Private Members Area – DWTS Season 20 Finale Discussion
Tonight was the finale of Dancing with the Stars Season 20. If you’re not a Pure DWTS Insider yet, you can do so here. If you are, then I look forward to the discussion in the comments.
I wasn’t sure if I should start another private member thread this week, but then decided Why not? I think yesterday’s thread may have given the impression that Pure DWTS kind of shuts down after the season. As Heidi said, that’s certainly not the case. We usually take a small break, but still stay up with the latest DWTS happenings, rumors, etc.
Anyway, what did you think of the finale? How about the season as a whole? Are you ready to say goodbye to Len? See you in the comments.
Thanks John!!! I have never been more disappointed in Dancing With The Stars as I am this season. The “fix” was in right from the beginning. The pushing and manipulation was off the hook. I could be happy for Rumer and Val if they really deserved to win, but, they didn’t. I’m just so disappointed. I wish TOTB would stick to a true and honest competition. If they put more effort into honesty and let the chips fall naturally where they may, they would get more respect, but, with every season now, it just gets worse. 🙁
While part of me is happy for Rumer, I’m equally sad that Val was her partner and not happy that he also won. The Valenrue fans were showing their true colors last night when a lot of them were saying “I’m so happy Val won!” or “Yay, Val won! It was such a long time coming.” And I’m sitting here like… You know he has a partner right? You know this is Dancing with the STARS right?
Too many people voted for Rumer because they wanted to see Val win, not Rumer. And that’s really, really sad to me. This was supposed to be Rumer’s win. Not Val’s win. That’s the issue I have with this win. It’s Melissa & Tony and Meryl & Maks’s wins all over again. Everyone’s too happy about the pro that won, not the celebrity.
But I also agree with Vogue: TPTB seemed dead set on Val winning, too. And I’m honestly not sure why. Actually, they were dead set on him winning last season, it seemed as well. So… Sigh. Whatever. Some 10 year anniversary season this turned out to be…
I have a different take. I don’t watch DWTS for the winner. I watch for the dancing. So, I don’t really care much either way who wins. I think there have been some amazing performances this season. If I were giving awards for best choreography this season I think I’d give it to Mark Ballas. His choreography was off the charts this year. I’ll admit though that I was sad not to see a freestyle from Nastia and Derek. I was tired of Noah’s limitations about 3-4 weeks ago.
On the Val note, I’m happy he won. If he didn’t win he’d have turned into Maks complaining about not winning and all the reasons why he didn’t win which annoyed me. So, at least that’s out of the way. Also, despite Val’s obvious flaws, I think he really does care about creating quality dances and I think he loves the fans and many fans love him. I saw that clearly on tour.
I’m interested to see what they do with the troupe members. We definitely got to know them a lot better this season. I wonder if they’ll finally give them a chance. I’d like to see what Jenna and Lindsey are like with a star.
From Deep Throat:
*Keo was the first dipsh*t that rushed the stage to initiate the obnoxious DWM celebration with Val, followed shortly thereafter by Tony, then Henry. Peta was allegedly out there pretty quick to hug it out with Val, too. None of them went to Rumer until much later.
*Found it interesting that while Peta rushed to congratulate Val – Michael opted to go hug it out with Riker first. 10 cool points for Michael 😎
*Unsung hero of the evening = Chris, who hoisted Rumer up on his shoulders not once, but twice – once right after the win was announced, when the camera panned to Riker & Allison, and then again after Tom was done interviewing her.
While I ALWAYS appreciate tidbits and insight from DT, I wish they could tell us something about WHY it’s been so important to TPTB for Val to win? Also, how much do the producers actually influence the judges? Are they outright told it’s someone’s season or is it more suggested with a wink and a nod who is important to TPTB and DWTS for reasons?
So I didn’t see the show yet, but I purposely spoiled myself with these results because I was fairly positive about the outcome, even though I hoped it was Riker. But it just felt too similar to season 18 for me to think anything else would happen other than the inevitable. When I get a chance I’ll go through it to see the dances, but glad I got that part out of the way without me having to sit there and endure the results.
Like you John, I don’t *really* care who wins, I just like the dancing and the partnerships. Sure, I would rather my favorites stick around longer and maybe even win, but my choice almost never wins but rather comes in second A LOT. I’m fine with that, but I just get soured on manipulation and bad sportsmanship that makes it less enjoyable for me. I’m never going to say “I’m done with this show!” but every time their marionette tactics become more overt I get a little less invested.
Thanks for the tidbits, Court – this one and all season long. Love all the stories and juicy gossip, especially as the man behind the curtain becomes more obvious it’s good to know droplets of the “real” in our little reality show.
Good for Michael – I really wish he and Willow had made it further into the season, but I’m glad that we got what we did out of them. Of course like Charlie I’ll always lament the lack of freestyle from Nastia, and I hate to think that these real people with real feelings got caught up in the manipulation machine.
As for Keo, I don’t know why but I always cut him some slack. Maybe because he’s hot, haha. But really, he just seems immature rather than at all spiteful. He seems to get along with everyone, but I do wish “the Fam” hadn’t gotten their claws in him and he remained a little more like Emma and Sasha.
It’s hard to watch for the dancing when the show demonstrates its willingness to sacrifice the best it has to offer. I don’t think I’ll ever really be totally OK with not having seen a Nastia/Derek freestyle, particularly because its disallowance didn’t happen in the “normal” progress of the show, but was entirely, crassly, manipulated. For me, watching for the dancing drags me right into the middle of the crap.
Oh well…I had expected the outcome but had really hoped something would have stopped the Valenrue train. In an odd way I almost feel this sense of relief though now that Val has finally won. Before I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop and for the show to screw someone over for him (which they did this season). I’m hoping it will make the pimping of him stop as it’s been on a steady uptick since S18. Can we get Mark another win now? Or how about Sharna?
Slightly off topic but I was just watching some of the GMA videos and man was Jenna off time throughout the troupe dances. I think she even messed up a few times. I realize they’re probably beyond exhausted but I just don’t get the hype about her.
Anyway…thank you to the mods for another great season!
I know I usually do this but I ditto what Vogue said. I did not watch the show last night and haven’t watched it yet. I recorded it and might just hit delete or watch the dancers I love and zip thru the rest. Not sure yet..
I just wanted to come on today and thank all of the Mods for their incredible work against all odds. lol All of your hard work is very appreciated and I hope you can get a little rest.
@DLT- I haven’t watched GMA at all (and I don’t think I will at all) but I have also noticed that about Jenna. I noticed it in a bumper on the show once and then in Nastia and Dereks Charleston when they do the cartwheels, she is significantly behind Nastia and Brittany. I’m not sure what the hype is about her either. Personally, I think Lindsay has really improved so much in the troupe over the past few seasons and I would love to see her get another shot at pro.
Thank you Courtney for the behind-the-scenes tidbits. And thank you to all the mods for all your hard work on keeping this site fun, interesting and insightful. I really appreciate it.
I thought it was really sweet that Michael went over to congratulate Riker and Allison. Awww 🙂 I also remembered Derek and Lindsay congratulating them before going over to congratulate Rumer and Val. It’s moments like these that make it easier for me to digest all the crap that went on throughout this season to make sure Val finally won a MBT. I wish I could just enjoy the dancing but sometimes it’s hard when you can see the agenda (as well as bad sportsmanship from some of the pros).
@ DLT & Kaitlyn – I haven’t watched GMA but I too have noticed that Jenna seems to be behind the other dancers in almost all the pro numbers and bumpers. I always think it’s because she’s too busy looking for the camera. 🙂 She seems like a nice girl but I’m just not a fan of her dancing. It doesn’t look as “clean” or “precise” as the other pros in my opinion. And I also would love to see Lindsay back as pro. I think she’s really matured since Season 16 and she seems like a really sweet girl.
A bit of a random observation/question:
I’ve seen quite a few people that complain about the troupe, staging, or costumes interfering with the viewers’ ability to see the star while they danced. This was a common complaint this season with Riker’s dance with Julianne, and Willow’s Hunger Games dance to name a couple. This is something I’ve literally never experienced, except for a camera shot here and there where I think it’s too far away from the dancers to take in the full stage – a bit of Riker’s freestyle and Shawn’s freestyle was like that for me.
My question/observation is: does the fact that I watch the show on a really large, newer tv make a difference? What do you guys watch the show on? Do you think it matters versus say, those that watch it on older, smaller televisions or their computers on YouTube?
Is it important? Probably not. But I was always a bit befuddled by those complaints, and after talking to my mom today about the difference in the tv I just bought for her versus her old one, it made me wonder.
Plus I just wanted to post in the members area and keep this area alive lol.
I think size does matter when watching the show. Although, I don’t think it should make a huge difference for most people. You can still get the same satisfaction at the smaller scale.
I’m with you though. I’ve never understood the complaints about not seeing the stars. I do agree that sometimes the camera work isn’t great (I’ll give them the fact that it’s live and that’s hard). I also agree that sometimes the pro dancers are a distraction from what the star’s doing. However, even if I’d rather watch the troupe that’s dancing with them, I’ve always been able to see the star just fine.
This actually reminds me of some of the dances where it starts off with 15 seconds of the pro doing some solo dance. It doesn’t happen very often, but every once in a while it does. When it does, I’m often wondering if the pro has ego or if they’re trying to hide their star who can’t dance. I think it’s usually the later.
Haha John, here we are in the members section talking about size again. 🙂
To be frank, I’m not a big fan of starting off a dance with a solo, regardless if it’s the pro or the celeb. For me I’m sure it’s worked a few times, but more often than not I don’t care for it much. For example, I did not enjoy the start of Nastia’s Quickstep with her at the microphone, even though I understood what they were going for. I loved the rest of the dance though. Just a personal preference.
I have a big, new tv too, Fig, but my complain about the troupe is the impact it has on the freestyle – I think this season was a perfect example. The freestyles, in general, were not surprising, amazing or “WOW” – mainly because we had seen so much similar before. I think the supersized dances during the season detract from the finale and the freestyles. I think Derek is one of the few that can strategize his way into doing both – using limited troupe during the season and still having a killer freestyle.
But hell, even the older freestyles still hold up better than the newer versions and there were no extra dancers or sets.
There’s definitely a way to use the troupe well and throughout the season, so I don’t mind it. I do think that some struggle to find the balance a bit more than others, but overall they don’t detract from the season or the freestyles for me.
Same for the contemporary/jazz routines. I love that we get these kind of routines out of everyone and not just in the finale. Granted, I don’t think Val’s routines have benefited from it in recent seasons, but I do think many of the other pros have produced great numbers out of them.
I think having achieved the 10 year milestone it’s a perfect time to reinvent aspects of the show.
1. I don’t think there should be any eliminations until week 3, and I don’t care if that means we’ll start off with a triple elimination ( maybe considering fewer teams would be a thought). There is enough pressure and unfamiliarity on the premiere without having to add the worry about ruining your one and only shot at staying on the show. Give them a little breathing room.
2. I think no troupe should be allowed in the dances for at least 2 weeks, preferably 3. I totally agree that so much “production” during the season makes it much more difficult to wow the audience with the freestyle. It’s hard to imagine what Rallison could have done to top their ate Paso. So while the pros may chafe a little at the restrictions, ultimately it will work to their benefit.
My feeling is that with these changes, and even more re-structuring, the show would have a new vitality. I don’t think it can continue on its current course for very long, notwithstanding that Val said he wants to come back and do it again. I say again, this is who Nastia was sacrificed for.
Does not bode well.
I think Rob Wade and the powers that be need to sit down and watch the whole last Season of DWTS Russia.
I did not know a thing about this show until one of my favorite dancers was picked up by them to be on it. Smart move on their part I might say. Then I noticed one of our Mods was going to start to cover that show and try to get us linked up to it on Saturday mornings. No small task but she can seems to work miracles. The first couple of Saturday mornings were rough with connections, links and all of that and of course WE CAN’T speak Russian. Again she finds a translator and off we go on the most enjoyable journey ever. So then I am up and running on Saturday mornings turning my computer on to follow the show.
Let me just say IT WAS SPECTACULAR! That is putting it mildly. The best dancers (who kept their shirts on) best costumes, best music and performances right out of Dance Heaven. Not to mention the sets that were built and fair judges. WOW!!! Also the people who joined that Saturday morning group were all positive and just great to be around.
I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed a Dance Show/Competition this Season only it wasn’t here it was in Russia. We can learn an awful lot from that show. No my favorite couple didn’t win but that was ok because the performances they gave were like no other.
I miss Saturday morning but it was great to have with all of the crap that went on here.
I love that Mod and all that she did to help us just enjoy the dance!!!
I agree, Lynn. DWTS Russia was beyond incredible. I am still floored for what we saw on that show. They are way ahead of our version in terms of production. Every single dance was atleast 2 1/2 minutes or more. Imo, we only have four dancers (Derek, Mark, Allison, and Sharna) who can compare to every single one of theirs. The sets were just incredible. “Passion” is key (like with their ice skaters). It didn’t feel rushed. I could go on and on.
And Lynn. Thank you so much for all the kind words. xxx
I could go on and on to Vogue but I think ya just had to experience it.
I didn’t want to mention names but I love you Vogue!!!!! Thanks for all you did and the coffee was great. 🙂
Thank you so much. Love you too. Yes and the donuts were great too. lol
This is a random bit of info, but thought I’d share in case anyone cared – a few days ago, Michael Sam signed with the Montreal Canadian Football team. Here’s hoping that he can develop his talent, show what he can do, and find happiness and support from his teammates and fans.
Thanks to all the mods. As a newbie, I appreciate the diff perspectives. Now that s20 has finally ended, hopefully we can move to something fun like the tour. I have to say I am not as excited about this one, with the exception of Peta. as commented above, Jennas inability to stay on beat has been a distraction for me in the majority of her troupe dances. And I really don’t know the other new troupe members. Anybody have input? And sorry, but I don’t think Melissa (or anybody really) can work the crowd as well as Alfonso. I hope I am wrong and get pleasantly surprised.
Ditto Sarina, I’m not interested in this tour either…except for seeing Sasha and Peta. I don’t think Melissa is a big draw either. The dancing tour to see this summer is Derek and Julianne’s Move Live On Tour imo.
Since Sway is this week I was curious and looked at the ticket sales. Now this is going off of Ticketmaster so who knows how accurate it is but none of the three shows have sold out yet. Each one looks to have around 100 or so tickets left, most of them upper tier seats and some VIP front row seats. The shows did sell decently so I’m not saying it was a bust but when you compare it to Move in NYC I think there might be less than 30 tickets left. Granted, Move is only one night and Sway has three different shows so it’s spread out more but the theater for Sway is smaller than Radio City so total amount of tickets ends up about the same. It’s stupid and petty but stuff like that gives me some small satisfaction. With the line-up Sway has there is no reason at least one of the shows shouldn’t be sold two. Two recent champions and almost half the cast of DWTS is in it.
Also, not sure people have seen this, but Maksyl fans have been joking around that DWM should have extra security surrounding Peta during Sway. Some of them were even saying that they would put peanut butter on their hands and then hug Peta who has a bad peanut allergy. Classy aren’t they? Why does so much drama always surrounds anything the fam does?
OMG those Maksyl shippers are nasty. How do plan on physically harming someone just to fulfill your insane shipper dreams? Maks must be proud of himself to have courted these types of people for votes.
What sad fans, DW. To actually have that much hate to hurt Peta for any reason is just going too far.
And thanks for checking into ticket sales. Just think….to get the sales they wanted for “Sway”, they had to hit up the NYSS shows to do it. Yeah, classy indeed….the whole lot.
Because, DLT, you reap what you sow.
I have to say, that’s one of the more disgusting things I’ve read in quite a while. It’s not Peta’s fault they were stupid patsies….that belongs to their beloved Maks and Meryl. Stupid idiots.
The only tickets left for MOVE at Radio City are resale seats. Meaning the show did sell out, but a few industrious people are trying to sell their seats for more money. And yeah, we walked out of the theater after New York Spring Spectacular to find all kinds of people handing out Sway brochures. They don’t like Derek but they aren’t above trying to use him to sell tickets. Classy indeed.
Someone told me they actually contacted Dance With Me about tickets just last week since they didn’t want upper tier seats or pay for VIP seats and they called back right away and said they have seats available in every section and they can have whatever they want. This implies that they probably blocked off a lot of seats for themselves for sponsors, etc, so they didn’t even sell all of the seats.
What has ALWAYS bothered me about the fam is the massive chip they have on their shoulder and that they somehow have had it more difficult than anyone else ever trying to make it. They do whatever they can to win/succeed and then cry foul when it comes back to bite them in the ass.
Okay, I’m done now.
I had to take a peek at ticket sales for Sway too. I’m shocked (and yet, not) at all the seats left….especially for Friday night. You can even get tickets in the Orchestra sections. Like DLT, I would think atleast one show would be sold out.
They’ve been advertising their 3 MBTs shamelessly at every opportunity. I guess they still didn’t impress enough people. Imagine Derek&Julianne propping up their 7 MBTs for Move.
Actually last year they did pop up their 7 trophies during “Anything you can do, I can do better.” It was one of my favorite moments of the show. So, funny to see them one upping each other.
I get the difference though. Julianne and Derek do it pretty playfully. The others do it as such a badge of honor that they achieved something so phenomenal. We all know that there are hundreds of factors involved in winning the trophy and the pro is just one of them.
Yea I saw that too. That bit was during the show. They didn’t use the trophies to advertise their show. The DWM crew has been posting pics of the 3 trophies all over social
Media , as if they’ve won the Nobel Peace Prize. I won’t be surprised if the 3 trophies serve as the centerpiece of the Sway show.
Yeah, Derek and Julianne do it as a way of competing with each other in a fun way. In no way do they play it seriously.
That Julianne would even attempt to compete with Derek in terms of statues is pretty funny all by itself. 😀
Good point PH. It’s not really a competition at all. Julianne is much more of a star than Derek. Derek can’t come close to her right now. Derek only wins in DWTS, but that’s not a fair game since she quit. In music and movies, Julianne smokes him.
I’m not sure I agree with your characterizations at all, John. I don’t think Julianne is far ahead at all.
And especially not in actual talent.
Looks like I was reading to fast and I read statues as status. I agree that you can’t compare in statues. Derek’s mirror ball’s outweigh Julianne’s other statues (only one I can think of for Julianne is CMA New Artist).
I think that Derek probably has a more passionate group of fans, but Julianne is definitely more well known thanks to all her movies.
As for talent, that’s in the eye of the beholder. I think Derek is more creative than Julianne. Is that talent? Not sure, but they’re both insanely talented.
What I think we’d both agree is that Julianne has done more with her 10 minutes of fame than Derek. For whatever reason Derek has a unique trait that he almost doesn’t even realize his popularity and opportunity. I think many would argue that it’s because he’s all about the “art” of it all which certainly plays some role in his decisions. Although, I’d argue that he’s just having fun and he rarely gives any thought to his career and the future of his career. He just goes with the flow of whatever happens and whatever opportunity looks interesting. If Derek would put even a little effort into promoting himself and his work, I think he could blow by Julianne as far as fame.
Er, you forgot the big one. The Emmy.
Kim Kardashian is more well known that both of them. That’s my way of saying, “so what?” I don’t think Julianne is that much more well known than Derek, if you go by social media. She’s doing better (a bit) on twitter, but they’re virtually tied on Instagram.
The rest is ambition. Julianne is by far more ambitious than Derek, but that doesn’t mean she’s more talented. And for as ambitious as she is, she’s not even close to A-list status, and barely ahead of Derek. Yeah, she’s done some movies, but DWTS is watched by 13 million people every week and that was clearly enough to get the Derek a lead role at Radio City and a NYT Best Selling book. This isn’t 10 years ago when movies were the end all be all.
I think you’re stuck on the old Derek – the one who was all about fun. The mature Derek is doing everything, as opposed to Julianne’s focus just on movies. He promoted the hell out of both his book and his Radio City Show. Radio City sold out most of the shows on his name – you only had to be in the audience a few times to know that. He’s also been seriously working with Nappytabs in getting an Emmy Peer Group for choreographers. That is *serious*.
Derek is at the top of the choreography game. He’s had stage success now, a best selling book, and a variety of other activities that all seem fairly targeted to TV, between DWTS, Nashville and Excellent Flip. Does Julianne’s quantity of movies beat Derek’s quality of success with Radio City, DWTS, and his status in the choreography circles? I sure don’t think so.
Unfortunately, Hollywood careers for women are MUCH shorter than they are for men. Derek is just getting started. Julianne is back on DWTS. That’s all well and good, but…
John, I have to agree with PH on this one hands down.
I think Julianne’s moment in the spotlight has come and gone, whereas Derek’s still got forward momentum. Julianne’s star might have ignited faster and burned hotter for a short while, but I think Derek’s will burn longer. Also, I think they had (or have) very different ideas on what they want and what they consider “success”.
That said, Julianne and Derek have both been strategic in their career choices. As a girl Julianne very wisely grabbed the brass ring when she was a sweet, sexy young thing. As a guy, Derek has bided his time and kept himself in front of the viewers and industry players by staying with DWTS while he gained maturity. It might be the 21st Century, but our society hasn’t changed all that much from the old days; we still seek out and reward youth and beauty in women and respect and reward maturity in men.
Women looking to make it in showbiz needs to grab the spotlight as soon as possible because it won’t be long before TPTB consider them “past their prime” and replace them with the next nubile 18 year old. (Exactly what Julianne did.) If a talented woman wants to be lay low but stick around the fringes, they can often make a comeback in their 50s or later (when good women’s roles start cropping up again).
On the other hand, while guys can also be a hit as “mannish boys” in their teens and early 20s, a lot of them hit their stride when they’re in their late 20s/early 30s and maintain or increase their popularity over the next couple decades. The really good ones just keep rolling right along into their “silver-fox” decades.
Just look at a lot of the typical Hollywood casting decisions: You have a 20 year-old actress playing the female lead and love interest opposite the 45 year-old leading man.
On the topic of self-promotion, I think there is a bit of a double standard at play here. Women in Hollywood, I feel, are more pressured to be highly visible to the public as opposed to men, who can get by by being “mysterious” or “elusive” (Jack Nicholson, for example). I think that’s why it would seem Julianne is more popular than Derek because she does a lot more to promote herself and her projects and has been on more magazine covers and talk shows.
But I think both of them are talented. It just seems to me that they’re both on different paths in their respective careers. I feel that Julianne is at the “reset” stage in her career (kind of like a McConaissance) – she tried doing music (it didn’t go very well); she tried doing movies (that didn’t go very well either); and now, she’s a judge on DWTS and is going to play Sandy in the live version of “Grease”. I think things are going good for her now.
Derek, on the other hand, I feel has been gradually setting the groundwork for his future. He’s dabbled in music, a movie, TV shows, writing a book, directing a music video, doing Broadway… he seems to be interested in learning to do a bunch of different things right now – and he certainly has the time to explore since there’s pretty much no expiration date for men in this business (another double standard).
Derek vs Julianne? I think of Derek being the bigger star and talent too. Both are so immaculately talented, but, Julianne isn’t getting the bigger movie roles she use too. She may have won a CMA, but, after that, her music career kind of fell flat. I don’t know….but, when I think of Derek, he’s in a league with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Getting an Emmy and winning a role in NYSS just further sealed it. I’m just glad Julianne is able to still get her dancing and singing talent out there with the Move Live On Tours as sitting behind a judges table seems like such a waste of talent for her. I think doing DWTS is holding back Derek now too unless he comes back next season as a Creative Director and just does pro numbers and Macy’s Stars Of Dance. Thank goodness for the MLOT’s where both of them can have the freedom to really do their “thing”.
Adding: Great discussion. I love it!
Cidra,
I like how you agree with PH and then describe why how Julianne has grabbed the brass ring more than Derek. I agree with all of your comments about Derek having more long term potential than Julianne. I think he could have had more short term potential as well, but we’ll see. They’re both extremely talented.
This conversation is quite funny for me as well. One time I was having dinner at Derek and Julianne’s mom’s house. This was very early on when they were both just on DWTS. She wanted to start a website to try and create a nest egg for Derek and Julianne since as a properly concerned mother she wasn’t sure how long their 10 minutes of fame would last. In fact, that was the start of PureDerekHough.com. Lots more to the story of how I met Heidi and she took it over, but I think their mom doesn’t have to worry about their financial future anymore.
Sad but true, Cidra.
I also agree with the definition of success. I think they are equally well known, but have different visions of “success” – and really, no one can define success except the individual. What does that person want to do?? From what Derek has been doing, it seems that he’s a creator/director type who also enjoys performing for a live audience. I didn’t get the impression that he was all that thrilled with movie making as *just* an actor (honestly, the boy could be in more movies if he really wanted to). I think he WILL pursue more acting – and I see Nashville and NYSS as skill honing (in addition to getting in front of the camera as an actor for Nashville) – but I also wonder if he pursues it as a means to an ultimate goal of directing/film making. Look how much work he’s putting in to choreography on DWTS – everything from music arrangements, to camera positions, to lighting, to costuming – he’s one of the few pros who is involved in the whole thing. Look at his main hobby – photography. He’s involved in the production of TWO TV shows, one by himself and one with Julianne. I don’t know their status, but he’s worked on them. All that looks to me like his goals are at a higher level than Julianne’s have been so far. The connections he’s made while on DWTS and making a name as an Emmy award winning choreographer are nothing to be sneezed at either.
And hell, maybe he does want to do more movies. Brad Pitt was 27 when he did Thelma and Louise. Before that he did little stuff all over TV – nothing close to DWTS. Clooney was over 32 when he started on ER in 1994 and stayed on that show until 2004. And he was on all kinds of TV shows before that. Both are still going strong. There are very few women in similar positions. Which is sad, but instructive when it comes to Derek. He can certainly be on an upward trend. I think DWTS was just his opening act.
Vogue,
I feel like Julianne at the judging table is a waste of talent as well. I’d much rather see her as a pro than a judge.
Based on the conversation above, I think Derek is smart to ride out DWTS as a pro. So far he’s been able to have his cake and eat it too. Along with the exposure of the show, I think it’s easy to underestimate the value of being connected to all of these stars on the show as well.
Funny, I was just talking with one of my softball teams, and not a single guy on there knew who Derek was (except my bf because of me), but they ALL know who Julianne is (and drool over her). The girls who watch DWTS of course knew them both, but I think the general public is still less aware of Derek, and Julianne is *closer* to a household name – from movies, music, dating Ryan Seacrest, and generally being hot.
That’s not questioning either one’s talent or potential fame, just current state of popularity itself. I do think the nature of showbiz and how Derek is approaching things makes him on the rise and Julianne on the wane, but who can predict what happens?
I don’t think Julianne being a judge in necessarily a waste of talent. I think this job has given her some positive exposure – she most recently landed a cover on Allure, a popular magazine. And – correct me if I’m wrong – I feel that she got the lead role on Grease due to her being back on DWTS. And if Grease becomes a success, she could get some more (and better) opportunities. But I think her coming back to DWTS (as a judge) was to build up her platform again since her movie and music career wasn’t going the way she wanted it to.
As far as popularity, I do think Julianne and Derek are more popular together than they are alone. And I understand if most guys don’t know who Derek is but do know who Julianne is (because they think she’s hot), but I don’t think most guys pay attention to male celebs in general – unless they’re athletes.
Jane,
Julianne being a judge has probably been really good for her from an exposure and awareness standpoint. It might even be a great career choice for her over being a pro. However, as a selfish viewer, I’d rather see her use her talents as a pro than just saying some relatively meaningless things as a judge. That’s why it’s a waste of talent to me.
Ditto John!
And I love your story about PDH!!
I understand John. I’m also a selfish viewer too and would love to see Julianne dance more on the show – maybe in some pro numbers like that Paso-ish dance in S19. But I don’t want her to become a pro again because I feel it would be a step down career-wise, and I want nothing but success for Julianne (and Derek) in the future.
Jane,
You could be right as far as career. Since we’re dreaming. Once DWTS is over (since it wouldn’t happen before it), I wonder what creative dance show Derek and Julianne could put together. So many possibilities when you start thinking like that. Chew on that idea a bit. Everything from a next generation Donny and Marie to a next generation DWTS/SYTYCD reality competition.
John, that’s what I’ve been thinking too! If Julianne and Derek put together a dance/variety/reality competition show (as producers, hosts, creative directors, performers)… I would so watch that!
I dunno Jane….at the two tour stops I went to, all I heard was Derek Derek Derek. It was fairly universal. And then at Radio City…well the stage door crowds were pretty huge and nary a Julianne in sight!! I felt bad for the other people in the show because it was again a Derek crowd. To the point that the security guards were having a LOT of fun with it. Too much. 🙂
I also felt bad, because when I went to a show that Derek wasn’t in, they announced it and there was moaning and/or booing that was quite audible. Felt bad for his understudy.
So, while I think people love to see them dance together, Derek was easily holding his own in a 6k seat theater. Have I told the story about the crying/screaming young girls at the stage door?? A harbinger of things to come….
Derek was working on a TV show about dance competition – not sure if it was reality or documentary. And Derek and Jules together are/were producing a scripted dance drama called “Blackpool”. It was sold to Starz but it may be stuck in development hell.
Too many fans (John) think that if they don’t see anything happening, then nothing is happening. That’s clearly not the case with Derek, since it seemed like nothing was happening and suddenly he was everywhere: NYSS, Nashville, Excellent Flip, book signings – all in addition to DWTS.
This is not a man who is just having fun. And John, you missed the part where Cidra said that Julianne was on the wane. Quit yer cherry picking. 🙂
Girls scream. Boys don’t. So, you can’t base it on the screaming.
They’re both tremendously talented. It’s like we’re asking if you’d rather be Brad Pitt or George Clooney (I’ll take Brad if you’re really asking). Can’t lose either way.
I wasn’t basing it on screaming. Derek was there, Julianne wasn’t, it’s a 6k seat theater and it was packed and there was a huge stage door with screaming girls. That’s a good indicator of his own standing right there. He didn’t need Julianne.
You make a good point, PH – Derek can definitely hold his own without Julianne. I honestly don’t know how he can stay so sane with all those girls constantly screaming/crying for him – most guys would develop huge egos and become total assholes but Derek seems to me to have a good head on his shoulders.
But I also think Julianne can hold her own without Derek (not that you implied otherwise). She may not get the screaming fans the way Derek does, but she does get magazine covers on her own, which I think is quite an accomplishment considering editors are pretty selective in who they choose as their cover models.
But I don’t know… landing a couple magazine covers isn’t quite the same as selling out a Broadway show night after night. I guess I’m reaching here. 🙂
Magazine covers are purely a PR exercise. The PR folks work day and night to get those covers. It’s a campaign. Even sexiest man alive is a PR campaign. It’s actually heartening that Derek has regularly appeared in that issue. He’s got someone working for him.
I forgot about PR people. Duh, how could I forget considering the PR machine that worked tirelessly to get Rumer & Val that MBT?
I guess the magazine cover thing was a bad example… I was just looking at it from a perspective that you have to be pretty popular if you want to get on a good one. But you’re right PH, PR alone does quite a lot to get that accomplished.
Someone I know going to Sway got a call yesterday from DWM to see if they wanted to upgrade their tickets to the orchestra. Guess they want to try and fill the front as much as possible. Hence Maks still having to do promo for it today, the day before the show opens.
I think both have some good PR people working for them. Since I have only watched the show since s15, I don’t know Julianne as a pro. I know her from her dating life and then as a judge. Derek is a great choreographer and dancer and from my limited time following, I would give him the edge in where their careers are headed. Speaking of PR – can anyone give me a quick history of which pros share pr, managers, etc? Sometimes I see people standing behind the celeb/pro pairings in the after show interviews. Are these usually personal PR people, or ABC staff just organizing the interview line?
I slipped through the secret door to see what the group’s been talking about lately and found a layer of dust on the floor. Definitely a sign of summertime.
So I’ll just leave this note on the bar for John: Brad. And you’re right, (thankfully) boys don’t scream (I wish girls didn’t either).
Cidra,
Sorry. Thanks for the reminder that we should do more.
You’re right about screaming for the most part. Although, I’m planning to scream next month if/when I get to meet Vogue in person.
lol John!!! 😉
I’ll leave this here, Cidra: A Derek/Julianne fan went to MOVE recently and wrote a guest blog for PDH. She said that during the VIP Q&A Derek said that when Amy was first announced as being on the show there was “negativity” from some of the other dancers on the show. He said that they claimed that “no one wants to see that” in regards to Amy dancing. He then followed that with saying that made him more determined than he’s ever been to make people forget that she had a disability.
I mean, can you even believe that? And can you believe that Derek is speaking so openly about these things (well, I can, because when he’s not being televised I’ve heard him be more open about a variety of things, including personal relationships).
Gee, wonder who said that about Amy? :::sarcasm:::
John, I’m more guilty than most about going on AWOL (especially in Summer). So please don’t feel like I was complaining about the lack of chatter. I was just surprised because other members are a lot better than I am about keeping in touch.
You and the other MODS definitely do NOT have to do “more”. Give yourselves a break!!!! Between seasons, all of you should take a nice long vacation from this place. If you feel moved to do something, just open a new discussion area/article for “Summertime Silliness” where members can pop in and out every now and then to leave a stray comment.
Oh, and you definitely should scream like a fangirl if/when you meet “La Vogue”. I think it might even be OK to feel all fluttery inside and almost faint. 😀
PH, Thanks for that very interesting tidbit.
It’s disappointing to be reminded how parochial some people are. Everyone has their own level of (dis)comfort with people and situations that are “not like me and mine”. Mature people own their insecurities. Claiming that “no one wants to see that” just because *you* are uncomfortable is pathetic.
I’m glad Derek speaks his mind more freely when he feels it’s important enough and in the right setting. Although I think he should continue to keep silent on his private life. Nothing good ever seems to come from telling strangers about your relationships.
You guys are so sweet. THANKS!Xxxx
I’m so glad Derek and Amy made them eat their words.
I’m glad too, Vogue! I was rewatching some of Amy and Derek’s dances the other night, and was in awe all over again at Amy’s dance talent, Derek’s creativity, and their great chemistry.
Gee, I wonder who would say that about Amy. Good lord. And Good on Derek for letting it motivate him. He and Amy killed that season.
He never goes into detail, or mention names, Cidra. He just actually admits to having a girlfriend. LOL – and to think that’s considered forthcoming from him. He’s an odd ball in the celebrity world. He refuses to talk or completely deflects when asked on camera.
I find it rather disgusting that someone would voice that to Derek or in Derek’s presence – or voice it at all. I mean, really?? Immature assholes feeling threatened. I imagine they saw the combination of Amy and Derek as a threat to their own MBT chances.
I’m guessing their last name starts with “C” although Derek would never say so. And yes, I got your sarcasm, Fig…I just had to let it out. 😀
Honestly, I find it painful to be around people who act like that – I can’t imagine how Derek – Mr. Positive – deals with that sort of thing. He ain’t no saint.
I just read your guest blogger’s review on PDH and what Derek had said during that Q&A. I found it interesting how Derek said some pros get outside help with choreography and that he could tell when that happens. Wondering if those pros’ last names also start with “C”? haha.
It’s disappointing to hear that some pros felt negatively about Amy being on the show. I’m just glad Derek was her partner and proved those naysayers wrong with some pretty kickass routines (and a couple that were nominated for an Emmy).
PH, “he never goes into detail” — well, that’s reassuring and sounds more like what I’d expect from him. As for how someone as positive as Derek (but who, thankfully, isn’t a saint) deals with people like the C-bros and their ilk…well, I hope he’s able to verbalize his anger and frustration to those few (very special people) in his life whom he knows he can trust implicitly, who’ll just listen without judgment and know how to help him restore his peace and positivity.