Private Members Area – DWTS Season 19 Premiere Discussion
Tonight was the premiere of DWTS Season 19. Welcome back for those who took the summer off and thanks to all of you who stuck around to enjoy the summer fun. If you’re not a Pure DWTS Insider yet, you can do so here.
Lots to talk about with the new season. Any changes you loved or hated? What about the 4th judge? Julianne seems to have been quite controversial before the show even aired. How about the stars? Any surprises? What about the new pros? Does Allison have enough ballroom to be successful? Are they at a disadvantage against the other more well known pros?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the premiere episode in the nice quiet members only area.
John, I was so impressed with the whole show right from the get go. It was so colorful.
I was totally satisfied with the judging. I thought Julianne did such a good job and she looked so beautiful.
I also loved when Carrie Anne scolded Lolo for the text thing and making excuses, etc (what the? lol).
And omg…Allison was off the hook. She was brilliant. If anyone, she is the equivalent to Derek.
Wondeful night. I loved it!!
And can I just say. I saw so many Maks fans saying they weren’t watching the show this season. They have been tweeting DancingABC non stop ever since the pro and judging announcement as you all know. Well, we all knew they’d be watching last night. They were going nuts seeing Maks in the audience. Hilarious.
Biggest surprises last night: Tommy and Randy. Biggest disappointment: LoLo and Antonio.
There were a few dances that I loved, but there were a few that were just okay.
And I hated the tweet that came across the television screen after Janel and Val danced asking about their personal dating life. Spare me please!
Not sure if the 4 judges panel is a hit or not. There were a few times that not all the judges were able to give their critique.
Alfonso and Witney killed it last night. Alfonso was right, he has the best partner for him and it shows.
Hopefully by next week things will seem more pulled together. Afterall, there is some stiff competition ratings wise, so DWTS has to be at the TOP of their game this season. Or they could be in trouble.
I really loved the show last night. Premiere night is always one of my favorites and I think they did it better this year than they have in a while. I couldn’t watch the backstage cameras as I don’t watch the show at home, but I think I will enjoy that going forward (thanks to Heidi for capturing a lot on PDH!). I think it’s really great to let us see what is going on behind the scenes. It almost feels like in the past they’ve tried to hide a lot from us and they’re trying to make everything visible now (which I love!)
I think Julianne did great. She had something positive to say about everyone and also gave constructive criticism. Like Courtney said in the power rankings, it was nice that they didn’t give too much time to the judges. I really hope the season continues this way.
In terms of new pros, I think they all did pretty well. Allison has SO much energy, but I think it’s perfect for Jonathan. I don’t think her lack of ballroom will hold her back. I think she’s a very good student and will learn everything she possibly can to succeed. Artem kinda creeeped me out a bit and I don’t love Keo like a lot of others do, but I definitely will be giving both a chance. I’m thinking Keo might be gone tomorrow, so I’d still really enjoy seeing more of what he can do moving forward.
I didn’t LOVE the opening number, but since we have a whole show tonight, I suspect we’ll see some more pro dancing tonight so I’m not too upset. All in all…thumbs up, Rob Wade. Granted, we haven’t gotten to all the crazy theme weeks, twitter voting, ect, but he’s moving in the right direction!
People keep mentioning Allison’s “lack of ballroom” so I will continue to mention that Allison has been trained in Ballroom, according to Kristyn Burtt and Allison herself. She started out at the same studio that Derek and Julianne did. It’s just not been her focus – contemporary is.
I actually found myself in agreement with most of the judging last night, which rarely happens. Some years, they never go below 6, so it was actually nice to see those 5’s! Some 4’s wouldn’t have been out of place either, but baby steps… lol
I think Lolo will be the one going home, which is sad because I really wanted to see more of Keo. He looked to have a very loose-limbed style – is that the South African way or just his? But she was the least entertaining personality of the cast, and really I just want to be entertained by the glittery dance show. I’m easy that way… 😉
Over the shove-it-down-your-throat showmance with Val and Janel already. No. Just no. Creepy and wrong. Also, not remotely working. (IMO, of course, and YMMV)
REALLY surprised about Randy! His smile just lit up the ballroom and happy Karina is a beautiful thing! Biggest surprise of the night, next to Cheech taking the floor with Chong…
Lots of great comments and thanks to all the PDWTS Insiders for the support. Especially those that just signed up.
So much to say and so little time…
I think Lolo makes it through and Betsey goes home. Although, maybe that’s my wishful thinking. I have to think Lolo has a bigger fan base than Betsey. I’m surprised no one mentioned her stumble at the Olympics and her stumble at the start of DWTS…or is that just too mean?
Julianne doesn’t have boobs, so I can’t imagine the tape job they did to get those to pop out like that. My wife asked if she wasn’t afraid they’d pop out. I told her they couldn’t because there wasn’t anything left to pop out. Cover it up girl.
Michael is killing it on the humor side. I hope he stays around a while. I can’t watch his dancing, but don’t need to since I can just watch Emma who looked fantastic.
Bethany’s costume was the worst of the night. She’s so beautiful and she looked terrible.
All 9’s on the first episode? That’s the stupidest thing they could do. Certainly Alfonso should have the top score of the night and he danced well, but you’re telling me he was one point away from perfection. I know I’ve harped on the overscoring a bunch, but that was ridiculous. It will come back to haunt him later too.
The opener was super weak. They can do better than that. I hope the pro dances tonight make up for it.
Randy was shocking. Almost reminded me of how smooth Emmitt Smith was despite being so big and muscular.
I did like the energy of the show. The cast seem to love being on the show and that helps.
They never seem to learn that bit about a celeb having no where to go when they hand out 9s on opening night. It’s stupid.
I totally agree that 9’s the first night are ridiculous. I think part of that happened because Alfonso went last. If he had gone first they could have given him all 8’s and everyone else could have been scored accordingly. I also do not understand the 9’s given to Sadie. I don’t understand in what universe her dancing was equivalent to Alfonso. In addition, I think having additional dancers in a routine on the first night is absurd. That’s putting what originally was allowed to make a freestyle supersized on the very first night! As much as they want to make a real splash on the first night, I think both the scores and the “glitz” should be much more moderated for the first night.
I also think they should leave the opening — all of it — to the pros. I much preferred the old way when the pros did their thing, then the couples were introduced and walked down the stairs. Again, this might have been changed because with the number of couples and the number of judges there wasn’t enough time. But TPTB are in charge of all that, so if the show is too squeezed, do something different. I think if they reduced the number of couples and had 2 — or even 3 — shows without an elimination, the show would be less rushed, and all the celebs would have a couple of weeks to gain solid footing. The whole show felt very rushed, not all judges got to speak for every couple, the dances were so short, and by the end there wasn’t even enough time to allow the couple to go up to the sky box to get their scores. And when time is at such a premium, Erin should dial back her chatter. It seems like everything but the dancing is getting bigger play.
I think Alfonso earned his 9’s on Monday night – Deep Throat said the energy in the ballroom when he was dancing was almost like finale night…the performance was THAT good. I’ve probably watched it 20+ times on YouTube, and each time I find some new little detail or nuance that he threw in that just really enhanced the dance. The musicality was PHENOMENAL, and you really can’t teach that. Sadie? I would have given her solid 8’s. It was a GOOD cha-cha, but not a GREAT one. Alfonso was exceptional – better, even, than Kristi Yamaguchi, who I have thought for years had the best first week dance ever.
@Courtney – Oh man, I wish I was there that night! They brought the house down.
I too, have watched Alfonso and Witney’s jive 20+ times already… And counting. 🙂
@Sandy – I was so jealous – the mood was electric on TV. I can only imagine how crazy it would be in person! I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited about a contestant as I’ve been about Alfonso…I knew all along he’d be FANTASTIC on this show 😀
I agree Courtney. I don’t think I’ve been this excited before. I can’t wait until next Monday night.
Not only is Alfonso exciting, but Witney is as well, she is young, fresh, and hungry for that MBT. I think she is the perfect partner for Alfonso.
Whitney has a certain energy and excitement about her and the way she looks. It makes for a great match with Alfonso who has something similar.
Yeah, I’m really loving Whitney. I think she’s got what it takes to take Alfonso a long damn way. I don’t think Janel can climb over that pair to the trophy, so she best adjust. 🙂
Speaking of Janel. She annoys me. I can’t tell if she’s a total jerk, or a fun loving, playful, happy person. My gut tells me that she’s a total jerk, but playing up the fun side (basically acting) for the cameras. I think that’s a bad combo for a show where the cameras are always on. It will catch up to her I think.
At least she’s nice to look at.
Deep Throat actually knows someone that went to school with Janel – when asked what she thought of her, the individual remarked that “Janel was always good at appearing sweet, but knew how to get what she wanted.” In other words – stealth mean girl with a saccharine facade. And I can totally believe that, based on what we’ve seen from Janel thus far.
I’m really glad people are finally warming to Witney – I always got a bit defensive when people accused her of being an “attention whore” or “camera hog” back in her troupe days, when I always just found her to be a charismatic performer. Even on SYTYCD, when people complained about her sticking around when Lindsey kept ending up in the bottom 3, I still always just saw someone who was able to put on a great show. Now I feel like people are finally getting to see that she’s got both style and substance – and she may actually be the Julianne replacement they’ve been looking for since 2009. And yes, I agree that she’s PERFECT for Alfonso – I found myself getting a bit defensive on her behalf when we announced that she got Alfonso, and it was met with some cries of “No fair, Sharna should have gotten Alfonso!!!” or “Emma has earned it – Witney hasn’t!!!” Not only is she the only other female pro (besides Allison) that is actually short enough for him, but she’s also the only one that can tap – and on top of that, she’s got a great chemistry with him, and is proving herself to be a very capable choreographer. I may bitch and moan sometimes about the decisions TPTB make – but when it comes to pairing up couples, I generally find that they know what they’re doing, even if certain partnerships don’t immediately make sense to us as viewers. I’m glad they saw potential in the Witney/Alfonso pairing, because they are seriously making me excited for this season. Just last night, when Mama Spence finally got to watch Monday night’s show (it aired at 3 PM yesterday here in Indy, since it got preempted on Monday night due to the Colts game), and midway through Alfonso’s jive, she looked at me and went “Wow…now I get why you wanted him on the show all these years. He’s fantastic!” This season is his to lose – and if Val is still gloating that his partner is the best and has the juice to go all the way, then he’s even more foolish than I thought. Last I checked, Alfonso was delivering on the dance floor, and was not being a complete douchenozzle on Twitter…and he certainly wasn’t trying to perpetuate some painfully forced, downright farcical fauxmance.
#John — Your comment made me realize that my feeling is she’s not genuine. If you think about the other celebs, they really put themselves out there, just who they are, from Tommy Chong to Betsey Johnson. Comparatively, Janel feels like a cipher, and the fact that week 1 she’s unhappy with her scores — if that’s what she’s bringing to Val, this might get ugly.
Hey, I’ve ALWAYS been a Whitney fan, back to SYTYCD. I’m with ya on that one, Court.
ETA: Yep, I can totally see stealth mean girl in Janel. SMG – her new acronym.
Court,
I don’t think Whitney will be the Julianne replacement completely. She gets close, but she doesn’t have the mouth that Julianne has. Julianne was always adding a little comment here or there when the judges were talking which I think sets her apart from Whitney who is quiet in that regard. The only other one that did that as well was Edyta, but she often got herself in trouble doing it similar to Max.
I think Witney is probably the biggest long term beneficiary of the Switch-Up Challenge. In my mind her collaboration with Drew was her (most impressive) breakthrough. Interesting to think how that season would have been without it. Glad it happened the way it did. She’s also great in Mark’s Get My Name video.
I have always loved Witney. Seeing her dance in Mark Ballas’ “Get My Name” video sealed the deal even more.
As for Janel…I’ve always felt an off feeling on her too.
I’ll admit when I was wrong – and I’m not generally wrong about people – but I think I was too hard on Witney, being one of her strongest naysayers while she was in the troupe. Looking back at some of those dances, I still don’t like her expressions or her camera-hogging. But she’s been really solid as a pro and doesn’t over dance her celeb partners at all (my biggest concern with her becoming a pro), and gives them good choreography. I thought she did the best she could with someone like Cody, and she and Drew and now with Alfonso she seems to know how to play the game well. While she may never be one of my absolute favorites by herself, she does seem like a sweet kid and talented – and I’ll definitely appreciate her partnerships if she continues like this.
I still don’t like Artem, and if this week was any indication of how he’ll choreograph or anything, I don’t think that will change. Hopefully he learned a lot by watching everyone else’s routines.
I didn’t really like Janel either, but it was something in her eyes that kinda got my instincts going rather than anything else – at least until that showmance stuff (yuck). I don’t know her outside of DWTS though, so hopefully she’ll prove more likable, despite my gut reaction to her. The thing is – when I have gut reactions on people, they generally don’t change. Some of the celebs that I’ve had those feelings about, without any reason – Hope Solo, Lance Armstrong, and Sammy Sosa. So I tend to trust those feelings.
It’s funny you mention Artem. I couldn’t even remember the dance he did. When you’re that forgettable, that’s not a good thing.
I personally loved the whole premier but then I always do, sorry I’m a big fan of everything DWTS. I do miss the walking down the staircase though.
I like Julieanne as a judge and think she is beautiful and thoughtful. The dress was a bit much but not anymore than Karina’s costume or others costumes with the cleavage split to the naval.
I’m not sold on Keo as much as others. There is just something about the shape of Keo’s torso that bugs me, I know I’m in the minority here and there is Artem who just has a strange holier than thou attitude so therefore for me it distracts me from watching them dance. Allison however is stunning and fierce to me and probably will be very capable of any ballroom dances. I feel she is professional enough to study up or ask for help if there is something that she truly has a problem with.
The Val and Janel thing is the only big problem for me this season. Didn’t like Janel from the moment I heard her speak, strange how first impressions stick with you. Never liked Val never will.
I really enjoy the rest of the cast (minus LoLo the downner)they are all really fun and happy to be there and the performances show it whether they are technically correct or not. Good old fashion entertaining, maybe that is what the judges saw in Sadie. No inhibitions just went for it! Thank you so much for the opportunity to post. Love all the discussion.
So I have some Friday goodies for our members 🙂 Mini-spoilers, if you will…
…so week 2 is probably going to end up being a bit more manipulated/engineered by TPTB than they’d care to admit. Some of the celebs didn’t get the songs they originally picked, and were then assigned songs as a result. Randy couldn’t get his first choice, so Karina suggested “Satisfaction”; not sure what Jonathan’s pick was, but they couldn’t clear it, so they just assigned him an Ed Sheeran song instead. If I had to put money on it, I doubt Alfonso picked his song, either – seems like a bit of a ploy by TPTB to maybe get Will to show up in the audience, dontcha think? 😉 Bethany actually did pick “All About That Bass” and apparently the routine “looks awesome” – they’re actually using the upright bass as a prop and it’s working well for them. Both Mike & Sadie are dancing to country songs – Mike’s routine is going to be all kinds of goofy, and Sadie’s is actually looking “really cool”.
Happy Friday, lovelies 😉
Geez, I love these little tidbits. 🙂 Thanks!
As much as I would love to see Will Smith in the audience. Seeing Tom Jones in the audience would be super sweet.
Some of the younger viewers didn’t know that Ricky Shroeder was in the audience Monday night. But us oldies but goodies spotted him immediately. What a treat!
Did anyone else spot Kyle Massey in the audience?
Confession- I sent Ricky Shroeder a love letter when I was seven. It had heart stickers on it and everything and I never heard back. Silver Spoons broke my heart!
Courtney – You can usually tell when the song they use is the one they actually requested for these type of themes. It’s a shame when they can’t clear the right ones.
New “member” here and really looking forward to the discussion threads each week! Really enjoying the tidbits as well.
Doesn’t totally surprise me some celebs didn’t get their actual “jam”, it’s a shame though as I think when they do get their song they have an extra bounce in their step so to speak. Am very curious to see how Randy handles something like the Cha-Cha and how Lea does with the Jive. More than anyone I think I’m waiting to see how Sadie does. I just hope she can keep living up to the expectations people have of her now. Very intrigued to see how Derek incorporates a bass and what Val choreographs for a foxtrot to Call Me Maybe. I have to assume they have a slower version.
Is it Monday yet???
Glad everyone is enjoying the tidbits 🙂 We were trying to come up with ways to reward our most loyal readers, and this is what we came up with – some of the random, neither-here-nor-there-but-still-cool-to-know spoilers we get. We’re hoping to continue doing this for the rest of the season, so keep checking the comments of the private members area each week 😎 ENJOY!!!
Welcome DLT! I think Sadie will do fine. Same with Randy and the chacha. It’s not Monday yet, but I can personally use the weekend. So, I’m kind of glad. #BreakNeeded
Thanks Courtney, I’m feeling very special. 🙂
Thanks, Courtney and other mods! I love the little tid bits. I’ve really enjoyed the discussion in the members area this week. I love the little pieces of information that aren’t totally spoliers but are fun things about everybody.
It seems odd to me that they’re doing a “My Jam” theme week where they can’t clear all the songs. But alas…classic TPTB.
I’m a little late to comment on Monday night but just wanted to say I was really impressed with Randy – he’s so light on his feet! Also loved Tommy and of course Alfonso.
Looking forward to Bethany and Derek dancing to “All About the Bass” – those were cute photos they were posting on Instagram.
Not so sure about Val and Janel’s Foxtrot to “Call Me Maybe” – I don’t think it can take the place of the group dance with Apolo, Derek and the other boys running out in their football uniforms. That was a great dance!
A few more goodies for our faves 🙂
Per Deep Throat, do not expect the overall level of performance in week 2 to be as strong as it was in week 1 – seems like quite a few couples are strugglign with their week 2 dances. Betsey, Antonio, Lea, Tavis, & Janel in particular are having the most difficulties in making everything come together. As of Thursday, Alfonso was still struggling with the rhythm of the samba and had yet to actually do his routine to music – Deep Throat also remarked that “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” is not as fun or energetic as his song last week, so the overall performance level isn’t quite as entertaining. But Deep Throat anticipates that everything will come together before showtime. Apparently Jonathan’s cha-cha doesn’t have a whole lot of cha-cha in it, so don’t be surprised if Allison experiences her first verbal lashing from Len come Monday. Sadie is nervous about getting everything right for their jazz, and doesn’t want to “shame” her father’s friend, Jason Aldean, by dancing badly to his song (kind of adorbs 🙂 ). The only couple that seem to be knocking their dance out of the park is Bethany & Derek, who have a “very cool” routine.
Happy Saturday, loves 🙂
Yay!!!!! Happy Saturday indeed — love that Team Motough update. After the news about actually using the bass in the routine, I started wondering if some of the nutjobs will reappear and claim that between the bass this season, the jazz table last season, and his great interest in the Louisville Slugger this summer, that Derek must have some kind of wood fetish. I look forward to this new brand of idiocy.
Thanks for the tidbits, Courtney. Love ’em. 🙂
I only hope that EVERYTHING isn’t reversed by show time. Beth and Derek need to knock it out of the part, even if it means pissing off Len. Too bad for Len that the addition of a fourth judge waters down his impact, unless of course Julianne mimics him and not the other two.
I have a Derek and Wood fetish.
ahem.
I was actually waiting for someone to pick up on that. PH, you never disappoint.:-)
My work here is done.
🙂
Another update: Tavis got almost next to no rehearsal time this week, and it’s showing. Deep Throat thinks it’s either him or Betsey on the chopping block this week.
That’s sad. No wonder Sharna seems so frustrated at twitter.
And lol Heidi!!!
I doubt he has much of a fanbase compared to some of the others. I would go out on a limb and say that Michael quite possibly could have a significantly larger fanbase than either Betsy and/or Tavis.
That’s a shame on Tavis. If he and Betsey end up with similar scores I could see Tavis going. I just think people might throw some more votes at Betsey.
Really hope everything comes together for Sadie and hope Derek’s “risk” works. Also hoping to see some good hip movement from Randy!
Love the tidbits guys – although I’m sad to hear when anyone is struggling. But as we’ve seen before – sometimes they’ll have a late breakthrough and things can come together. Although when it comes to little rehearsal time, that does seem to be the death knell for some folks that don’t necessarily have a great backing or appeal.
@Fig – For what it’s worth, Deep Throat said that Tommy was the hottest of messes in all of his rehearsals prior to the premiere, and he and Peta only seemed to pull it together in the last 24 hours or so before showtime. Maybe Tavis will do the same.