PureDWTS Season 23 Preliminary POLL: Who is Your Favorite Couple? Who Will Win?
Well, now that we’ve seen all the couples interact on GMA, and we’ve had a week to see some of them rehearsing, it’s time for our seasonal preliminary poll! Tell us who your favorite couple is, who you think will win, and this season I’m adding a new poll: who is in your ideal finale. We don’t know yet whether there will be 3 or 4 couples in the finale this time, so I went ahead and set it for 4. And if you are here to just troll and complain that “We haven’t even seen them dance yet!!!” – just don’t. This is not for you, this is for those of us who love to speculate in the pre-season – and we usually get it about right, most of the time – check out the polls from season 22 & 21, and see how our readers actually got the finalists just about right, without seeing them dance.
So go ahead and vote, and then tell us why you voted the way you did 🙂 As for me, my fave is obviously Hinch & Sharna – I talked this guy up big time when we first reported on him as a rumor (before anyone else, I might add), and I’m thrilled that everyone is now getting to see how rad he is…and how much fun Sharna appears to be having with him 🙂 As for who I think will win – call me a skeptic, but I’m fully prepared for the wheels to start turning on night 1 and for the judges to plant the seed that this is “Val’s season” and set things up each week to ensure Laurie wins. She will be hard to beat – but I daresay it’s not going to be a walk in the park for her. I think Marilu, Calvin, Hinch, and possibly Amber will all give her a good run for her money. As for my ideal finale – I think the combo of Laurie, Hinch, Marilu, & Calvin will set us up for the best dancing and choreography.
I voted for Jana and Gleb on the first two polls. They look like they’re having a lot of fun and her personality so far seems great. Also think she’ll be able to connect with a lot of the viewers with her story as a now single mother. I could see her being like a Kellie Pickler type. I also have faith that Gleb will create some fun, cool stuff for her this season. She also looks like she’ll be a pretty good dancer so that helps. Just have a very good feeling about these two, I guess 🙂
As for my final four I went with Laurie, Marilu, James and Jana. Would probably be an ideal outcome for me. I initially had Calvin locked in for final four but he’s giving me some weird vibes.. If he ends up being a great dancer though I could see him replacing Jana or James in my final four.
For who my favorite couple is right now, could change later, and who I think will win, I put Marilu and Derek. I had to think long and hard about it. I adore Laurie but she’s awfully young so has a less developed sense of self and she has Val who pales in comparison to Derek in choreography and showmanship. I know GMA & TPTB are going to try and force a win for Laurie & Val and she has an OGM but I do get Ally vibes in that she is well liked but not a shoe-in for the mirrorball.
Marilu I’ve known my whole life and always loved her. She has amazing energy, personality and can move. I saw a snippet of their jive rehearsals & she’s amazing. I’m so excited to see what she and Derek turn out.
As for the couples I want in the Top 4 and who I think will be in the Top 4 –
Want:
Marilu & Derek
Calvin & Lindsay
Jana & Gleb
Hinch & Sharna (I haven’t seen Hinch really dancing yet so not sure about that but if it were on personality, he’d be in the final 4.)
Think will be in Top 4:
Marilu & Derek
Laurie & Val
Jana & Gleb (look and move beautifully)
Calvin & Lindsay, and Hinch & Sharna (I haven’t seen either of them move yet so it’s a toss up for the final 4 for me for now)
Dark horses for final 4: Vanilla & Witney, Maks & Amber
Aaah so close to the new season. I hope there aren’t any shenanigans, but with Marilu already getting the “unfair advantage” target painted on her back by the media, I’m not so sure….
Right now my favorite CELEBRITY (and I do mean that singular because of a reason I’m about to say) is Laurie. She’s adorable, she looks like she’s got natural talent and I really do think this season is her’s to lose. That being said, since I have a very strong dislike for Val, I can’t call them my favorite couple. So I picked Marilu and Derek because from what I’ve seen from them, they look really happy and excited to do this season. Derek seems so genuinely happy to be working with her and it’s quite obvious Marilu is so genuinely excited to work with Derek. They’ll be fun.
And, as I just said, it’s Laurie’s to lose this season so I picked her for the second poll.
My ideal final four would be Laurie, Marilu, Calvin and Jana. I really do think, if TPTB leave this season mostly alone, only one Chmerkovskiy brother will make the finals, and that Chmerkovskiy is Val. I worry about Amber’s image with the Average Demo… Marilu I’m actually not sold that she’ll make the final, but I think it would be really cool to see her there. I picked Calvin because he seems really dedicated in the soundbites the ABC website posted, but again I’m not sold on him making it that far either. Though I do love Lindsay and I hope she continues to choreograph like she did with Wanya. And for the final spot I picked Jana. For reasons unknown to me, I’m finding myself really excited for her. I’m not a country music fan, nor do I even really listen to Jana’s music but I just really want to see her do well. Again though, not sold she’ll make it that far.
Favorite couple:
Derek and Marilu with Amber&Maks and Hinch&Sharna a close second.
Winning couple-
Hinch and Sharna. I think they might be a perfect storm of compatibility, talent, fun and likability.
Top four-
Hinch&Sharna, Calvin&Lindsay, Laurie&Val and the final spot a toss up between Marilu&Derek and possibly Amber&Maks.
I haven’t settled on a favourite yet. I like Maks & Amber, Witney & Vanilla Ice and James & Sharna. As of for a winner. Its hard to bet against Dereks choreography, I think Laurie will be held back by Val’s.
Final four: Sharna & James, Witney & Vanilla Ice, Maks & Amber and Gleb & Jenna.
From what little we saw of her dancing on GMA Laurie actually moves way better than Aly and has musicality which Aly lacked. Val for me is still the guy who choreographed the most boring dances for a ringer ever when he choreographed for Rumer…
Final Four: 1) Marilu/Derek 2)Laurie/Val 3)Hinch/Sharna 4)Jana/Gleb
Favorite Couple: Marilu/Derek
Who I Think Will Win: I have a bad feeling in my bones it will be Laurie/Val
Derek outshines all the other pro dancers in choreography, Sharna is a close second IMHO. So looking for great dances coming from these 2.
I think that Calvin/Lindsey could be a dark horse couple and make their way into the final four.
I’m hoping the older demo of this show, will rally behind Marilu as they did with Kirstie Alley when she danced on the show. That with Derek’s fanbase is a good Indicator to me at this point that Marilu and Derek will at least make top 5. Derek’s never finished lower than 6th with any partner and that 6th place finish was with Shannon Elizabeth in his 2nd season as a pro on this show. I see him and Marliu getting 4th at the very least.
TPTB are already pandering to Laurie and Val–bringing in Simone Biles, when this was all about DWTS??? Mmkkay then, guess we see how this is gonna play out. I don’t see Val breaking out any mindblowing choreography this seasonbecause honestly, I don’t think he’s capable of such. And Val, congratulating Mark on his Broadway role? Mark was Val’s biggest competition last season with Derek being out and Mark/Paige took 2nd and beat Val/Ginger. Phony praise I think. I doubt Mark’s fans will swing votes to Val and Laurie. I just don’t.
That said, I fully expect Laurie and Val to be in the finals because how could they NOT? TPTB’s chosen one and the biggest ringer since Meryl Davis…I also think Sasha and Hinch may well make top 4. along with Marilu and Derek and possibly Babyface & Allison.
5 more days y’all!! Bummer that I have an event to go to at 7pm that night AND the Steelers are playing MNF!! Wellp, once I get home, I’ll be watching DWTS. 😉
Favorite: Marilu and Derek, but there are a lot of couples that I’m really excited to see dance. James and Sharna would be second for me. I really like Amber and Maks together as well.
Think will win? Val and Laurie. I’m gonna reserve my comments on this partnership until I see them dance. I will say I LOVE Laurie. I love her personality, I love her gymnastics style, I just love her. I really really hope that Val and/or this show doesn’t ruin that for me. That being said, I love Aly as a gymnast and her gymnastics presence never really transferred over to DWTS for me, so we’ll see.
Final Four? Clearest shots for me are Laurie, Marilu, and Calvin. Based simply on his awesomeness so far I’d give James the fourth spot.
All in all- I like this cast a lot and I’m excited for next week.
I’m from the south and love country music, so I’m obviously going to be rooting for Jana and Gleb..but I’m happily surprised how high she ranked on the polls. I hope she’s in the finals!
I feel sorry for Laurie having Val because if they do push “it’s Val’s turn to win” and it happens that’s how it will be remembered. Not because she deserved it, but because he has to be appeased and be given a trophy. I’m not 100% ready yet to deal with his attitude and now with his brother back, it’s going to be worse. I think my mute button will be used a lot when they are on.
What I don’t want to see, and won’t watch if it happens is a final with Val and Maks. That is something I wouldn’t be able to watch.
My favorite right now is Marilu/Derek. I think Hinch/Sharna could win it and my perfect final four would be Marilu/Derek, Maureen/Arten, Hinch/Sharna and Vanilla Ice/Witney.
It wouldn’t surprise me if TPTB push to have both Maks and Val in the finals. I fear we will hear the brother vs brother often like we did with the PenaVegas pitted against each other. I just loved seeing Derek and Cheryl dance together. So nice to have her back on the show. And of couse, I love Derek.
I normally vote for Mark and partner…but unless I see something insanely good or I just love Laurie I won’t for her and Val. I love what I’m seeing from Derek and Marilu so they will probably get most of my votes. I think I will probably like James and Sharna so I can see myself throwing some votes their way.
My favourite so far is Marilu and Derek. Subject to change of course, but I hope I can warm up to as many celebs as possible this season, they really look like a fun bunch. I still think Laurie will win, and Jana, Marilu and Hinch will round out the top four. I got the feeling that I might be really liking Amber later on though.
@katrinka – That may be their intent, but I HIGHLY doubt both Chmerkovskiy brothers will make the finale. As I’ve told a lot of folks on Twitter, there is just way too much vote-splitting when it comes to those two, and we have yet to have a season where both Chmerkovskiys made the finale (out of 4 seasons that they were both on – and 2 of those seasons, they both had a partner that had a decent shot at the finale). On top of that, Amber’s polarizing – especially to the predominantly conservative, middle-aged female viewing audience. I said it in the odds post, and I’ll say it again here: I don’t see Amber finishing any better than 5th place, and that’s being optimistic. Has nothing to do with dance ability – just demographics and vote-splitting.
Laurie is of course the fan fave even if her partner is not. Not sure how her dancing will be but my guess is we’ll never know for sure how she would have done with someone else because unless TPTB really honor the viewer votes she’ll be with Maks for the switch up.
I thoroughly expect that the press and TPTB are going to keep playing up the fact Marilu had dance training nonsense. I love how she keeps telling them that was all BEFORE Laurie was born. I think Marilu’s personality and voter base will overcome any of those negatives and she’ll be in the finals regardless. I wouldn’t mind seeing her win 7 is a lucky number.
After that I’d like to see Gleb & Jana and Sharna & Hinch and while probably unlikely I’d LOVE to see Cheryl & Ryan in the finals just to see what Cheryl would come up with for their freestyle.
I think Laurie-Val will win. I don’t see anyone this season with the potential to beat someone like Laurie TBH.
Derek probably could have with his great choreographing skills & fanbase..but unfortunately he’s stuck with one of this season’s oldest & least known celeb. Plus, her dance experience is exposed to everyone now..i saw people complaining on the Facebook page about her dance experience & how her mother owned dance studio & how her previous dance experience & super great memory is an advantage for her.. she’s basically labelled as another ‘ringer’/ ‘good one’ for Derek.
I wish they paired Jana with Derek instead.. then i guess she could’ve pulled a Kellie Pickler & PROBABLY win. But i don’t think anyone this season can beat a gold medalist Olympian fresh off the Olympics who’s super loved by everyone.. plus she’ll be a good dancer, has a great bubbly, innocent personality & has a popular pro like Val.. & that’s kinda unbeatable IMO.
PS. My opinions only.
This is a tough one. I had the same top 4 picks as Courtney provided all dance up to it. But here are my overall thoughts:
I’m pleasantly surprised to see all the love and support for Jana and Gleb. I like what I’ve seen of them too and hope they get a chance to stick around.
Calvin and Lindsay are fun to watch. Hinch will go over well and do I detect a burgeoning bromance with Rick Perry (who I find myself liking, especially with Emma)? Babyface has a suave, understated style and could be a sleeper contender if he’s got moves. Terra has some rhythm and seems to appreciate Sasha but they are going to be up against it physically. Ice and Whit have potential. Marilu and Derek have a good vibe. Weary of Ryan but he does work well with Cheryl and it is nice to see her again.
I like both Amber and Laurie, but the over pimping of the latter (and certain other celebs and pros) is time I’d prefer proportionated amongst the lesser known cast members and returning/newer pros.
Not really feeling Jake or Maureen yet (it doesn’t help that Jenna is too selfshowy and Artem seems detached from his partnership).
my fave couple so far: Marilu & Derek
who I think will probably win: Laurie & Val – but since that would be soooo predictable, I hope it turns out differently XD but she’s a super popular gymnast fresh off the Olympics who can dance for sure, so she’ll be hard to beat :/
4 couples I’d like to see in the finals: Marilu & Derek, Ryan & Cheryl, Laurie & Val, Babyface & Allison
and I have to add that I’m so annoyed by people who call Marilu a ringer – hell, she’s still 64 years old! if she were with anyone else than Derek, I bet the same people would be like ”poor so and so is stuck with the old lady” I’ve said it before and will probably say it again and again: the producers could just give Derek actual ringers because the haters will complain no matter who he has! if he were Jana’s partner, the naysayers would scream: ”unfair, she’s the young and pretty one” so annoying! if Derek does another season, I hope he gets someone young (not underage) and hot, preferably one of his friends – Nina Dobrev or Arielle Vandenberg! that would be all kinds of awesome and Derek would have so much fun dancing with a good friend!
and I agree with all the people on the other post who loved to see Derek & Cheryl dancing together on GMA! it was great & I’m crossing my fingers they will continue to pair these two together!
They could put a broomstick with Derek and the haters would still complain! I mean c’mon! He wins because he’s JUST THAT GOOD! 2 Emmys and nominated again this year. 6 mirrorball trophies. I know I thought Derek was gonna have his work cut out for him with Bindi last year when I saw her Whip-NaeNae video clip. 😮 Yet, they won. Another Kellie Pickler. Derek just knows how to teach each celeb he’s partnered with.
I LOVED how Marilu SHUT DOWN that ringer talk with saying she hasn’t had a dance like shown on Taxi which aired BEFORE Derek was born and hasn’t had a dance lesson since before Laurie was born and her photographic memory makes it hard for her to unlearn choreo that she’s already been taught.
I think if anyone has the opportunity to beat Laurie/Val it’s Marilu and Derek. Marilu appeals to the older demographic that actually watches the show and votes…look at Kirstie Alley? She had the older woman’s vote in season 12 nd in All-Stars. She definitely was not better than Chelsea Kane who ended up 3rd behind Alley and Hines Ward.
Derek most likely has the largest fan base of any of the pros. I ALWAYS vote for Derek regardless of who is partner is. He’s a good guy. Uncontroversial. The BEST choreographer that’s ever appeared on the show. And he’s the blond-haired blue eyed Boy Next Door 😉
So, I think that those two factors could very well likely propel Marilu and Derek to the mirrorball trophy!
Courtney, I think you are right about the vote splitting. I feel they have already started with shoving Val down our throats. I think James and Sharna are going to be really enjoyable. I love his sense of humor. With the media talk about Marilu being a ringer, it feels like Nastia treatment all over again. I don’t see Val stepping up to trade Laurie for Marilu!
Alek and Lindsay were the dark horse of season 21, Wanya and Lindsay were the dark horse before season 22 began, and I’m predicting Calvin and Lindsay as the dark horse of season 23. I’m loving James, he’s so charming, and I’ve said this before, but it’s refreshing to see Sharna with a non-ringer after two consecutive seasons with disappointing ringers. I love Laurie, her personality, and she’s from New Jersey, like me. However, I can’t stand how they are already pimping her and Val. Love Marilu’s attitude, I was skeptical at first because of her age, but now, with Derek too, I think she can go far. Rick is surprisingly charismatic, and I might find myself throwing some votes to him because of it, also because Emma’s his partner, and I would hate to see her as first out.
And also for the past two seasons, we’ve seen early favorites and ringers do worse than we anticipated, so think that will continue? I’m half hoping for it, and half hoping it doesn’t happen, one half for Laurie, the other half for Val, we will see which part wins when the season begins.
So pumped for the new season!!
My favourites: Tie between:
Jana & Gleb: I LOVE HER and even better she has Gleb. I’m so happy he is back. They are so gorgeous together
And
James & Sharna: Went to college in Indy and I adore James. I think Shar will win me back this season. Haven’t really enjoyed her since Charlie.
Who I think will win: honestly no idea
My ideal top 4: Jana, James, Calvin & Marilu/Laurie
Side notes:
Ryan looks pretty awkward dancing yikes
I think Laurie will be slightly better than Aly but not as good as Shawn or Nastia
I think Calvin might be a dark horse
I’m curious to see how Terra does
I can do without Amber/Maks
Maureen/Artem & Jake & Jenna seem slightly boring together
Babyface & Allison seem like a perfect pairing
Not sure about Ice/Wit. I feel like he will give her more of an excuse to put hip-hop in everything
Not sure how I feel about Marilu/Derek yet. Indifferent about this pairing
I’ve already had enough Val for season 23
I think Laurie would have been perfect for Mark if he was on this season.
Posting some further thoughts since I was at work when I posted my “final four”
I was disappointed not to see more of Maureen and Artem. I’m seen some of their interviews together and I really liked their chemistry. Maureen is also stunning. I am worried that she might be too cautious/afraid.
I like Babyface, but he didn’t really make much of an impact. I hope he has enough support to last a few weeks so we can get to know him better, but I don’t have a lot of faith in Allison, honestly.
I am shocked how many people I’ve seen on the Jana/Gleb bandwagon. I found them to be one of the most forgettable couples. They’re pretty together, but I literally don’t remember them when I think about the cast. I had them pegged for a “shocking” exit, but maybe everyone else has a different view.
I think Rick is going to last. Personally I find his politics horrendous, but he’s charming as hell, his reasons for doing the show are good, and conservative people have done well in the past. He lucked out getting Emma, IMO.
First out right now would be Sasha/Terra, Jake/Jenna, or Vanilla/Witney. I guess we’ll see how the scoring and everything comes out.
I see-sawed back and forth between Hinch & Sharna and Marilu & Derek before finally picking Hinch & Sharna as my favorite couple for now. He’s just too great to pass up, but I fully expect to love Marilu and Derek too.
For the win, I think TPTB are greasing up the pimp machine to make sure Val slithers his sorry a$$ to another made-to-order MBT.
My ideal final four would be: Hinch & Sharna, Marilu & Derek, Jana & Gleb, and Calvin & Lindsay.
Already it is apparent that TPTB are executing their agenda and I am so sick of it. The Final Four will be the ones TPTB need to attract sponsors and boost ratings. It will have nothing to do with who we are impressed with or who performs beautiful choreography. I am sorry, really, for all the pros who work hard to teach their celebrities and get shafted. I also feel bad for all the celebrities who want to learn, give a supreme effort, but are unlucky enough to be partnered with a pro who isn’t on the “let’s promote him” list. Having said that, Val or Sharna will win, they’ll make sure Derek is top 4 but doesn’t win, and maybe Lindsey or Gleb will be top 4, too. TPTB are looking for the future and sustainment. Derek has other opportunities and they will use him while they can but won’t let him and Marilu win. I plan on muting the Family consistently, but am really looking forward to Marilu and Derek. I am over 60 and I am sure the two of them will dance beautifully. Sorry to be so negative, but it’s my opinion. Thank you!
Wow Cidra, I picked exactly the same for who would be my ideal final four! How I’d love to see all of those teams to the end including freestyles!
I just recently read that Susan Lucci (S7) and Kirstie Alley (S12) are the only 2 females over 60 to EVER make the final 6. A lot of Kirstie Alley’s popularity had to do with her weight loss struggles story and her comedic talent. I would love for Marilu to be the 2nd female over 60 ever to make the finals but even if she only makes it to 4th that would be amazing bacause it would be the first time since season 12.
I really like James, watched a quick Facebook live he’s done, followed by his Dance campaign message and his appearance on GMA. He’s grown on me faster than almost any competitor on the show that I didn’t know previously until they were cast. I really hope he can dance, if he can I think he’ll make the final and could even win. He just comes off as such a good guy and a real laugh. Unfortunately good guys don’t usually succeed on this show. If you offered me a Laurie, James and Marilu final three, I’d take that right now and be very happy with it. Calvin and Jana are probably the biggest threats to their spots. Calvin’s an unknown quantity but he has Lindsay and if footballers show promise then they normally attract a good voting fanbase.
Having known Jana before being cast I’m confident she’ll come off well to viewers and win votes early on based on her personality. However I think (and the signs were clearly there on GMA) that she’s in danger of getting swallowed up and forgotten (along with most of the other cast members) by the relentless pushing of Laurie, the return of the bellend brothers, along with Derek and Cheryl returning and the scrutiny of Ryan. One of the reasons I think James will make the final is because he has the charm/personality to stand out on his own and I don’t think Jana does which means she could leave a lot earlier than she perhaps should. I still think she’s the young pretty actress that almost always gets eliminated around the quarter final stage.
Rick Perry is going to be that massive pain in the arse that hangs around a lot longer than he should. I hope if he flops badly on Monday, that the judges go HARD on him and I’m talking scores of 4 or lower and continue to do so until he gets eliminated. That way the audience would feel guilty about voting for him and won’t do it based on him being so far behind everyone else.
Marilu might be the least known to you RealityBites, but the vast majority of viewers that watch DWTS and vote, Marilu will probably be one of the most well known celebs.
Reality Bites is trolling again, M8. Best to just ignore.
I voted yesterday but didn’t comment, I think this is how I voted if I remember correctly
Fave: Calvin and Lindsay because they are *one* of my faves and figured some of my other faves would get a lot of votes.
Think will win: It’s Laurie and Vals, not saying they will have an easy road and think they might not actually win but given that she’s JUST come off winning gold at Olympics in gymnastics she should be the winner, theirs to lose.
My ideal final 4 from yesterday: Calvin, Marilu, Hinch and Jana, but after watching that short clip with Babyface I’d put him over Jana in my top 4.
maybe just me but was anyone else expecting more from Amber and maks. It was kinda odd.
My fav. at the moment is James and Sharna. I’m loving this guy’s vibe and personality. And I’m guessing he will have a good impression on viewers.
I also voted for them to win because I feel like (if he can move, that Sharna has been acting like he can) he could definitely win. He reminds me of the Apolo, Helio, Kellie P., Bindi (among others) that before the show started where not the “clear winners” but with great training, ability and personality ends up taking it all.
However, I do feel like his greatest competidor will be Laurie. This girl is so happy and enthusiastic. Its definitely hers to loose at this point. I’m puertorrican so (for obvious reasons) I’m very exited she’s on. I’m not super exited for her parter, but I hope her energy can inspire Val. She will be good, but I will not be surprised if, specially into the latter weeks of the competition, someone (James, Calvin) begin to outshine her.
My top 4 at the moment: (I voted yesterday so this is on memory)
James & Sharna
Laurie & Val
Marilu & Derek
Calvin & Lindsey
I would not be surprised to see Jana & Gleb in there either.
I have to say at the moment there is not even one couple that I “dislike” or feel weird about! I’m loving this season already! 🙂
Thanks to the mods and everyone who comments! Love these discussions.
Stating someone’s opinions isn’t trolling, BTW. We live in America, so we all have freedom of speech..& have the right to voice our opinions. @PH
Court – I agree with you about Amber. She can be polarizing. The trick will be all about the packages and how she handles herself. That’s why I asked the ? the other day about if there were any surprise personalities in this cast. Amber is coming across very diff than my limited media perception of her. I think if they are able to portray her in this humble, hard-working, single mom kind of way and able to keep her , etc from being brought to the attn of that 50ish female demographic, then maybe she has a shot at the finale.
Has anyone seen the video of Val and Laurie where it is just their feet showing? I’m not a dancer at all, but even I picked up on her feet being a big issue. Every time he stepped/twisted on his toe – she did the same motion – on her heel! I think we are going to hear a lot of “point your toe” with that one.
Thanks mods – looking forward to next week!
Right, RealityBites, it’s just a total coincidence that all of your opinions seem to be deliberately opposite what the general consensus is, and you state them in such a condescending way that it incites arguments. You are trolling, RealityBites – the very fact that you keep coming back to comment after we’ve called you out multiple times makes that pretty clear. You want attention, be it good or bad.
And yet another individual that completely misinterprets “freedom of speech” as “I can say whatever I want, whenever & wherever I want, and nobody can stop me or question me!!!” Is that from the Tumblr Institution of Constitutional Law? The constitution only protects you from the government trying to silence you – it does not protect you from being deleted or banned on a privately-owned blog. We are under no obligation to provide a soapbox for your incendiary opinions – especially when you seem to prove at every turn that you are just here to get a rise out of folks, and it derails actual, productive discussion.
My list of favorites this season just keeps getting bigger. Now I’m loving Babyface too, I can’t remember a season before this one where I had this many favorites before the show had even aired.
I really really like Hinch evening though I’ve never heard of him before and him and Sharna seem like a fun partnership
Yeah, I have to add Babyface as another of my favorites as well.
Yup, I already voted for Babyface to be one of my final four! Looks like the man can move!
Favorite Couple – Jana/Gleb, closely followed by Marilu/Derek
Winning Couple – I like Laurie a lot and I’m sure she’ll be in the finale but I don’t think she’ll win unless there’s heavy pimping. Personally, I would never vote for Val (the star of the show) and his lackluster stale choreography. I’m hoping Jana and Gleb win. She seems to have a nice personality and Gleb is one of my favs. Loved his choreo with Adelina and Anita Rani too. My second choice for the win is Marilu and Derek.
My Ideal Finale – Jana/Gleb, Marilu/Derek, Calvin/Lindsay, Hinch/Sharna
:::rolls eyes::: Still trolling, Reality Bites. Try again. BTW, since I can delete your ass any time I want, I suggest you try something different.
I was a huge fan of Laurie during the Olympics and was thrilled when I heard she would be on this season of DWTS! I will be cheering for her all the way!
I’m also really interested to see what Calvin can do. If he’s half as good at dancing as he is at football, he could definitely be one to watch!
Colleen (#28), From reading through the comments after yours, there are several others who would also like to see the final 4 we chose. Hope that bodes well for those 4 couples. Sadly, we here on Pure tend not to be very representative of the average viewer. They are so much more susceptible to the manipulation of TPTB (no matter how obvious it gets).
Hmmm, I’m liking Babyface a lot too. He could be in the mix if Allison doesn’t turn their dances into a hectic goulash of every dance step she knows. Babyface probably has the talent to cope with all the choreo but it’ll just look frantic.
I really want Babyface to win but I think he’ll probably earn 5th or 6th place, at best. Babyface has been dancing live for decades, and is married to a former Janet Jackson dancer; so he knows how to do this! Allison is passionate about her partners but her choreo is usually sloppy and uninspired. I’m concerned this will hold her and Babyface back.
Probably gonna make final four:
Ice and Whitney – Ice has so much dance and live performing talent, also an expert at working his charm on reality shows;
Marilu and Derek – Won’t win IMO due to age preventing her from doing any stunts a younger partner like Bindi would’ve done, and possibly perfectionist’s pride holding her back (whether this happens in her own eyes or becomes a perception of the viewers’);
Amber and Maks – Amber is very fit, determined and socially connected beyond Twitter. Might be hard to win tho because unfortunately, the odds of a black woman winning DWTS have historically been very low. The viewers that vote skew old and conservative. I think only Amber Riley has beaten those odds, and it was with Derek. Also the Chmerkovskiy vote split to consider – seems like Val will get those Chmerkovskiy votes instead of Maks;
Jana and Gleb – I think Jana might be a bit of an unknown, and that could be refreshing to viewers who are sick of hearing too much already about the other contestants; whether it’s “ringer” Marilu or that chump swimmer from the Olympics (poor Cheryl). Jana and Gleb look great together in rehearsal photos and footage, and it’s Gleb’s time to shine.
I can’t wait for the season to start because I am dying to see how everyone dances!
I wonder if Laurie will dance like Nastia, Shawn or Ali? She seems more bubbly. But she could be a little stiff in her movements like Ali. If they show Val being his usual impatient self, it could backfire on him.
Derek and Marilu are my favorite couple and want them to win!! I hope Marilu isn’t too hard on herself trying to be a perfectionist or annoyingly too hyper. I can see the producers negatively editing her that way. Boo. Hope Derek warns her of the show’s manipulations.
Jayna and Gleb will be this season’s shipper’s favorite team. They look good together and have chemistry.
I’m rooting for Cheryl and Ryan to go far into the season. I like the guy and love Cheryl. I want a redemption arc for him.
I could care less about Amber, Jake or Terra. Am curious about the rest.
@ Heart
I don’t think there is any chance that Laurie will dance like Nastia or AllStars Shawn, at barely 16 she just lacks the maturity for it. But I’m guessing she isn’t nicknamed Baby Shakira for no reason…
I come back here cause i love this site..& love you, PH & Vogue..& DWTS is my most favorite show & i love talking about it with everyone here & share my views.. I’ve got no friends who likes DWTS. So i hope ya’ll let me stay in my favorite DWTS site. 🙁 🙁 @Courtney
@RealityBites (#50) Actions speak way louder than words; and your actions to date don’t give your latest words a lot of credibility with me.
If you’re actually serious (which I highly doubt) — once a troll, always a troll, in my opinion — perhaps you should spend some time learning how to share your views in a less condescending way.
For starters, I recommend losing the know-it-all attitude and ditch the snarky, in-your-face “Just my opinion” tagline at the end of your posts. Do you honestly think tacking on those 3 words at the end are all that’s needed to avoid being rude? If so, I think your social skills need some more work.
I probably would get a lot of negative feedback for saying this but I would prefer a finale without Laurie. Only because Val has been an eyesore in the finale for the last several seasons he’s been able to participate. If there wasn’t any strings being pulled I would prefer a Hinch, Maureen, Marilu, Calvin finale, but it would be to much TPTB to handle. I would see a fixed outcome of Laurie, Marilu, Ryan, Hinch finale.
i think this season derek hough’s one of those 4th place season like Bethany, Maria.
well, I’m glad to see so many putting Hinch and Sharna in the favourites. As a Canadian, I feel like they’ve already screwed him by taking a huge portion of his built in fan base out of play by removing international voting. I’m bummed and really have lost my enthusiasm for the season because of that. As a long time fan who votes, I enjoy being a part of the show, taking voting away in a year I have someone I’d really want to support going in really sucks. I hope he and Sharna’s fun relationship plus American Indy fans will be enough to give him a few weeks and hopefully see if he has any ability to improve week to week and capture people’s interest.
I’m so bummed about the voting change that I don’t really care to think of who my favourite is right now and I’ll just wait to see them on the show.
@LR – There might still be a way you can vote…if you go check out my Twitter, I posted directions yesterday on how to get around the geoblocking at the ABC site. Worth a shot, if you really want to support Hinch! My twitter is @putuincespence
Nick #52. I too prefer a finale without Laurie mainly because I think Val has been there this past seasons using cruise control. But I doubt it’s going to happen. I think Laurie being in the finale is a given. It will be shocking if she doesn’t make it. I have a feeling TPTB will keep the “pimp Val” route.
My three picks. For the. Season 23 final. Derek hough and partner. Lindsay and partner and. Sharan and partner. Those three really do belong in the fainal. With. Shasha and partner coming in 4 place.
And. For the winner of season 23. Dwts. Derek hough and partner and sharnna 2 place with Lindsay in third
They Are being so mean to Derek this season I can’t stand to watch the judges 7 really to Derek why did he. Get the oldest one there. He isn’t. Having. Why are the judges scoring so low. I want Derek to get that 7 trophy so badly Is it because he has 6 throphys why Is. The show so down on him this time that would have been really cool to have some one like Laurie paired with Derek. Or even shaasha would have been better than Val Val has never had someone like a 64 old why didn’t he get her oh that was so mean of them to pin. Derek and partner next to Laurie and Val for that safety necklace oh gosh can you see how oh yea atem and partner the other 60 year old win the safety necklace but they are not being mean to anyone but Derek
I mean come on Derek should have gotten the girl gelbs has or Laurie they should let him shine when he is there I mean Val will be there next Derek might not be because of sining in the rain why can’t they take in order They should just be happy Derek came back. And they repay him by giving him a 64 year old.
Tara is another lucky one that benefits by me not being around. Come one, woman. TRY to make sense.
Part of me thinks that Tara is just a very persistent (but poorly programmed) bot – I’ve blocked her nonsensical ramblings on more IP addresses than I can count, but she keeps coming back. And she never actually responds to questions.