a lick; some have brought me to tears with their courage, their journey. It’s all good, in my book. I’ll be tuning in to ABC on Monday nights (sorry Vogue – keeping my nickel), and checking in here at PDWTS the rest of the week – as usual. I don’t know how PHeidi, Vogue, Court, John, Lori et.al. keep up this high standard season after season, but THANK YOU. This site adds so much to my DWTS experience – depth and perspective
I also am excited to meet the new Pro dancers – Keo is just yummy LOL: handsome, charming and that accent !!!
Thanks Linde and I’m so glad you are keeping your nickel!!xxxx
Sherri Shepherd is not a ringer at all. Taking a few dance classes is not a ringer, you have to have a lot more experience under your belt then that. If your going to consider her a ringer then I wouldnt consider Amber Riley a mini ringer, I would consider her a massive ringer. Considering she spend four seasons dancing on glee. She may have been doing simple cheorghraphy but she was still learning to count to music, move her body, which is a lot more expierence then most of the people who done this show have had and way more experience then sherri.
As for Vals ringers, if your counting the all star season when everyone had a celeb who would be called a ringer well other than mark, maks and tristan partners then I guess Kelly M. would be consider one even if her season was only six weeks long. So his ringers are Kelly, Zendaya, Elizabeth, Danica and now Janel.
#285- Didnt Katherine Jenkins only dance when she was really young, a little girl, I dont know if she would be considered a ringer.
So agree with everyone that Tony’s comment after the pro announcementโโWeโre basically at the mercy of our celebritiesโโ was just so wrong in so many ways!!!
What about all those celebs, Tony, that were at the mercy of your lackluster choreo and tasteless styling ??? Martina Navratilova comes to mind (although there are many many other examples, i just happen to be a big Marina fan) – that gawdawful jive costume – I knew the minute I saw her at the opening of the show that she would not do well, she looked so uncomfortable and awkward, you could see it on her face, in her body language. That jive outfit did NOTHING for her body, for her confidence, for the routine, nada. OK, i know she was not a good dancer to begin with, not headed to the finale, not expected to last long. But still – you should do the best with what you’re given (ain’t that the truth for all of us LOL) and not throw in the towel because you had been begging for an athlete (it’s not fair, everyone else got an athlete, wah wah wah), and finally got one, but sadly she has two left feet.
it begs the question: what could Derek have taught Martina? How far could he have taken her?
we’ll never know, of course. But i have my suspicions LOL
Love the spoilers! This could be an interesting season if TPTB don’t mess it up by over-stirring the pot.
I don’t mind waiting for you to tap in last piece in the puzzle. I’m just thrilled Sharna’s on this season. Fingers crossed her match is someone with enough oomph to keep her on for a while.
Vogue, PH, Court, John and Lori, you’re all amazing. Thank you in advance for the many hundreds of hours you’ll devote to Pure this season! Enjoy these last days of relative calm before the DWTS storm breaks. Love ya! ๐
I guess they are trying to attract younger viewers with this YT girl. Some one like that is not a star. I am not a fan of reality stars in general, but at least Sadie is on a TV show and seems like a nice young lady.
Thank you Cids and love you too!xx Ditto to what you posted on Sharna!
I’d like to know that too. I think she would have went farther with Derek. One thing he wouldn’t have done is put her in unflattering costumes like Tony did.
I have no problem with YouTube stars. I recently saw a report where people under 30 find youtubers more recognizable than traditional stars like brad Pitt. I remember on that list Leo DiCaprio was #20 and Bethany Mota was #19
@MelissaC In Bethany’s defense, she is more than just a Youtube star. She also has her own clothing line which she designs and has also appeared as a guest judge on Project Runway. I’m not saying this makes her a “star” but just saying that making YouTube videos is not all she does. Now a days, anyways, YouTube is becoming a lot more popular than actual Television, amongst the younger generation.
Oh, Count me in too! ๐
A Big Thank You to everyone involved in maintaining and running this site. All the time and energy that all of the mods take away from your families and your busy lives just to keep us DWTS lovers informed and entertained is very much appreciated.
Enjoy your Holiday everyone! Remember all those who served our country and those that didn’t make it home.
Tony does a disservice to his partners in choreo and costumes. That is why I can’t wait for Betsy to tell him to stop dressing her as an old lady. She is older but still does cartwheels, tons of spirit.
More than comparing like Kate, I say compare what Derek did with Joanna or Maria to say Audrina. All three kinda similar except Derek knew Joanna was stiff but he said day one she could shake it. They got lucky their dances were like lambada, salsa and samba at the start. But she delivered in those dances. He costumed her wisely like her vw costume and that dance worked her strengths while having her do the proper steps. Tony didn’t make Audrina stand out. Derek knew after their cha cha, Maria needed to stand out and made sure their dance, quickstep, stood out and it did. I don’t think Tony would have won with Brooke. Her second week quickstep is one of my favorites and more memorable than any quickstep he did with Melissa. Or Maria’s paso? Derek is just more creative and even his haters have to admit. Those saying amy isn’t a challenge, well that just shows a lot of bias. I know some say other pros can be as creative if given good partners. They all have and had similar types. The psycho tango was brilliant and you just have to deliver at any time,
Among tired Derek complaints, the whole he just uses smoke and mirrors but doesn’t teach them to dance. He does otherwise people would scream Kellie and Brooke for being great dancers or ringers when they never took dance classes before. Shirley said Derek is relentless and perfectionist and does not give up. How can KB at afterbuzz say with amber being good say Derek got another good one. I like KB, but maybe it is Derek’s teaching skills bc she sure has no issue praising Val’s teaching despite him having higher level ringers ( regardless of placement) than Derek. Maybe he sees what they can do naturally and adjusts for them and he always says he wants them to look good.
Amber is a natural mover IMO but no way is she a bigger ringer than Elizabeth who could spot turns, etc. Amber if you watch Glee is in the background. They did a storyline of Mercedes too lazy to be a better dancer. Being a musician is an advantage but plenty of celebs come with it. Christina Milian is a singer too and actress with a more conventional dancers body. She lacked charisma and Amber had that.
The idea of celebrity is always evolving. I don’t think when reality stars are considered stars is less more worthy than a youtube star. It is just a different medium that is actually viewed more and then became a successful entrepreneur before the age of 20. The show had two Kardashians and. Kate as well as several bachelors. That opens the door for many to be part of the show. Oh and Elisabetta, famous for dating George Clooney. I am okay with Bethany who isn’t a viral star bth actually has a successful channel and more subscribers than most tv shows has viewers.
Im usually just a roamer, but this ringer talk is always interesting to me.
@Kelly i agree, where people draw the line with ringer is really blurry. If you count some classes for sherri before the season as a ringer & kelly a ringer for being an allstar, then why not Ricki Lake (tap dance/broadway experience), Kristin Cav. (dance classes growing up), Bristol (all-star), Kellie P. (Cheerleader- you can argue that cheerleading is dancing + although not their focus, most cheerleaders I know have taken a dance class or two). I personally wouldnt count sherri, kelly,kelli, or bristol as ringers, but if we are: thats 6/8 for derek the past 9 seasons, 6/9 for mark, & 6/7 for val)…thats a lot of ringers for all of them.
Its funny to me when people get so up in arms about Male pros ringers, yet no one even mentions the female side, which i find much more interesting. To this date, karina has had at least 6 ringers. the next highest female to my count is witney, who is now 2/2. this is taking into account longer tenured pros like anna, lacey, chelsie, etc, who are no longer with us. That should raise some eyebrows. It also made me realize that for cheryl’s 18 seasons, she really has not had many ringers, which makes her track record very impressive, if not the most impressive.
I wonder how Mark feels about getting Sadie? He does seem to be TPTB’s go to guy for the “young and innocent” or “somewhat prudish” — the ones who won’t be getting naked and sexy. I suppose, in a way, it’s a compliment to him. TPTB know he’ll be able to get these ladies comfortable enough (over time) to push them slightly out of their comfort zone.
Cidra, though I think occasionally Mark may get frustrated with the ultra conservative ladies, he did get to 3rd place with both Bristol and Candace. I do hate to clump the two as I like Candace far more than Bristol.
speaking of All- Star season, I’d say everybody except Bristol and Kristie were ringers .
The Websters definition of ringer is not really what is used in the DWTS context. Never has been.
Really? Websters? Come on, get with the program here. Each fandom makes up it’s own lexicon.
Well then, Rose2, it’s been nice knowing you. Fans of the show who are WATCHING are welcome to post here. Anything else would be trolling, no?
I don’t really care about Liz versus Corbin at all, just the illusion that chelle was trying to create that poor Val gets ringers but it’s okay because there were always bigger ringers. I mean, so what? People who AREN’T ringers beat ringers all the time…and ringers win from time to time. After 6 out of 7 you have to think it’s the PRO that might be the problem. That said – in my ringer post, we have fanbase ringers and dance experience ringers. If you throw in fanbase, it might be a toss up between those two, since Liz’s fanbase squares more with the DWTS demo.
But you left out Maks, Kay – Maks actually has more ringers than *Derek*. Including those with dance experience AND with huge fanbases, he’s had anywhere from 5 to 7, depending on how you count it. And yes, you have to have fanbase ringers – someone who comes in with so many fans (esp in the right demo) that they are almost certain to win. I call Jennifer Grey, Donny Osmond and Kirsti Alley as pretty big fanbase ringers. Just like dance ringers – they don’t always win – they have to be able to dance as well.
The revisionist history started almost immediately after he won with Nicole, I think. Evan was “supposed” to win that season as he was fresh off the Olympics, with some dance in his history. Erin was also a lower level ringer, having been a professional cheerleader. I actually blame Erin and Maks for a lot of it – Maks’ sycophantic fans picked up on Maks and Erin’s whining about Nicole’s “experience” (yeah, Pussycat Dolls beat an Olympic Gold Medalist ever time, right Maks?) and began spouting it loud and long as if it were fact. And after a while – to those who don’t often actually engage their brains – it became fact. Hell, even Mark and Louis were whining about Nicole and her talents. Didn’t hear a peep from any of them about Meryl, did we?? Perhaps they saw Derek’s future in his choreography with Nicole.
Sorry, Kelly – she’s a ringer. She didn’t just take a few dance lessons, she took BALLROOM lessons at Maks and Val’s studio. Not only did she get a leg up on most everyone else, she got to know her pro ahead of time. Ringer.
You’re also wrong about Amber. Swaying back and forth is not exactly complicated choreo. She’s a mini-ringer.
And yes, if you would read ALL the comments, you would see that I count everyone’s partner in S15 as a ringer.
There are several videos of adult Katherine Jenkins doing some really great tapping for a show. Choreographed. Ringer.
I love that you can make a distinction between someone who’s an entrepreneur who’s making money on youtube, who has millions of followers and someone who’s someone’s kid on a show where the guys are all formerly preppy college guys pretending to be back woods makers of duck calls. LOL.
Let the campaigning begin. Nice try, I guess, but if Sadie gets to be called a star simply for being on a reality show on an OFF network (and not even as one of the main characters), then I don’t see why Bethany can’t also be called a star.
What makes you so sure I didn’t count most of those people as ringers, Eliza? Perhaps you should wait for my updated post, eh? And you have to be able to make distinctions – doing it your way, nearly EVERY female celeb would be a ringer. And that’s pretty ridiculous, no?
The female pros don’t get as much heat because there aren’t as many ringers. Women are just more likely to have dance backgrounds than men are – sad fact of life. As a result, you see more female ringers than you do male. And Karina has only had four dance ringers to Cheryl’s two.
If you want to know why the male pros get more discussion, ask a Derek hater.
PH i was not specifically talking about you, rather other posters who were deeming some ringers & not others. I agree with you it is ridiculous because everyone seems to have their own limits to what qualifies as a ringer & thats not even adding fanbase ringers into the discussion.
For example, I count both marios, aaron, ralph, & corbin as dance ringers and if we’re counting allstars then throw in apolo which differs from your count of 4.
Well we all have our own options and think differently which it one of the the great things about life. I feel like those few ballroom classes Sherri took doesn’t make her a ringer, but its my option.
Aaron isn’t a ringer – I researched the hell out of that one and could find nothing where he actually did any dancing. Just because someone is a singer, it doesn’t mean they are automatically a ringer – I don’t actually count standing in place and swaying, or skipping in a music video as “dancing”. Ralph is much more of a fanbase ringer than a dance ringer – I can’t think why he would be labeled as a dance ringer, but in any case I listed him as fanbase, due to his age and his popularity far over shadowing any previous experience (which I’m not sure he had). I do have Apolo as a ringer. Since we were only talking about dance ringers at the time, that makes four ringers, five if you count fanbase (Ralph).
Considering the amount of research I put into it, people who want to argue on someone’s ringiness will have to provide more proof than just saying they “think” someone is a ringer.
Ralph has jazz, tap, ballet and a broadway dance background. I’ve seen performances of aaron doing choreographed danced numbers, albeit rudimentary hip hop, so i included him. I guess it’s like kelly A. said, a difference of opinion.
Wow, yes Corbin was a dance ringer. But Mario Lopes was taking some dance classes until age 15. And he was a DWTS contestant in his 30th already.
Sure, Cheryl looks like a total genius in compression with Karina. The only question is how did it happen that she has never had to dance anything out of her comfort zone like contemporary or hip hop???
#310 Eliza, there is no truth to it. As a child Ralph took some ballet classes and that was it. He did one musical on B-way with a minimum dancing on his part.
So, I took numerous musical theory and performance classes in college, however had to drop my music major when my professor asked me if as a therapist I was going to sing to my clients…lol. Oh well, I digress. We could all be missing the boat on ringers. We should probably ask them if they crawled as babies or go straight to walking…lol. There are several studies out that those who crawled as babies have natural rhythm. So, maybe we should ask the celebrities if they crawled and those who crawled are the real “ringers”. I add my applause to the mods who do a great job season after season.
Lynne #313, you have me cracking up! (wiping tears)
@alicia
in an interview he stated that he trained tap, jazz, ballet, and broadway until he was 18, and then danced again for broadway. I dont see how that’s any different than Elizabeth Berkeleys (sp) training.
http://www.playbill.com/features/article/karate-kid-ralph-macchio-grows-into-mature-roles-with-magic-hands-freddy
@Eliza – Ralph was 50 years old for crying out loud. You can’t put him in the same category against 20 year olds performing on the show.
At 50, most of us are just happy to get up in the morning and hope that the achy shoulder or the sore knee that I had yesterday doesn’t flare up again today. I think any previous dance experience is off the table once you reach a certain age. It’s of no relevance any longer.
Sorry, meant to be –in comparison.
@sandy
I’m not trying to put him in the same category as 20 yr olds. you are proving my point that its a dicy, tedious, and often times arbitrary where one makes these distinctions. Look at Ralph & Elizabeth. Both trained extensively until adulthood, took a long break from dancing, came back to it, & did dwts in their 40s. Yet you want to exclude ralph, then do you exclude elizabeth also? jennifer? Ricki? but who decides that? where do you put the cut off age? is it after 40, 45, 50, 55? or does it depend on how long your break from dancing was, or how good of shape you are in, who decides that?
Going on past experience alone, it looks like Alfonso and Lea have the most past dance training.
I don’t look at someone as a ringer if they have a large fanbase because we all saw that the numbers got Kim K. no where. To me a ringer is a person with extensive past dance training, not a social media following, but of course, others surely have their own definition.
Kelly A
I agree, I don’t personally see Kelly or Sherri as ringers, but we all have our own opinions.
Curious to see who sharnas partner is
Melissa, you also saw the numbers Bill Engvall got, which kind of blows your theory out of the water, or Bristol’s for that matter. I think the type of fan base makes a huge difference when discussing ringers. Bill’s fans are more inclined to watch DWTS than Kim’s. I think Zendaya was a prime example. Her fans were very vocal and downright nasty at times because not everyone revered her the way they did, but in the end the bulk of that demographic didn’t bother to get off Twitter to vote for her.
Lynne (#313), Thanks for bringing some much needed giggles to the neverending and pointless ringer debate *and* for finally explaining my lack of natural rhythm. Oh, if only I hadn’t been in such a hurry to walk back in my diaper days and had taken the time to do some crawling first.
Not really, eliza. You have to make distinctions somewhere and set criteria so that everyone is compared equally. Otherwise you’re just being hypocritical. If you’re going to make Aaron a ringer, then anyone who’s done any club dancing is a ringer.
As for Ralph, I made him a ringer, so I’m not sure what more you want. He was also significantly older, which, by my scale, diminishes the ringer level I gave him. Age is a factor. Florence Henderson was well schooled on Broadway and had some dance in her background – would you have made her a ringer?
Thanks, Alicia – I had done my research on Ralph a while ago, so I couldn’t remember what his past entailed.
Again, if dancing was as a child or more than 20 years in the past, it’s kinda stupid to hold that up as ringer status. I point again to Florence Henderson. Sure, Ralph was in his 50’s, not 60’s – but age is a factor. If you don’t think it is…well, you’ll find out.
Actually, eliza, you are proving MY point. I’ve always said that it is patently ridiculous to label someone like Jennifer Grey a ringer when she’s dancing next to Brandy – and yet people do it all the time in order to bash Derek and excuse Maks. Which is the original point of this discussion.
I actually have made criteria and levels of ringers – I’ll be posting it soon. If you still feel you’ll be able to argue, well good luck. Most of the people you’re arguing with right now have probably read the old version. https://www.puredwts.com/2012/03/11/dwts-celebrities-what-do-you-mean-im-a-ringer-part-3/#more-18179 I’ve made a few minor changes to those tables in the upcoming version, but the essence is the same.
Actually, Kim K wasn’t NEARLY as popular or as known when she was on the show as she is now. That argument doesn’t hold water. A fanbase that is huge and within the DWTS demographic (Donny Osmond) is going to get you the win if you are any good at dancing at all – and he couldn’t touch Mya. What did he have? A crazy assed fanbase. James and Cody are far more “popular” than Amy Purdy, and they could dance – but while their huge fanbases can drive ratings, the kids are notoriously bad voters on DWTS.
Again, you have to be able to make distinctions to be taken seriously in this discussion. Simply claiming someone with a huge fanbase isn’t a ringer doesn’t cut it. Would you say that if, say, Justin Bieber were dancing?
If Justin Bieber was dancing, I would still say he is a DB. I have just never considered fanbase as part of “my” ringer criteria, but YMMV. Doesn’t make anyone right or wrong, just different in how they look at things. And there is no “argument” for me, it’s just a conversation.
Bill Engvall had a big fanbase but he was no ringer in my book. The man had no dance training.
PH
Thats my point, who is making these distinctions and setting the criteria?Is there some sort of peer-reviewed rule book or committee on ringerdom? lol… If not, it’s just a person stating their opinion, and saying this is how it is.
#303 Heidi, I totally agree with you that the ringer nonsense became a big deal after Season 10 and Maks & Erin’s constant whining had a lot to do with it. I’m actually surprised she’s still whining about it considering the partner her Maksy had last season. But I just wanted to point out Erin wasn’t a professional cheerleader — she was on her college dance team, which actually gives her more dance experience than if she was a cheerleader.
“Again, if dancing was as a child or more than 20 years in the past, itโs kinda stupid to hold that up as ringer status.”
Well I guess we can take Elizabeth Berkley off of Vals ringer list then since being on the show was the first time she danced in over 20 years. I dont count her little tap dancing thing either, my opinion. So now Vals at only three ringers Zendaya, Danica and now Janel. I dont consider Sherris few ballroom lessons as ringer status and Kelly danced for six weeks during her first season and other wise took no other prior dance lessons.
Bill Engvall was never any kind of ringer, in my book. His fanbase grew exponentially because of DWTS, he didn’t come in with a huge one, compared to others who are fanbase ringers.
I am on they young end of the DWTS Demographic and if I’ve never heard of you, you are not likely to be a fanbase ringer unless you’re a boy bander or some such. I don’t do boy bands. ๐
Eliza, read the link I posted or step out of the conversation. Otherwise you’re just being rude. You’ve had your chance to take part in the discussion – but we’re beyond the point where you just get to claim it’s your opinion. Opinions are for shit if the person holding it makes no effort to be logical or thoughtful. I mean, really – some people thought Bristol was a great dancer and a great person, so there you go.
Donna, sure – I couldn’t remember off the top of my head which she was, I just knew it was at a higher level. And no, high school cheerleading isn’t in the same class. Most high schools are not straight out of a cheerleading movie, especially not for women over the age of 30.
No, Kelly, DWTS was NOT the first time she had danced in over 20 years and there’s video to prove it. Look it up. You’re just the type of person I talk about in my previous post – willing to excuse obvious previous experience so your favorite doesn’t look bad. Not willing to do the same for other pros, I’m sure.
Val has had 5 ringers – suck it up. Saying “in my opinion” when all evidence is to the contrary just makes you look extremely childish.
I love ringers! I think a pro’s talent at choreography ends up leveling the playing field. I’m not a big Derek fan (there was a gap in my viewing and the last time I remember him prior to last season was his meltdown with Shannon lol), but even with a non ringer he can still produce a better routine than other pros with one IMO. I drank the Meryl koolaid and thoroughly enjoyed her last season, but am positive Derek, Val, and Mark could’ve done better for her. Her Samba was one I remember wondering how they would’ve done with her.
I think personality and likability on the show isn’t being factored into this discussion. With all of Derek’s wins, the only one that didn’t make sense to me was Nicole scherzinger because I hated her like crazy…. But with Jennifer, Kelly, and, Amber….. I felt that they did a better job of capturing America in each of those seasons. Season 10 was my first so I can’t comment on Brooke,…. People in the finale made me ringers but if they don’t hit the right fan base at the right time (zendaya, Kyle, corban), they’re pretty much toast
**** people in the family may be ringers
PEOPLE IN THE FINALE MAY BE RINGERS BUT IF THEY DONT MAKE A CONNECTION WITH THE RUGHT AUDIENCE AT THE RUGHT TIME, THEN THEYRE TOAST. In those situation, you can blame or you can’t blame (depending on the situation) the pros because they can’t control votes in that way
. SORRY….. I had way too many Labor Day margaritas.
Megan2, It’s not PH who’s beating a dead horse, she’s just defending her position. It’s a handful of others who continue to belabor the point, ad nauseum, because they feel their favorite has had fewer ringers than other pros. We go through this (to my mind, foolish) debate at the beginning of every season. PH just tries to bring some facts and clarity to it.
@336- Kyle didn’t have any previous dance experience.
As you pointed out, albeit through a haze of Labor Day margaritas, being a ringer doesn’t a winner make.
My personal opinion is that the person that writes for the blog kind of makes the definitions of the words used for said blog.
I kind of agree with Heidi. (And that was BEFORE she said Bill Engvall wasn’t a ringer) ;-P
It is kind of hard not to keep speaking on a subject that keeps popping up. Since the subject is ringers, it must be Monday. Heidi and the rest of the ladies (And John) get questions and arguments about ringers at least twice a week during the season. (and weeks leading up to it)
The real argument from who is a ringer and who isn’t comes down to people feeling that Derek gets all the ringers when that is not the case. Ringerdom has been distributed about. Some have received more than others. (STILL waiting on Emma’s ringer.)
We all have our biases (I’m totally claiming bias for Emma) so we want our guy or gal to look good. Just remember, how you go about stating your opinion…not only reflects you but on your fav as well.
#KeepItClassy
Love to the Mods
#248 Thank you ๐
I am just disappointed that they brought back Sharna after all. I was glad that we were getting a break from her. What is the purpose of having 13 couples anyway?
All the arguing about ringers is only going to fuel PH to create “what defines a ringer post” which will only prove how diverse and complex a ringer is in dwts world. Instead of arguing with PH and the puredwts gang, just chill out and wait for the season.
Heidi, Court, and Vogue great job as always and I can’t wait to see your live posting on the cast announcement!!! It always gives me a good chuckle seeing your commentary. Also will there be Cheesecake this year? ๐
Who said he did, Jocelyn?
@343- Just curious, why did you want a break from Sharna? I can respect your opinion since I too wanted a break from one of the females. For me it was Cheryl though.
@345-Megan2 was saying that people in the finale may be ringers but if they don’t hit the right fan base they won’t win. She listed Kyle with Corbin & Zendaya so I figured she meant he was a ringer. Sorry if you didn’t Megan2.
We never know if there will be cheesecake, Nico. We both have to feel it and we haven’t been feeling it of late.
I was thinking of a new series called “Stupid shit that Erin says” and then she actually got her shit *together* and finished the season pretty well. So, that went out the window.
I never did get around to my “Faux Kiss Count” last season, but since nearly every Maks/Meryl dance had one it would have been pointless. ๐
@348- Lol at the Erin column. Maybe you could replace Erin with the judges. They say plenty of stupid things. ๐
Are for real or trolling or what? ๐
ADDING: I guess we could say the same for your favorite Mark.
Um, gee, Melissa…because they found 13 people they wanted to be on the show, perhaps. :::rolls eyes:::
Season 2 – 10
Season 3 – 11
Season 4 – 11
Season 5 – 12
Season 6 – 12
Season 7 – 13
Season 8 – 13
Season 9 – 16 (horrendous)
Season 10 – 11
Season 11 – 12
Season 12 – 11
Season 13 – 12
Season 14 – 12
Season 15 – 13
Season 16 – 12
Season 17 – 12
Season 18 – 12
Season 19 – 13
Sensing a pattern? Of course not, because there isn’t one. They probably start with 25 or more people they want on the show and by the time they get close to the end they can have anywhere from 10 to 16 people, depending on who says yes and who doesn’t.
That might actually be too much work, Jocelyn – I mean we won’t be able to watch the show, from counting all their stupid shit.
@352- Haha, I think you’re right. Carrie Ann alone would take too much time.
#346 Jocelyn – I just do not care for her. Not really any one reason. She just seems kind of trashy to me. She even managed to tart up a Mary Poppins costume.
And #350 – Why is it trolling to say that I am disappointed that she is back? I don’t care for her. And, sure, I have seen plenty of people say they don’t care for Mark. And I don’t call them trolls for it.
MelissaC (#343), Maybe the purpose of having 13 couples was to have Sharna on this season just to annoy the **** out of you. ๐ I’ve been wanting a break from Tony since before season 15, but that ain’t happening. So I just put on my big-girl panties, hit the fast-forward button on my remote, and soldier on.
Melissa- Name one dance where Sharna was trashy compared to the other female pros or female celebrities. Did you see any of James and Peta’s dances last season?
That’s how the ball bounces, Melissa. I was bummed last season when I realized Maks was not only back, but handed a sure winner. Unlike many of his fans, I was an adult about it though. It seems Derek attract people with civility whereas the fam encourages juvenile behavior.
First, to address the ringer debate. I personally don’t care about ringers because I think they add something to the show. Imagine if we had a show of 12 people with the dance ability of D.L Hughley in Week 1. It would, for me, be kinda boring. So dance ringers are a good thing, as they take the level of competition up. Fan base ringers tend to be the most fun to watch, at least odor me. They are so fun and joyous, and I just love watching them dance!
PH #348: I would agree that Erin got better as the season goes on. Sometimes, it just takes a while to adjust to a new job, especially going from football and sports reporting. It could not be more different.
Melissa, I personally adore Sharna’s choreography. She could be as good as Derek someday. She does very well with relating to her partners and choreographing for them. She is also genuinely nice and a wonderful person. I understand and respect that you dislike her, but you happen to be on a site where most of us love Sharna. I think she will do great things.
Okay, I go on a internet detox for 3 days and look at all I missed!
Michael Waltrip was a name out of left field. Personally I prefer IndyCar racing over NASCAR any day of the week. Indy Racing League has more panache, glamour and mystery than NASCAR. If that makes me a snob, then I can live with that.
Was really hoping the Duck Dynasty girl was a false rumor.
Lolo and Keo will be the most really, really, really, ridiculously good looking(thank you Zoolander)couple ever on the dance floor.
It’s a privilege to be able to comment on this blog. This is their Popsicle stand and they’re gracious enough to let us hang out and slurp DWTS Popsicle’s with them. I hope new posters remember that and respond accordingly.
@354- Are you sure you’re not confusing Sharna with Peta? Just kidding ๐ I like both of them.
Sharna did some of the best choreos last season. She is also very protective of her celebrities and I like that about her.
Trashy? I thought Peta’s costumes was way out there and her dances too overtly sexy for me to enjoy but to each his own. I am just glad that she is back because she deserves to be in the show and I enjoy her dances.
Sharna is such a good choreographer that Meryl and Charlie asked her to choreograph their dance exhibition for one of their future appearances. Also, Sharna is also included in one of the Disson’s shows this coming December.
You know with 13 people, how likely are they of doing a double elimination to create drama? The one last season was poorly planned and chaotic.
The double elimination last season was one of the tackiest decision made by the producers and was so humiliating to the contestants.
And of course, the showmance.
@Ria- I agree that the double elimination was incredibly tacky. I felt bad for Diana & Henry/ Karina & Sean being shoved out like that. The showmance stuff actually didn’t really bother me. Sometimes I cringed, sometimes I just shrugged. I liked Meryl well enough that I just ignored it.
Ria- I agree. Speaking of tacky, Peta’s lingerie costume for Latin night was inappropriate.
It is unlikely that we will see any showmance from Lolo Jones. They did that interview with Keo about romance with his celeb on ABC’s facebook page. When I checked Lolo’s wikipedia, she has some pretty firm beliefs about things. So if TPTB are looking for that angle they are doomed LOL. ๐
PH #301 Well heck. The DWTS ringer lexicon doesn’t seem to be “ringing” through to some who are posting here! Thus the reference! ๐
I have as yet to understand why the other pros have not tapped into Derek’s training methods. They’re obvious. Heck, he has even explained them more than once. Yes, he would have taken Martina much further, maybe by 2 or 3 weeks as he would have with so many other celebs who have exited early.
Ditto on Tony’s disservice to the celebs. Nothing like setting up an excuse before the season starts. Maybe he will follow Maks at the end of this season, never to be heard from again!
Long weekend is over. Back to the grind. Excited about some of the new shows coming on this season, but I must finally admit, yes, I watch DWTS even when I say “never again”!
#365 Ria, the gift that keeps on giving. LOL
https://twitter.com/petamurgatroyd/status/506196027636842496
I don’t think Peta is with Tommy Chong as Tommy Chong is white. I think she has Alfonso.
#354 MelissaC
Just out of curiosity. If you think Sharna’s costumes are trashy, what do you think of Peta’s since the day she appeared on the show?
Question for the PureDWTS girls! ๐
Any info on Theme Weeks this season? Besides the Switch-Up??
and Zendaya doesn’t count because she was so young and was too tall for Val, and Danica doesn’t count because she was such a dork, and Janel doesn’t count because I don’t know who she is, POOR WIDDLE VAL.
and you KNOW that if they give someone to that lazy, untalented Derek Hough, they are a ringer, sure we might not have guessed it ahead of time by just seeing their name (especially if wasn’t yet associated with that guy, and especially if we thought one of our own favorites was going to get her), but those producer SURELY MUST know it because if all those gals didn’t already know how to dance and create their own routines why do they look so gol darn good all the time. Cheater. It’s all rigged and I’m not watching that show ANY more!!! So there producers.
Ali, maybe Tommy has a great tan?!
Also, I think Alfonzo is meatier than that.
Vogue, Tommy Chong is half baked after all! Nudge,nudge,wink,wink.
When I first heard of the Lolo and Keo partnership, I immediately thought of TPTB pushing a showmance between them. I really hope not. Can’t two attractive single people just dance together without all that nonsense? I remember her saying she’s a virgin and will stay that way until she’s married but that was 4 or 5 years ago.
I’m going to think of them as LoKe. lol.
LOL Susan2! I think so too! I agree on the showmancing too….just let them dance.
Nah, I think that’s Tommy. It kind of looks like the inside of his arms at the elbows are a bit wrinkly, that’s a sure sign of aging.
I agree with Vogue, Alfonso is meatier.
He doesn’t look tall enough to be Tommy Chong (who is 6’1″).
If you look closely it appears that sticking out of the bottom of his sleeve is a tattoo. I don’t believe Alfonso has a tattoo there, however, I do believe that Tommy does.
Touching on the height issue, I hate to mention age again, but unfortunately that’s another downfall of getting older it’s called shrinkage. I believe that it is Tommy Chong that is paired with Peta.
To say Tony gets ringers is hilarious.
Yes, Val does get ringers, but the way Judges treat Derek (his parents never get judged) is nauseating. The only other couple that came close to Derek’s treatment was Maks and Meryl. On top of that his sister will now judge him.
@marintx, I think their heights are being tweaked by using a perspective trick. Peta is standing closer to the camera and the guy is standing farther behind her than he appears to be. This is an excellent way to disguise their relative heights.
@Jennifer- I would agree that the way that the judges treat Derek is nauseating, but in the completely opposite way that you think it’s nauseating. He’s the only one that gets called out for breaking any rules. He’s the only one that’s called out for “not liking the choreography” or “having a cow in the background”. Tony’s broken hold before and has the judges say “we’ll let it slide this time”. Yet Derek gets slammed for breaking hold every time. If you actually believe that Derek gets special treatment than you’re clearly watching the show with a biased opinion.
@Jennifer – Why would Derek’s parents get judged? They aren’t dancing. ๐
HAHAHAHAH! Gotta love aoutocorrect. Yes, his parents are not dancing, my bad. ๐
I meant his partners.
*Autocorrect.
I m on a roll today, better stay away from computer.
Well this is the most dissapointing line up for me. The only person By name alone I only had an ideea who antonio sabato jr was (from some 90s I think…) and then I realised Carlton was on.
Have absolutely no ideea who the rest is. This didn’t happen to me in the past 10-11(?) seasons I followed.
I might switch and give the Uk version a try. I never watched that but now with Tristan over there and a few more known names in the line up I will give it a go .
The stars I’m looking forward to the most are:
Bethany Mota: It’s so cool to see a YouTube star finally make the cast. I know that fans have wanted this for a while, and I have no problem with this girl being the first. I do already watch her videos, and I love them. She’s always so perky and her videos are fun to watch. She’s a very accomplished young lady.
Betsey Johnson: (…another judge from Project Runway…haha, it’s weird to think that both she and Beth have sat on the same judging spot, and are now on the same dance floor!) But really, I’ve wanted to see a fashion designer on the show for a while, and the closest they came before was Carson Kressley, but he’s nowhere near the legend of Betsey Johnson. One of my favorite designers… I have her purse and her jacket, and I’d love to eventually invest in more from her. It’s sad that she’s no longer designing, but I’m looking forward to see her dancing.
Alfonso Ribeiro: I’m ashamed to say that I wasn’t completely sure who this guy was before I looked him up, but oh boy, I have great memories of watching Fresh Prince when I was little, and I’m going back and rewatching a lot of epis now! It’s a quality show with some great messages.
Lea Thompson: I don’t really remember her from Back to the Future, but I’ve known for a while that this was on her resume. I’m excited for her, though, because Switched at Birth is my guilty pleasure. ๐ I remember when Gilles Marini mentioned it in the All Stars season, and that was exciting enough, but now one of the regulars will be on! I think she will be a surprise to everybody!
Jonathan Bennett: Because, uh, Mean Girls, duh! ๐ To be honest, that’s all I know him for, but I’m excited to see him come out and do this show after the movie came out ten years ago. (10 years?! Dang, I’m feeling old!)
I’m happy about most of the stars, Heck I’ll deal with “ringers” over reality people any day(at least the ringers are actual stars and not a celebrity). but can anyone explain how being popular on youtube makes you a star???????????? My head is hurting from trying to figure that one out. Is there something I’m missing?
On a more positive note, we have 7 actors/actress, 1 athlete, 1 race car driver, and 1 fashion designer this season, but no football star since the athlete is both female(never heard of a female NFL star), and competed in the Summer and Winter Olympics this year.
Makes me wonder if Sharna’s partner is the requisite football star or the requisite singer…
@Susan2 #376, LoKe it is. ๐ And ditto to two attractive single people just dancing and enjoying their partnership.
@Pure moderators – do TPTB “encourage” the showmance storylines or is it the couples themselves or a combination of both. Thank you for your input.
@Teresa How does being related to the main characters of a reality show and appearing on the show every now and then makes you a star? I would be complaining more about Sadie Robertson being on than Bethany. Bethany is a designer with her own clothing line. Her fame started and grew on YouTube and then expanded to her having her clothing line, appearing on Project Runway as a judge, winning a Teen Choice award. Yes those are all minor things that may be insignificant but what has someone like Sadie done? Yeaaaah… Exactly. Just because perhaos you don’t watch much YouTube doesn’t mean millions of other people don’t. Bethany has over 7M subscribers and gets about 2M views per videos. Heck, there’s probably some TV shows that don’t even get to 1M viewers. I think you should really give Bethanh a chance because she is WAY more than just “popular on YouTube”.
I think they’re pretty hard on Derek much of the time, and I’m just guessing, but I think the negative backlash we’ve seen will make Julianne REALLY hard on him. But we shall see. I just don’t understand the negativity. It’s a fun show regardless of who’s cast. (IMO, anyway.)
I think Derek is going to win because that little girl got some rhythm.
There is an instagram on dwts page of sharna’s partner…. I almost looks like Shaq!?? A tall, athletic looking African American man.
Annette, I saw that too! It looks like some kind of sports player, but wouldn’t it be awesome if it was James Monroe Ingelheart? A girl can dream!
DWTSGossip says it’s Tavis Smiley…. I have no idea who that is.
@CC (389) I actually did not know that about Bethany, which would explain why I said “Am I missing something?” Obviously I only knew/found information about her being on youtube so I assumed that she was only a youtube person. Based on what you said she falls under the “fashion designer” category, giving her a small but still there “claim to stardom.”
I think the height may be an illusion. To me it looks like Billy Joel.
I hope all this was worth the wait. Tavis Smiley? Who the heck is that?
I think the man with Sharna looks too short to be Shaq. DWTSGossip thinks it’s Travis Smiley. I think I’ll go with that too! (Is that the clue that you gave us, Courtney, by putting a “smiley” face after “we have a couple clues on Sharna’s partner”?) Hahaha. Oh well, whoever Sharna’s partner is I am excited to see how he works with her ๐
Travis Smiley?! The PBS guy?
What if they got the guy from Reading Rainbow?
Yeah, PBS apparently. I slightly remember him from his days on BET Tonight in the 90s (showing my age!).
Tavis Smiley was listed in Courtneys Ramdom Possibility section of her Rumor Roundup. Good Job!
So Tavis is the BIG Deal? Okie dokie then.
Repeat after me, kids: TAVIS Smiley, not TRAVIS Smiley. And yes, the smiley face was a very, very subtle hint. ๐
So Travis Smiley huh? Well… I am excited to his partnership with Sharna. However, if I’m honest, I have a feeling this might be another early exit for our beloved Sharna ๐ Hope I’m wrong and this guy can dance a little but, something tells me he might be another Keyshawn Johnson.
Oh it’s TAVIS. LOL. Totally did not even notice that. That’s actually a really nice name. Hmmm
Hm. Tavis Smiley, eh? I feel like we’ve never had someone quite like him on the show, in terms of what he does. I trust Sharna’s ability to train him, but I wonder how he’s going to do…
I think this must be one of the worst cast ever- there is no big name :/
Wow, Mods, thanks so much for all these spoilers! I can’t believe you got all the celebs and pro matches also four days before the big reveal. Rob Wade must be having a fit! ๐
Sandy, I’m kinda with you on this one and am not sure I have good vibes about it.
The secrecy might not have been because he’s such a big deal. He was a late signer (apparently) which says to me, he was either driving a very hard bargain for his “services” -or- he’s been waffling about whether or not he *really* wanted to do this. For Sharna’s sake, now that he’s “in”, I hope he gives her 100%. Sharna already had one “why did I agree to this?” celeb in Keyshawn; it would be a terrible waste of her talent to stick her with another reluctant partner. I also hope he’s not a diva.
#408 Really? While I agree that it isn’t that amazing of a cast, I would at least consider Alfonso Ribeiro a rather big name. I think a lot of people know Alfonso or “Carlton Banks”.
@Al: I thought that in the beginning as well but just looking from a diversity standpoint, it has a little for everyone and from what I know from TV and whatnot some big personalities (wait until you see Betsey lol).
Yes, a HUGE thank you to all of the Pure mods for all of the awesome work you’ve done given us the names for the new season! ๐
AI (#408) — To each his own, but I don’t need “big names” to make it a good cast. I’d just as soon have decent dancers and pleasant personalities who are happy to be on the show and want to work hard, develop a good relationship with their pro, and have fun with the rest of the cast. For me, what they do on the show matters more than their level of fame.
I didn’t feel anyone on season 13 was a “big name”โฆ.but was pleasantly surprised by Rob Kardashian and amazingly delighted with J.R. Martinez ๐
IMHO the biggest name that season was Nancy Grace lol
DITTO CIDRA! I don’t care who dances because I just love dancing, the journeys, everything. I’m always surprised! Bring on Dancing With The Stars Season 19!
That’s exactly how I feel, I don’t care who is dancing, just that they do. How many days?
Really disappointed ๐ I was so much hoping for a popular one for Sharna, and it turned out some Smiley guy.. He’ll be another Keyshawn, and they’ll be first to go home for sure ๐
I wish Ribeiro/Antionio was with Sharna. I guess Sharna deserved a much better partner. Her choreography with Charlie was tremendous last season -their semi final’s foxtrot is one of my top favorite from last season.
From Court’s tweet, I understood that the reason they couldn’t spill yet re Tavis is because they hadn’t started practicing yet. So that doesn’t make me think they did it because they think he’s an extra big deal compared to anyone else, only that perhaps he had a schedule that precluded him from starting rehearsal a few days earlier. Do we (meaning mods, deep throat someone who knows knows) that he was a late sign, or if any one was a late sign, perhaps another male was but with shuffling for whatever reason, Sharna ended up with him.
My thoughts exactly, Cidra and Vogue.
I always hear people complaining about the lack of “stars” on the show, but to be honest, that never bothers me. Sometimes I like when I don’t know anybody in the cast. That way I have no prior “feelings” towards a certain celebrity and I can just get to know all of them once they are dancing and see who I like and who I don’t like. It’s just fun for me that way.
I never expected to like Andy Dick as much as I did. Same goes for Nancy Grace, Bill Engvall, J.R. Martinez, Valerie Harper, Amber Riley, Amy Purdy… and so many others. All of these celebrities are people I was like “WHO?!” when they were announced but I grew to like them so much when they were on the show that I’m glad they were cast.
I just think some people should stop worrying about whether or not these Stars are “well known” or “big names”. I’m pretty sure the word “stars” in the name of the show was never intended to mean that they’ll cast people like Angelina Jolie or Oprah (though I wish they would). In my opinion, what matters is not the caliber of the stars but the fact that they are relatable, fun to watch and overall entertaining people. So yeah, bring on DWTS Season 19!
Tavis Smiley!
I know who he is and all but um, ok. :/
He could be great. I like his personality and all I just didn’t see it coming. But I never see any of them coming.
I can’t remember who said it couldn’t be Tommy Chong because he’s 6’1. He was 6’1 in his youth. He’s around 72 now so I’m sure he’s shrunk considerably. I remember seeing pictures of my grandparents for the first time when they were young and would hear how tall they were back then. Shocking how much we shrink in old age.
So I was thinking about it today and the front row in the audience would be hysterical if the DD people were next to Will Smith and other “Fresh Prince” alum, and Cheech. I really hope that happens.
+1 CC and Jess!!
And DWTSF19Fan, why judge and write Tavis off before you see them even dance? I was reading over a last post from season 17. I thought Bill Engvall would be the first to go. Boy, was I ever wrong. I didn’t think I’d like a controversial contestant like Nancy Grace either and boy was I ever wrong then too.
Adam, we’ve heard some clues about possible happenings on DWTS and trust me when I say you don’t want to know until and if they become reality.
@DWTS19Fan: Idk. He could be really good. I’m actually going to guess that Tommy is going to get eliminated first. I seriously cannot wait to read the outraged reactions on the DWTS facebook page for his involvement.
That Tony gets ringers is a fact that you can’t really dispute, Jennifer.
As for your tired, old, easily disprove bullshit about Val and Derek? Well, what should we expect from you? Anyone with a working brain doesn’t actually believe that Derek gets preferential treatment from the judges – which leaves out all C-bros fans completely.
And spreading this song and dance across multiple post could be construed as TROLLING. And as you’ve been trolling this site for years now, I suggest you watch your step. You’ve pretty much worn out your welcome, dearie.
What you’re missing, Teresa, is the massive (and growing) appeal of social media and youtube by the key demographic. Don’t sweat it – I missed it too, for a while. But I’m willing to adjust with the times.
This is definitely the least amount of people I’ve known on a cast. I do wish they had some bigger names, only to bring on a larger audience to be sure that the show does well for the future. However, my favorite part is learning about the contestants and seeing their partnerships form, so for my own personal viewership, I’m fine with not knowing anybody.
@425 I’m with you, vin. I think Tommy might be the first out. Followed by, perhaps, Betsey or Tavis.
However, I agree with Vogue.. You never really know who’s going to be the first out. I also though Bill Engvall was gonna be the first out. Same goes for Andy Dick and Billy Dee Williams. Maybe Tavis has some moves there and I’m already writing him off. I guess we’ll see. I just hope I get to see Sharna for a while!
This season is kinda weird for me, its the first season where my favorite dancers Mark and Derek are both paired with girls I’ve never heard of, and the only stars I’ve heard of in my country are Antonio Sabato Jr and Alfonso Ribeiro, so I guess I’m starting this season with a completely clean slate, no a priori feelings which is new and kinda weird.
I can’t wait to see how this season’s gonna turn out and its very exciting to see all my favorite pros come back for a new season.
They push the showmance angle whenever they have the chance, Deena, and I think it’s usually very obvious from the comments in rehearsal to the questions Erin asks in the sky box to who gets what partners. Why? Because it obviously works on a certain subset of people who are prone to “romance” – even fake ones. I don’t get it. I think it’s quite silly. But ask yourself this – would Meryl and Maks have been half as popular without the showmance? I don’t think you have to look much father than Charlie and Sharna for the answer to that one. One couple played the game, the other didn’t and was very public about their significant others.
Sherry, I wonder if the backlash will actually stop Julianne from being overly hard on Derek. I know I would just to give the haters a big ole “F@#k you”. ๐ Julianne doesn’t strike me as the type to cave in to haters. Just the opposite.
PH #424: That sounds kind of ominous. I hope they don’t do anything too disastrous…
Personally, I like coming into things like this with a blank slate, because it gives me the opportunity to get to know the contestants without prior bias. One thought about Sharna and Tavis: Remember how well Sharna did with Andy? He had little to no dance experience, and they made it all the way to Week 7! Plus, she handled his meltdown pretty darn well. I think Sharna can definitely handle Tavis, as long as he doesn’t pull a Keyshawn or a DL.
@CC: I think Betsey will be one of the first four celebs voted off as well. I oddly am curious about Randy though. Athletes either excel or do not do well on the show and I really hope he excels.
Sidenote, from the looks of the pairings, I don’t see any showmances in the cards yet. That makes me happy.
I totally see betsey and tommy being the first two out, not because of their age but because they’re controversial. But I also thought that about Andy, so who knows?
@vin – Some are already trying to push the Lolo-Keo showmance.
@DWTS19Fan – Why does Sharna “deserve a better partner”? For that matter, why do any of the pros “deserve” a certain type of partner? Getting a tad irked that I keep hearing people say things like “I really wish Sharna had gotten Alfonso!” or “Totally not fair that Witney got Alfonso!!!” as if certain pros are entitled to “better” partners and others – this show is bigger than any one pro or any one celebrity. I honestly have to roll my eyes when I hear this kind of complaining from the fans – it’s an insult to both the celebs and the pros. There are so many factors that go into pairing the celebs and pros up, and I would say that 9 times out of 10, the show gets it pretty right. Example: Alfonso is probably the shortest male celeb this season – he’s only about 5’7″. That alone dictates that he needs a pretty short female pro – so that automatically rules out Peta (5’7″), Sharna (5’5″), Emma (5’5″), Cheryl (5’4″), and Karina (5’4″ish). We’re left with 5’3″ Witney & Allison – and of those two, only Witney has any background in tap, which is what Alfonso specializes in. When you look at it that way, it’s a pretty big no-brainer that Witney is the pro best-suited to work with him…still think Sharna “deserves” him? Even though he’s more compatible with another pro, both physically and in terms of skill?
I have half a mind to write a post on why certain partnerships are the way they are on DWTS…tired of hearing all the bitching & moaning about how so-and-so “should have been paired with” such-and-such instead of what’s-her-name.
Courtney, I like the way you work through the pairing of Alfonso! It makes a lot of sense the way you put it. Just a question: If Alfonso is 5’7″, why can’t Karina or Cheryl, who are 5’4″, pair with him?
@Aviva – Most of the ballroom heels the ladies on the show wear are at least 3″. That would put them eye-to-eye with Alfonso, and it’s more visually pleasing to have the man at least a tad taller than the woman. Even if height wasn’t an issue, I would say that Witney’s tap experience is reason enough to pair them together – she’s the only female pro that taps.
So, what would the show do if they had a male shorter that 5’7″? Like, say, 5’3″? They’ve had short male pros pair with taller female stars, but they haven’t really had any short male stars to my memory.
Lolo and keo ……… Shippers just confuse me. I doubt keo would even use that to get farther or cause a stir…..like maks lol…..so hopefully they just squash that quickly.
It kind of shocks me how so many fans at twitter, etc, are commenting how they don’t know who the celebs are this time and that there is no big names and the show is going to tank ….I would think Lea Thompson is a pretty big name? She’s been in some big movies (Back To The Future, etc). Michael Waltrip is one of the biggest names in the racing world. When I told hubby, he was over the moon. Soap fans I would think would know who Antonio Sabato Jr. is and if you don’t, rest assured you’ve probably seen his underwear ad at one time or another. Then there is Alfonso Ribeiro…. “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” one of the most popular sitcoms at one time. I would think that is a pretty big name too? Cheech and Chong were huge at one time. My brother was a huge fan. I’ll never forget him playing their 8 tracks laughing so hard until he cried. If he were alive, he would love that Tommy was taking on dancing. He’s going to be a hoot.
Firstly, thanks mods for all you’ve done to get the pairings for us not so patient fans.
To everyone, stop complaining, about stars/no stars, who should be paired with who – aren’t we watching the show to see some fun/good dancing, the stories behind the why they’re doing the show and the journeys to get there.
Bring on Season 19 let’s get those dancing shoes on and enjoy the ride!
And for you teachers or mothers of teenagers, ask your kids and students if they know who Bethany Mota is. I bet they know exactly who she is. When you think about it, the producers are covering all of their bases with age groups and different sets of fans (again).
Oh and further to my #444 post I do have a favourite pro and I vote for him and always happy and excited to see him on the show. I don’t complain about who he gets for partners because I love to see what he does with new partners and what his choreography can produce.
Honestly, I’ve not heard of so many this season but I do know a fair few – mainly Alfonso, Lolo, Jonathan and Randy.
However, what I do like about having a bit more of an unknown cast for me is that I purely judge them on their dancing. I don’t go in with any pre-conceived ideas about them, and I just base my opinions on how they dance, like it should be. ๐
My favorites so far are Derek and Bethany and Artem and Lea!!!!
All this speculation of Tommy Chong being the first celeb out has got me a bit bummed.
All I ask is that his first dance is the ChaCha and he dances it to Lowrider from Up In Smoke.
I asked my soon to be 14 yr. old who Bethany Mota was. She had some pretty positive things to say about her.
You moderators are awesome! How you got all these spoilers is amazing. Your Deep Throat better keep his/her head down for a bit because they might be out of a job with all this intel!. I think it is fun to have a heads up on the contestants though and figure out who might be early contenders etc. While there are no real draws for me in this cast , it will be fun to see how the new pros do also.
#443 Vogue, I think those are mostly the Maks fans who think any season without him is going to tank. LOL
In all the years that I have watched DWTS I have never ever thought
about envisioning the pro and the celebrity to have a romance. The most I thought was that they look good together in their dances. It is almost always the dances for me. I guess that is why showmances never worked for me. I’m more of who dances it best.
I don’t know half of the celebrities in this coming season and I like it that way. I would like to be surprised. I don’t have anybody to root for so I am just looking forward to enjoying the show. I made the mistake of doing that last season and got so disappointed so this time it will be different. (It also helps that Maks is not back so I won’t be reminded of last season).
@445- Vogue, you’re definitely right about teens knowing Bethany Mota. I know from first hand experience. ๐ I agree that they really did a good job covering all ages/fan-bases too. I even know Lea Thompson since she was on Switched At Birth. I know Alfonso from watching Fresh Prince reruns. Everyone else I knew from researching beforehand when they became rumors.
Oops, I forgot about Janel. I know her from Pretty Little Liars.
#Susan2- Are we in the same generation….who else has seen Up In Smoke?
But isn’t LowRider a bit slow for a ChaCha or maybe not too slow for Tommy Chong. LOL
I only know of 3 of this cast- Tommy Chong, Lea Thompson and Lolo Jones.
But I’m open-minded and just excited to have something to watch on Monday nights that involves dancing.
OMG, this would be PERFECT! LOL!!
I hope Sadie dances to Pharrell’s “Hunter” too. Check out that song on You Tube to see why. lol
So true. Most of the negativity I’m hearing in general (for what I wrote about before) is from them. The season is just doomed and it started with Maks. Yeah right, I can’t wait for them to be proven wrong …again.
Yep, that one too!!!!
First off, this cast has a bunch of people who are very well known to those who are in their 20’s. And it has several people who are well known to people in the DWTS Demo. Nearly every season this show has been on the air, people have complained loud and long about how the show cast “stars” who were unknown. EVERY Season. Last season, and the level of familiarity that people had with all many of them was the EXCEPTION, NOT THE RULE. Do people have no long term memory?? And guess what? That well known cast from last season didn’t increase the ratings outside the accepted margin of error from the previous spring season.
I know hah. Same delusions of the Maks fans that M&M is the best team EVAH and that nobody can come close to their versatility. Hm I wonder why none of their dances was nominated for an Emmy if they are that great.
And suggesting that M&M dance at every DWTS show this coming season, a separate TV show which will just focus on M&M. (Shakes head)
I know Lea Thompson..aside from Back to the Future, she had a fairly popular sitcom called Caroline in the City ๐ Now this Tavis guy? Gonna have to Google him. Don’t watch PLL. Quite a few of this cast I had to look up on Wikipedia. Not complaining but I’m not in the core demo TPTB are going after. I’m in the demo that watches & votes.
Out of this group, I am looking forward to Sadie and LoLo most. Every year there are people I am not familiar with, some prove to be interesting and others, not so much. For nostalgia, Lea, Antonio and Alfonso fit the bill. And I hope Michael does well for the NASCAR fans. I haven’t seen Jonathan Bennett in anything in a long time, but did like him on All My Children years ago.
#432 – PH, aaah, touche. You may well be right about Julianne. She certainly is of the ‘I don’t care what you think so bite me’ ilk. ๐
Val’s desperation to win is already annoying me and the season hasn’t even started yetโฆ
On paper Janel is probably one of the top three competitors between fan base size and potential skill so I get the enthusiasm. Don’t force it though dudeโฆjust let it happen. The audience senses desperation and it never works out.
Tavis Smiley could be interesting. I think he might be a decent dancer too, at least compared to Keyshawn. @460- Lol Ria. Your last sentence cracked me up. Just curious are you finding all of this stuff on tumblr?
+1 +1 Miss Heidi!!!
Im a PLL fan and I would be suprised if Janel ends up winning. I’m sure she will be good, she has a dance background. As for fan base her costar Brant Daughtery made it to seventh place in his season (17) and he was a decent dancer. They also kept putting him in jeoprady to rile people up to vote for him. I think Janel will go farther then him because although her character on PLLs was not a main character she did have a much bigger part in the story line and much more camera time then Brants character on the show. Also on paper it seems like people on this season have weaker fan bases then her. But PLL is mainly watched by females in there 20s and teens not in the main voting demo of dwts. She will most likely gain fans but it seems like Alfonso is the fan favorite at the moment and he has the main dwts voting demo behind him. I could be wrong and Janel may win but at the moment im not seeing it.
LOL Jocelyn #465. I don’t even know what a tumblr is. No, I find all these stuff on the DWTS fan forums(Under Maksyl LOL!). There are a few delusional people there who firmly believe that M&M are a couple, that they are having a secret relationship, Meryl is wearing Mak’s engagement ring and that they are secretly meeting in MY and Michigan and wherever even in Hawaii.
I get a kick out of reading these comments(sort of like watching a train wreck)and anticipating what else they are going to come up with and no, I never respond. In fact this is the only website that I post. I discovered this site last season and loved the comments here.
@468- Oh okay. I don’t really frequent tumblr or anything like twitter or Instagram but I hear a lot of shippers are on there. Geez Ria, that’s some pretty far fetched stuff lol. Meryl & Maks also kind of have the worst ship name ever. Maksyl really? Where do people get time for this stuff?
I’m really excited about this season. Derek is back. I’m looking forward to some good dancing. It looks like Maks won’t be back as a judge so that’s a plus. The way last season went, I was thinking they’d shove more Meryl and Maks dancing at us this season because they were such a hit with the shippers. From whatever went down with ABC and Maks, the possibility of that is low so that makes me happy. It would be so unfair if Meryl and Maks were hogging the spotlight yet again and overshadowing the new partnerships.
Ria & Jocelyn- I always thought Maksyl was an odd ship name and it sounded like a drug, like Benadryl. It cures shipperitis ROFL. ๐
well, the thing is these people might be delusional yes but I think Meryl and Maks also had something to do with fanning their hopes. Meryl did come out saying several times in interviews that they are not in a relationship but “they have a deep bond”. Maks does not come out stating positively that he is not dating Meryl but kind of skate around the question(which he does probably to encourage the fans since
he has a lot of stuff that he is trying to sell).
So these people go on hoping because of these tidbits that M&M are throwing at them.
To tell you the truth I kind of gotten off Meryl because of the showmance and the continuously coy stuff that followed the DWTS season. I mainly follow Charlie now coz I really like the way he presented himself in the show.
*correction-It doesn’t cure, it relieves it. There is obviously no cure for this disease LOL.
@470- Haha it does sound like a drug. @471- I think you’re right about that though I like Meryl well enough.
LOL #470-Kate(1). Best post of the day!! “I always thought Maksyl was an odd ship name and it sounded like a drug, like Benadryl. It cures shipperitis ROFL.”
Val’s tweets are obnoxious. If he takes lessons from big bro and goes for showmance, I don’t think I’ll be able to stand it. Why’s he going so overboard? Just shut up and let ur work speak for urself. No wonder the C bro fans are so loud, the take after their idols
Just when i swore off the show due to last seasons “charlie debacle”… they go and do something right and cast Alfonso Ribeiro. OMG I cant wait I hope he and Whitney do well. If the carlton dance shows up in a decade theme week I dont know what ill do with myself..scream till I pass out…hug my TV… How absolutely exciting!!!
A complete list! Yay! Thanks so much to the mods here. You’re the best! Will have to adjust my schedule so that I could join you for the live tweeting and blogging on Thursday. Let the dancing begin!
I’m a fan of Tavis Smiley, so I’m very surprised to see his name on the list…but happy. I’m obviously older than some of you, 60, but try to stay with the times a bit. However, I don’t watch PLL or other shows similar so the stars are new to me. I didn’t know Brant, either. I don’t mind at all when I don’t know the celebrities. I haven’t seen Tommy Chong in years, so don’t know how he is holding up, but unless he has arthritis or something he should be pretty smooth. I agree with most of you; looking forward to all these pairings. It will be an exciting season, great dancing, new pros, new producer… I’m ready!
I don’t watch PLL but I don’t think she will win either. Hopefully Val will curb his enthusiasm because it is a complete turn off. However, he is mentioning that there will be more than just voting that the fans will be helping him to get his trophy. I wonder if there are other interactive fan things this season which are part of it or if he is just getting carried away. Seriously though, no other pro is going on about wanting to win like he is. Weird imp.
Vogue #456 I love that Hunter song, there’s something about the groove, it’s a great song for working out to. But at the same time I hate some of the lyrics and meaning of the song because I think it glorifies a stalking/possessiveness that’s very scary “if I can’t have you nobody can” so I wouldn’t want to see them use if for a dance for a young girl.
Jess, thanks for letting me know. I really didn’t pay attention to all the lyrics. I just noticed the Duck Dynasty mention and I love the song for dancing.
@Ananya- I agree about Vals tweets being obnoxious. Each season I think I’m going to give him a chance and then he starts being cocky. I wish he would think about having fun and creating great art rather than “that MBT is ours this year”. The sad part is that I actually like his pieces but his attitude about only winning just turns me off.
@Ananya – I said pretty much the same about Val and his tweets. I wish he would just let it happy organically and not force it. It’s such a turn off. Even during the finale last season as Danica is standing next to him he was talking about how much he wants to win now. He’s going to be very over the top this season. Janel’s fan base alone could get her very close to the finals when you consider the rest of the cast (another season probably not)…just go with it bro.
At the moment Alfonso is my favorite and I’m curious to see Lea (mostly because of Artem!). I am also interested to see how Lolo moves as I don’t know what to expect from her (or Keo for that matter). I want to see what Derek can do with someone like Bethany and Mark with someone like Sadie. Could be a surprising season for sure…
Ditto on Val….one minute I think he’s ok and I’m starting to like him and then he says and does something obnoxious and full of himself.
I am not doubting anyone here I just am wondering if something is wrong with that cast. Look at all of their ages, Chong-76 Johnson-73 Mota-18 Couture-51 Ribiero-42 Jones-32 Robertson-17 Waltrip-51 Thompson-53 Smiley-49 Parrish-25 Sabato-42 Bennett-33.. Just seems like a really old cast to me with half the cast 49 or older and 2 people over 70. I like the cast as a whole, they just seem a bit old and they aren’t huge names, I was hoping for someone bigger than Tavis Smiley.
Vogue, I agree it’s cute how he mentions Duck Dynasty, and that song is just so catchy. I find myself replaying it when I need motivated to pick up the pace. But it’s the only song on the disc who’s lyrics I don’t like. I don’t mind raunchy and dirty like Prince. But I wouldn’t want a young daughter to think it’s cool when a man thinks he owns you, nor would I want my young sons to grow into teens who think it’s OK or cool to treat a girl like she’s his prey. And if I hadn’t listened to it so often when I’m on the boring treadmill I most likely wouldn’t have noticed those specific lyrics.
Re Val, I have things I like about him and things I don’t care for at all. I think he’s a beautiful dancer. And I believe he sincerely cares about kids. I think he treats disabled kids with tremendous respect which I appreciate. Lots of people are uncomfortable and don’t know really how to be when they are around some kids with significant disability. Also, I always wonder how hard it must be to be so much more talented than the “star” of the family, “mama’s boy, grandma’s boy, dad’s partner, tabloid fodder older brother”. But of course he digs his own grave often enough with some of the things he says.
I haven’t seen Val’s tweets, but you’d think he’d learn from his own past mistakes. I mean, this isn’t the first time he’s bragged on twitter is it?
And really, if the producers have something in the works that will help him get “his trophy” – isn’t that just another C-bro who can’t win on his own choreography and dancing and needs help??
Apparently Val hasn’t realized that young fanbases don’t vote as hard as older ones and that Janel falls into the young fanbase category. And he ain’t Derek. I don’t think he has an easy walk to the trophy by any means.
It’s just this type of attitude that prevented Maks from winning for YEARS.
Ria (#460), The very thought of Maks and Meryl coming back to do a dance on this season makes me nauseous! ๐ I’m still trying to get over my disgust at what went down last season, and I don’t need any reminders.
Jess (#486), you’re so right about those lyrics (and others like them). Yeah, I know it’s just a song, and maybe we’re not giving today’s kids enough credit, but lyrics like that just send both genders the wrong message about relationships. As for Val, I’ve been thinking very much along the same lines as you. To some extent, we’re all a product of our family environment, but as adults we can make our own choices. I think Val would do himself a lot of favors both on DWTS and in life, if he put some distance between himself and his very insular, suffocating, and paranoid family.
#468 Ria, have you seen the latest one, that Meryl is the reason they’re opening a DWM studio in LA? She was consulted and her opinion is the reason they decided to move ahead with it. I’m not sure what Meryl has to do with DWM or with LA, never mind the fact they’ve been working on opening a DWM in LA for years, but whatever gets their ship through the night.
But I do have to disagree with you. While Maks absolutely loves throwing crumbs to the shippers when he needs something from them I’ve heard at least two interviews where he’s come right out and said he’s not dating Meryl. In one print interview, he straight up called it a showmance.
Not trying to turn this into a Val or Val/Janel thread considering we haven’t even seen them dance yet let alone interact but I agree that he digs his own grave a lot of times with the show. I can understand his enthusiasm as on paper it comes across like he has one of the better options this season, but pre-season judgements usually end up being wrong. There are so many wildcards for me this season (almost half the cast!) that anything could really happen as the season unfolds.
I’m not a Val hater by any means but they just don’t excite me the way some of the other couples do. We won’t really know anything until week 1 though.
Thank you for the spoilers. I’m super excited to finally have Alfonso Ribeiro on the show! This new season hasn’t started yet, but he’s definitely my favorite so far.
I wish Val would just heed one piece of advice that I’ve had countless bosses relay to me over the years: underpromise, overdeliver. If you talk a big game from the get-go and then can’t follow through, you’re a bullsh*tter; however, if you don’t make any grandiose promises up front but work your ass off and manage to wow everyone, you’re thought of highly. Hell, even if you don’t deliver a huge result in the end – at least you don’t end up looking like the chump that can talk a big game, but can’t follow through.
I hope Alfonso doesn’t come off as rude or snobby. I forgot to mention before that I had met him when I was younger. And asked for his autograph. And he definitely wasn’t having it lol. I’d like to think he’s changed since then.
Whoever runs the DWT twitter account has to be an idiot. They just confirmed Val and Janel and are talking about Team names.
Um…thought that people connected with the show’s pros weren’t supposed to be an actual source of leaks.
They’ve also taken Artem into the family. As if he didn’t have a hard enough row to hoe. ๐
Repeat after moi: derpity deep derp derp derp derp.
Well, the Val/Janel tweet was taken down, but apparently there’s something happening on access Hollywood tomorrow related to one of the couples…
There’s still the tweet on the DWM account… https://twitter.com/DanceWithMeUSA/status/507228060723462145
@Courtney #493. Words of wisdom for everyone ๐ The season hasn’t even start yet and Val already campaigning for votes. Too much noise within the C-bros camp and didn’t hear anything from other pros. I hope producers won’t turn this season into last season obvious MBT giveaway.
@Aviva Think all it is one of the couples will be stopping by Access Hollywood for an interview. Don’t they do that like every season for one couple? Idk.
Gosh those DWM people are a bunch of boneheads. Makes me laugh. Cast hasn’t been officially announced and they are already starting with their childish behavior. Although, if I’m honest, the Janel&Val team name made me chuckle… Team Java. Heh…
Side note, for some reason I just love seeing the tweets of the celebs being all like: “Big announcement tomorrow!” or “Flying to NYC!”. Then I’m just here like: “I know what the announcement is. Muahahahaha” “I know why you are going to NYC. Muahahaha”. Hehehehehe.
Thanks again to all the mods for all the work you have put into gathering all this information before the cast reveal tomorrow morning! Much appreciated here. I look forward to the live blog, as always!
Good advice Courtney!! Wish Val would actually listen to it!! For that reason only, I will vote for everyone BUT Val and Tony!!! Well at least until Derek and Bethany get voted off ๐
Maks must have let Val borrow his spare ego for the season. ๐
The Maksyl fanbots are already stating that they are not going to watch the coming DWTS season but will vote for Val and Janel so they can win.
#503
We all know about their selective watching skills. No one else existed for them last season except Meryl and Maks. ๐
I don’t know how Alfonso will cope with dances like paso or contemporary but he is charming and can still move.
Val needs to remember Alfonso is a celeb dwts fans have wanted for years. He is smart casting because his fan base is not just Fresh Prince fans. People remember also from Silver Spoons. He is popilar across the key dwts demo. Excited to see what he can do. While not a huge Witney dan, she did well with Drew and liked her more after that so hope she continues to impress.
Im already sick of team java
Yes, me too Jo and the season hasn’t started yet! :/
After looking at cast rumors Alfonso is the person who I think will win this season.
Wildcard who might MIGHT give Alfonso a run his money is Bethany Mota. Her fan-base is HUGE. I also watched a video of her’s on youtube she stated that she’s trained in both Hip-Hop and Jazz. So I’m predicting she’ll be interesting to watch and plus she’s with Derek! Which is always a plus.
won’t happen, of course, but wouldn’t it be a hoot if team Java (ugghh already) were eliminated first !
those that can, do. those that can’t, brag.
jo and Kelly – Me too! But I told myself that I won’t let a C-Brother get me down this season. I’m going to sit back and enjoy the show and ignore the negative karma (which is always a C-Brother).
All I know about Java is it’s a kind of coffee from the island of Java in Southeast Asia.
[…] a Season 19 that is low on big names. The official cast will not be confirmed until Thursday, but spoilers indicate that the other pairings are: Peta Murgatroyd and Tommy Chong, Karina Smirnoff and Randy […]
Java is a cool team name except I want coffee ice cream now. ๐ I don’t really pay attention to twitter accounts so my eyes are shielded from all that stuff lol.
But Janel is also trained in hip hop and jazz, and much more recently I believe. Bethany was 13 which makes me wonder if she was any good.
That said, I don’t think Val is even close to a sure thing. The loud maksyl fans are just maks and Val fans and they only have one win under them and we saw what that took.
I think, unfortunately, that we already know the “Season’s Showmance.” And I am dreading it. Val had one interview where I thought he was progressing, and now, I am sure that he will resort to Big Brother’s antics. Afterall, I THINK I remember an interview Maks did where he alluded to the showmance with Meryl, and him saying something like, “you need to do whatever it takes to ensure a win” as if the fact that she had more raw talent to work with than any other celebrity in the history of DWTS didn’t matter.
@Lori – Oh Gag me! I’m already having flashbacks of Val with Kelly. Their behavior was just bizarre and creepy.
I thought I read somewhere that Janel has a serious boyfriend.
I think Beth probably was pretty good…She only stopped dancing because of how she was bullied; I think she quit dancing and acting lessons actually.
#517 I was just going to comment the same, Courtney. Janel has a pretty serious boyfriend. Payson.. something. Think they have been dating for a while so thankfully, I believe, we won’t be seeing any showmance from the Java’s.
As someone said earlier in this post.. don’t think any celeb/pro partners this season are gonna have any type of showmance. The only capable one is Lolo and Keo but she seems I don’t think she is the type that will go for that.
A showmance free season? Yes please! Especially after “Maksyl”.
Janel does have a serious bf she lives with him. But then kelly had one season 15 and look what happened there .
Sandy (#510), Like you, I’m going to try really hard not to let The Family’s antics (on and off DWTS) get to me this season. I’m still in recovery from last season and don’t want to back-slide. I’ve already decided to stay away from Twitter (not hard for me) and deploy the fast-forward button on the remote a lot! I just want to enjoy the season.
I think Janel and her boyfriend have a different type of relationship than Kelly and her boyfriend did/do. Janel is VERY open about her boyfriend and they are constantly performing together and doing projects together, etc, so her fans know full well how serious they are. I think she would know they would call foul on that. Janel doesn’t seem like the type who would go there. Doesn’t mean Val still won’t be over the top though.
I am wondering if Allison is gonna be at the announcement tomorrow morning. Wasn’t she just performing on SYTYCD? Hmmm. I know Jonatham Bennett is in NYC (though he deleted the tweet and then said he was “happy to be in Ohio” lol). I hope ALL the cast is there. I don’t like when one or two people are missing ๐
Yes, CC. I think I heard Cat Deeley saying to her: “Go away, you have a plane to catch”, right after she performed with Rudy. So, I guess she is going to be in NYC.
[…] our Dancing with the Stars partnership spoilers are right, this will be the first season that DWTS has cast a YouTube star as one of the stars on […]
[…] another live blog for an announcement of some kind. This time the cast. ย We’re pretty sure we already have the cast and their pros, as you may have seen on a previous post, so this should be just a formality. ย Of course, […]
Thanks, Ivan!
Poor Allison probably didn’t get much sleep hehehe. Happy Cast Announcement Day, everyone! See ya’ll on the live blog. Hehe ๐
There are a few Maks fans that have the nerve to complain about Derek fans on twitter. I don’t know who said what (I think a Derek fan had the nerve to point out that Maks won with a massive ringer and showmance – not sure), but it’s the ultimate irony that they complain about Derek fans. Um, ya’ll might want to look in the mirror. So it’s not just the family’s “antics” – their fans aren’t that bright either.
I’m honestly hoping that Maks disappears for the season and that Val realizes that only dumb asses brag on twitter (remember Zendaya, Liz, Danica….). I’d like to be able to ignore them this season.
Allison performed early on SYTYCD and they talked all about her joining DWTS and then Cat said (after the dance) “Run, you have a plane to catch.”
[…] what is coming, according to PureDWTS, a “Dancing” […]
I watched the last season purely for Meryl and Charlie(mostly Charlie)because I loved them as ice dancers and genuinely nice people but I just wanted to see them dance. I thought that to see them in the finals is enough for me but I did think that they were massive ringers and it was a little unfair to the other contestants. Honestly, I thought Amy should have won because she was not a dancer to start with and her progress and natural talent was to me more deserving of the MBT.
Maks acknowledge that he had a ringer the very first time and yet still had to throw the showmance which really pissed me since they could have won on Meryl’s talent alone. And then of course it all became about Maks.
In one radio station in Michigan where Meryl and Charlie were interviewed, the interviewer told Meryl right off that he did not think that her win was that great since she won against a girl with no legs and besides she was already a dancer! So how did she feel about that? I was a little shocked but he just expressed what I was thinking myself although I thought he was a little rude going about it.
I think both Meryl and Amy deserved to win, but for different reasons, of course. And it really is not Meryl’s fault that Amy has no feet. But I would have appreciated her win more without the showmance. What baffles me is that TPTB wanted us to believe that Meryl and Maks were so much better than Charlie and Sharna, when they were not.
He was right, Ria.
As for Maks – if he claimed that Meryl was his first ringer, he’s delusional. You don’t get to complain about Nicole after dancing with Mel B – who has the exact same creds as Nicole.
Meryl had easy choreo except when she danced with Val. It was a huge waste of a ringer. I want to see a huge ringer like that really kill some tough, awesome dances. Fail.
See that is why I was so disappointed with last season. The showmance was so unecessary so I did not enjoy Meryl’s win. Also, I thought Charlie and Sharna’s dances were more intricate and harder but the judges purposely nitpicked on him so that M&M could shine brighter.
That and the showmance overshadowing every other celeb which I thought was so unfair. It’s like that is all that everybody thought about Season #18 which should not have been the case.
@531- What was their reaction to that?
Charlie did not say anything. Meryl responded graciously that it was not up to her but to the judges and the viewers but I think she was a little rattled by the rudeness of the interviewer. I just wished she won without the showmance because I lost a little respect for her for that. Maybe she thought it was just for fun and it just ran away from there but her dancing talent alone could have won them the trophy so I could have done without the coyness, the flirting, the the gag-inducing packages.
I know some people loved the M&M show – this is just strictly my opinion.
Janel seems nice but already mr cocky is getting on my nerves. He does not need to be like that he is a good teacher and choreographer. Just shut up and let the dances speak for themselves. Keo and lolo are so sweet he is delightful and gorgeous and nowhere near cocky.
Janel is in a serious relationship. That picture means nothing more than friendship.
@537- Thanks. I figured Meryl would have a response like that and the interview sounded like he was kind of snappy.
You miss the point, Danae. Many people don’t know than and will start the shipping crap again.
It takes 2 to showmance, and Janel doesn’t seem the complicit type. I hope Val just relies on great choreo because he’s too talented–and Janel’s likely too talented– to lose their integrity just to get a win. I know showmances are awkward for me. Just hearing about M&M shippers is nauseating! And it took a good amount of brain bleach to forgive Val for All Stars. I read somewhere here that Val can’t even look at his dances with Kelly, so I’m hoping he’d be too embarrassed to go that route. I haven’t lost faith he’s learned his lesson.
About the ringer debate, this goes to show you how much the show has become about the pros. So why not just say Derek’s the biggest ringer here? He’s so popular that his partner, even if unpopular, can bank on his fan base alone to get far. He’s an unfair advantage because the Hough Care Package can guarantee at least a week 7 finish every time ๐
Even though it’s not the most exciting cast (I actually think season 9 & 13 had the worst lineup), I think the stars are a great mix. The teen stars, athletes, nostalgia actor/actress fave, big personality, comedian. What’s conspicuously missing is a singer. I always root for the singers since they’re most well known to me. I’m actually very surprised/bummed they weren’t holding one out for Sharna.