Mark Ballas And Willow Shields Discuss What They Hope For DWTS Season 20 – Video
Fox Latino interviewed Mark Ballas And Willow Shields! They talk all about what they hope to bring to the table for Dancing With The Stars Season 20. Willow goes through what she’s most nervous about too. Mark is also glad Derek his back for the season. You can listen to this interview this link. There are a few other interviews in this video footage too.
First question from Mark’s Interview: “What do you think about Derek being back?” He had to love that. Poor form by the lady doing the interviewing.
I agree John, but interviewers are rarely known for their tact or intelligence. Every other pro better be prepared to answer that question because they’re bound to get it.
I agree also, John, that was so out of line; but, mark handled it well.
I’m glad that Mark already knew that Derek was coming back, just not about his partner Nastia. But I do wonder how Mark really feels about his partner be only 14 years old. If I was Mark I wouldn’t be too happy about it.
Let me begin by saying Derek is a wonderful dancer and choreographer. However he has pulled this same story about taking the next season off way to many times. The fact that he now has Nastia as a partner doesn’t sound like a “stroke of luck” to me. I felt sorry for Mark when he said he knew he was coming back but didn’t know who his partner was. Isn’t 5 wins enough for Derek? He definitely needs to spread his wings and use his talents elsewhere and give the other pros a chance at winning including his best friend, Mark.
I think Mark has a difficult time hiding what he truly feels. When he’s unhappy about something and trying to hide it, I think his face goes blank. I didn’t get that impression when he was talking about Derek and Nastia. I really think he is very happy Derek is back.
I do think I saw the blank face when Willow was speaking, and it may have been due to the reporter’s questions.
Willow did look a bit scared to me in the interview. I feel bad for her because she has probably read all about the age thing and people will compare her to Sadie. I don’t want another Sadie. I want her to be her. I hope she doesn’t get discouraged because I’m sure she will be fine with Mark.
And her being 14 could actually benefit them. It is a pretty hot topic and people may tune in and vote for them.
#5, I don’t think for one minute that Mark thought he was going to win this season with a 14 year old girl, so I doubt that he is too worried about Derek coming back for that reason. Mark said he was glad that Derek was returning and I believe him. They are best friends. Wouldn’t you want your best friend around? As for Derek “pulling this same story about taking the next season off” before, I don’t think Derek is trying to “pull” anything off. The guy loves the show, and don’t kid yourself, the fans and the producers love Derek. Why would you be surprised that Nastia is on this year when both she and a pro from the show are finally living in NY at the same time? Mark said that he has been trying to convince her to do the show for awhile, and I believe Nastia made it clear that she couldn’t do it before because of her schooling. Someone, the producers, no doubt, put two and two together and made it happen when Derek expressed an interest in returning. “Isn’t 5 wins enough for Derek?” Derek could care less about winning another mirror ball trophy. It’s all about the journey for him, but I think you already know that!
Leann, Regretfully, I have to disagree with you. It’s not Derek’s obligation to “give the other pros a chance at winning”. The producers of DWTS decide which pros they want, which celebrities to sign, and which pros get which celebs. I believe Derek honestly felt he was giving up the chance to do Season 20 when he went to NYC to do NYSS. However, TPTB know exactly what they were giving up and moved heaven and earth to find a way to include their 5-time MBT champ in their 10th anniversary season. They saw an opportunity to get Nastia and Derek and went for it. My guess is they’re putting out “mucho dinero” for it too. Derek (bless him) obviously both enjoys doing DWTS and feels a strong sense of loyalty to the show that made him a household name. Of course, it didn’t hurt that they were able to offer him the Olympic individual all-around champion in gymnastics. Finally, let’s be complete here and say that Maks has played the “I’m not going to be on this season” card way more than Derek when he has had absolutely nothing else going on to legitimately keep him from doing DWTS.
Oh, I see we have one of the delusional twitter fans here preaching this fantasy that Derek says he’s not competing all the time. If only. I think he’s mentioned it maybe twice. Maks did the same thing many seasons in a row in a quest to get publicity, get people asking the questions.
Even if Derek did this every season (and it wasn’t his fans doing the talking), so what?? There are a multitude of reasons why people change their minds and decide to do something. At least Derek’s intentions are good. The only reason you care is because you know he’s the best pro and his presence means your fav has less of a chance.
ETA: Geez, I forgot the old canard about giving the other pros a chance… remind me – who won last season? Yeeeahh…not Derek.
Derek’s tendency to say “I’m not coming back next season” and then subsequently pull a “Surprise! They pencilled me in at the last minute!” has earned him the moniker of “The Brett Favre of DWTS” from Mama Spence. 🙂
That being said – I honestly think him getting Nastia was a result of him just being in the right place at the right time. If they decided at the last minute to pencil him into the anniversary season somehow, and were scrambling to find him a partner in NYC – well, Nastia’s been rumored several times before over the last several years, so I don’t think it’s too big of a stretch to assume that TPTB maybe had her as a sort of backup for several seasons and finally saw fit to use her. She seems pretty serious about her schooling, so maybe she had turned DWTS down in the past – but the fact that she could still do the show while in NYC may have finally made the show a reality for her. She also may have requested Derek – not that I think that it would have had any effect. It just seems like she got really, really, really lucky that he just happened to be in NYC this season and was itching to be on the anniversary season.
However…
…I don’t think he & Nastia have the MBT in the bag like so many seem to think. Remember what happened the last time he was paired with an Olympic gymnast? They lost to a former Bachelor contestant. I almost think the combination of winningest pro ever on DWTS + Olympic gymnast = too much of a “gimme” for some viewers. And if Noah can actually dance – watch out, Nastia & Derek fans. While J.R. was pretty inconsistent towards the end of his season, he & Karina still managed to beat a consistently good dancer doing great choreography (Ricki & Derek), and a much-improved dancer who peaked at the right time (Rob & Cheryl). I’m honestly really, really curious to see who wins in the “America’s Sweetheart” battle royale this season – the wounded warrior or the Olympian.
The American “common man” like winners but they love to hate dynasties. Derek’s 5 MBTs makes him a DWTS dynasty.
Those 5 mirror balls have become millstones around his, and (sadly) his partner’s neck, especially if she turns out to be a good dancer. Everyone forgets that his celebrity partner has *never* won the mirror ball trophy. They forget that the show is supposed to be about the celbrity not the pro. As a result Derek and his partner have to work twice as hard as everyone else to win over both the judges and the voting public.
I don’t think you can compare season 15 to this one – there were many other factors at play, not the least of which being that Melissa was the only one in the final who hadn’t won before… and her partner was one that hadn’t won before. That’s pretty huge.
That said, its unlikely they’ll win because of Derek’s five trophies. But I also don’t think the majority of Derek’s fans are invested in him winning any more- and neither is Derek. I just want to see his award winning choreo. Give someone else the trophy, give Derek another Emmy. 🙂
I also don’t think Noah is going to win without being able to dance very, very well. Amy was a really good dancer and took second… but then, she was so good that people forgot she was a double amputee. The so-called sympathy vote will only carry you so far. He’s not guaranteed to be either a JR or an Amy. But one of the things in his favor are Derek’s five trophies and the ability of very silly people to hold those against Nastia who’s never won before.
I don’t think Derek coming back is bothering the Pros as much as the fans of other pros who seem to have a thorn in their side. If the truth were known, all the Pros have great respect for each other. Tony was honored that Derek chose him last year for the Trio dance. I have seen Val work with Derek when they have the 2-Team dances, and never have I seen him show any animosity towards Derek. Mark is one of his best friends. He had Derek in charge of his video for pete’s sake. The thing that amazes me the most is that for all the many seasons I been watching DWTS, it has been about bringing on to the show a celebrate and teaching them Ballroom dancing and the one who has the outstanding journey gets to take that MBT home. The fact the the Pro gets a one shouldn’t take away from the celebrate. I’m sure glad the pros don’t act like some of their fans or the show wouldn’t have lasted to its 20th season.
In a way I agree with you, PHeidi, concerning Noah and then there is part of me that feels since he is a Veteran Soldier, he may pull in quite a few votes if enough veterans watch the show. They are all brothers and very loyal to each other and have good reason for it. I am more interested to see how Sharna deals with a handicap. Her skills are going to be tested. I do think she is the best Pro for him. TPTB seem to have put a wider span of variables into this seasons celebrates. It’s going to be quite interesting, but also very entertaining.
Selfishly I am glad Derek is back, and I am really excited about his partnership with Nastia. However, there are several celebrates I am interested in this season, so as long as the blatant manipulation is kept to a minimum I will be a happy camper.
I find it funny when idiots on Twitter say Derek should move on, be generous like Maks, and give newer talents a chance. Tell me, why doesn’t that apply to Tony? I’ve been having a blast reading these illogical comments on social media.
I couldn’t agree more Miss Heidi! I don’t understand why some are making such a deal about Derek changing his mind. If it was their favorite pro who changed their mind about coming back, it sure would be a different story. 🙄
And if Derek wins again, too bad! He’s worked to get to the level of dancing he has and he’s had his disadvantages with every partner that others have and sometimes more so. I’ll never understand why some have such issues with that? Again, if it was their favorite pro, it would be a different story. And is it really a true competition if you can’t win on your own merits and you have to rely on someone not coming back to do it instead?
I would love for them to rotate the pros and troupe dancers. I would also like the addition of new professional dancers. Therefore, Derek, Tony, Mark, Val could take a season off or another season off in the case of Derek. One of my favorite pros is Cheryl. I would love for her to come back if she wanted, but I like the fact that new dancers could be added. I am also ok with others thinking this opinion is illogical because I value varying views and ideas. I mainly watch for the dancing, journey, and partnerships; therefore, I really do not care who the pros are or which couple wins the trophy.
I agree that the pros (i.e. Derek, Karina, Maks, Cheryl,), can change their minds because I do not know any of the pros personally; therefore, I do not know their motives or goals.
Obviously I’ve stirred the pot with my comment about Derek’s return. Who are you kidding, these pros are very competitive and they all want to win. However I do feel that they have become the “stars” of this show. Every sold out DWTS tour show was because the fans want to see them. They have brought in the money not the celebrities. People enjoy seeing them work their magic and get non-dancers “dance”. I wish them all the best for Season 20.
Leann, The biggest buzz at the NYC show was for Alfonso LOL.
Not everybody is a die hard Derek fan so they probably don’t always read interview about him, ect. But anybody who does follow him would know that he could care less about the trophy. He said it before that once he stopped caring about winning is really when he started to win. He cared about the journey and creating a relationship and great dances with his partner, therefore he audience connected with them. I think he does want it sometimes for his partner so they can have the experience, but to say that he’s coming back for another trophy is completely incorrect.
Also, I don’t think that he has done all this flip flopping that people are thinking he’s done. He thought season 15 would be his last and then came back for 16. He flat out said before 17 that he would be there. With 18 I think people thought he wasn’t coming back and then changed his mind because DWTS Gossip reported incorrectly that Derek was out. Season 19 he never said he’d be out. And that brings us here to season 20. So really this is only the 2nd time that he had done it.
IMO, whatever any Pro might truly feel about Derek’s return, I doubt any of them would want the win only because Derek wasn’t in the cast.
No one tells the team with the most super bowl wins – hey, be sure to sit out next season to give another team a chance! There doesn’t appear to be an outcry for the Williams’ sisters to retire already to give other tennis players a shot at winning.
other sports do not have the wild card element that is the celebrity contestant. And while that can be a huge hurdle for the Pro to over come, it can also work in their favor: I credit Donald Driver 100% for that win, not Peta.
sorry, don’t know why i went off on that tangent ….. I guess i’m just sick of hearing “Derek’s won enough times already, give someone else a chance” Yeah, he’s got 5 MBT’s, and what….. 12 or 13 seasons of no trophy
+1!!!
Yeah, the inclusion of Alfonso can’t be forgotten. He won the show and was a pretty big draw on tour.
You are right PHeidi
Alfonso made a big impression with his talent and it lead to being in the Tour and also he walked into GMA studio with the new “golden” 10th year anniversary MBT, and I don’t think any other celebrity ever has had so much honor, and he deserved to be a part of it. He is a great entertainer. I’m am happy there was a window of opportunity for Derek to participate in this 10th year celebration season, even with all the childish behavior going on all other websites that make me want to stay away clear of them. It’s just so sickening!
I just want to thank you PHeidi, Vogue, Courtney, and Lori for all you do and mostly for keeping this website more civilized.