PureDWTS Season 23, Week 7 – The Team Dances REVEALED!!!! **SPOILERS**
Ok kids, since it’s likely well into the late hours of the evening (or the wee hours of the morning, depending on what time zone you’re in), I’ll get right to it – after Monday night’s show, the couples picked teams for the team dances next week. By virtue of having the two highest cumulative point totals (186 and 184 points, respectively), Laurie and James were appointed the team captains (for those curious, the 3rd place finisher, with a distant 171 points, was Jana). Here’s how the teams shook out after all the picking was done…
ETA: It appears they are sticking with the eras theme for the team dances, with Laurie’s team’s era being “the future” and James’s team’s era being “the past”. Source said Team Future’s music is instrumental, and is some very weird, electronica, futuristic song that made both Val and Derek cringe and facepalm when they heard it. Good luck with that one, guys. Source also confirmed that the dances are freestyles again. No word on what the other team’s song is, yet. -Court-
ETA2: Maybe it’s the unfortunate effects of these new migraine meds, but I seriously teared up upon hearing that James’ team has the theme from Outlander as their music – I adore both the book series and the TV series, and I’m having serious visions of Hinch, Ryan, Calvin, & Artem decked out in kilts & tartans…the song is absolutely beautiful, and lends itself nicely to Viennese waltz. I daresay they got the better song of the two – the theme and costuming are basically pre-determined. Meanwhile, source says Team Future thinks their music sounds “like Hunger Games mixed with church music”, while DT himself/herself thinks the music “sounds like Riverdance at a nightclub in outer space.” Some of you have been speculating about who got first pick – source isn’t sure, but thinks Laurie may have picked Terra, Marilu, and then Jana, in that order. Source also thinks the music may have been assigned to them, rather than letting them pick it. -Court-
Team Future: (song: some weird, instrumental electronica piece not immediately recognizable)
Laurie & Val
Marilu & Derek
Jana & Gleb
Terra & Sasha
Team Past: (song: “The Skye Boat Song” by Raya Yarbrough – theme from Outlander)
James & Sharna
Calvin & Lindsay
Ryan & Cheryl
Maureen & Artem
As of right now, we don’t know anything about dance styles, songs, team names, the order in which the teams were picked, etc., but we will update this post with that information if/when that information becomes available to us. Based on what Tom said during the show last night, we know that the couples’ individual dances next week will be decade-themed, so it’s possible the team dances will be as well.
Discuss.
Wish Marilu and Derek were on Team James.
I think decade themed Team dances coud be really fun like S16’s Team Samba. I’m glad that we didn’t get just another round of Halloween themed Team dances like in S19 and S21.
It looks like Laurie picked all the girls and James all the guys with Maureen being the left-over pick. It’s unfortunate for Maureen to be the only non-pro female in her Team…
Looks to me like Derek and Marilu were first pick by Laurie; did Val tell her to snag Derek first to give them a choreo advantage?
@Psychee22
I think it’s way more likely that Shawn and Nastia prompted Laurie to pick Derek than Val.
Wish Marilu and Ryan were switched. On paper team Laurie should walk it, but who knows I’ve been surprised before. Smart move to snatch Derek up from Laurie, no doubt pushed by Val to do so.
Dang, wish Marilú & Derek were on Team James too. Not one female pro on Team Laurie -that’s not good.
Derek starts Hairspray prep Thursday. His time may be tight.
I’m pleased with Laurie’s choices. I’d really like to see Jana continue her momentum on the top. I hope this team of all females does way better than last season’s Team Beyonce.
Assuming the order listed above is the order in which they were picked, I would have taken Terra over Ryan if I were James. Then again with Ruan comes Cheryl, which could help. Not surprised if Marilu and Calvin really were first two snapped up.
Considering that I state clearly in the post that we DON’T know the order in which the teams were picked, I don’t think it’s safe to assume anything, Elena.
Calvin and lindsay were probably James’ first choice. Not a bad choice by any means, especially since Calvin comes with Lindsay, who has been proven to have great choreography. However, I’m just not too optimistic as to what Maureen can do to Team James. You’re only as strong as your weakest member, and I’m worried that Maureen might take away from the magic Cheryl, Lindsay, and Sharna can do together. Overall, team James might still be stronger choreographicallytahat team Laurie. Laurie’s team has Derek, Sasha has been doing great with choreographing to Terra’s needs. I haven’t been too impressed with Val or Gleb’a choreography yet.
Just curious, but does the Pro partnered with the Celeb captain assume responsibility for choreographing or do all Pros contribute? Just wondering how Val and Derek on the same team would work out, especially given recent events between the two. During Meryl’s season they were together with Maks and Mark, but I almost think each had a close friend/brother to act as a “buffer”. Although, maybe Gleb and Sasha would fill that role nicely.
I’m excited, team Laurie is gonna be a great team!!! I am sure Derek will work with the ladies and make sure they’re in sync and make them shine. He is probably going to choreograph their dance as well too. As far as team Laurie goes, dance ability is stronger there, and therefore will make a great team dance, D is always great with synchronization.
It looks like James and Calvin will have to carry their team with Maureen and Ryan on there.
I’m going to look on the bright side of things and say that Maureen being the only female celeb on her team might be helpful to her. She’s won’t be dancing with any other female celeb for comparison and she’ll have three very good female pros around to help guide her, including one (Sharna) who’s quite good at hiding a celeb’s shortcomings while giving them choreography that lets them shine.
Personally, if I were Derek, I’d let Val do all choreography 😉 Let’s see what Val can come up with without help from Mark,Maks,Peta, Sharna or Derek this time around 🙂
Team Future should do well- Derek shines when he has difficult music, so I think they will do well. I hope they have Laurie do Jazz, Marilu do some ballroom infused with futuristic moves, Jana do some Argentine Tango and Terra do some freestyle
tgirl, I’m not sure that would make a whole lot of sense. I think Derek wants Marilu to get as many points as possible, so he needs to help with the chores for the group routine.
It does appear that Laurie made smart choices (with or without Val’s input). In my opinion, Ryan and Maureen are the 2 weakest dancers left and they’re both on the other team.
Either way, I highly doubt James will be eliminated, even if his group routine tanks. I’m slightly worried about Calvin, though, the way the judges have been hosing him.
Oh I know Derek will be a major contributor to choreography….that’s why I said , “Personally, If I was Derek….”
😉 😉
I always love the Team dances. I can’t wait!
That 50’s Paso still my favourite dance ever.
I can’t see Val telling Laurie to pick Marilu & Derek so that they’d have Derek to help with their team’s choreography. I just can’t imagine Val putting his ego aside for that; he’s not that humble. If anything, I would think he’d want Laurie to be on the opposite team from Derek, so that Val could brag that his choreo beat Derek’s (which it never will).
@ Joanne B.
I think the Pro partnered with the Celeb captain has creative oversight over the Team dance but all Pros can contribute. It’s bascially a reverse of S19 where Bethany was Team captain and Val was on Derek’s Team. Everyone knows that Derek can do Futuristic dances though so Val might want to profit from that.
This should be interesting! In theory IMO, Laurie’s team seems stronger with bad music/theme while James has weaker celebs with potentially better music and theme. But Derek thrives on challenge, so hopefully he can make lemonade out of this again!
Not sure how I feel with this decade themed week. It could be fun, but it’s also an opportunity for TPTB to do some major meddling!
Derek can do futuristic. It earned him an Emmy nod
Hello guys!!!
Since James’ team are doing the past, are they going to do the very earlier part of the 20th century?
I wouldn’t be surprised if Laurie picked Jana first. They seem to be really close if you go by their instagram posts.
The teams are interesting, not so sure about the theme.
Thanks for the info!
Of course Val picked Derek. Team future has the edge for me with Derek and Gleb on the same team! 🙂 Laurie and and the dynamic duo of Terra & Sasha are a big bonus too.
James and Lindsay are going to have to carry the lesser dancers in Maureen & Ryan.
You never know how these team dances might turn out but I’m looking forward to what they all come up with.
I love DWTS! I’ve ben watching for a long time, but is it just me, or is it not as special as it once was? :/
*SMH*
No, the pro paired with the “captain” does NOT automatically have creative control.
No, I wouldn’t automatically assume that because Derek has won an Emmy doing an “futuristic” dance, that he’s automatically going to thrive with this one.
I think Val sees the writing on the wall where Derek is concerned with the team dance – he sees him as more of an asset than a rival. I don’t see egos getting in the way. Val beat Derek once, during season 21 (although it was really Allison & Sharna’s choreo); I think that got it out of his system.
Keep in mind that a team with cumulatively stronger dancers has lost to weaker ones in the past – look at season 21. Laurie’s team does not have this in the bag, and I wouldn’t automatically assume that James’ team is screwed.
Yo, if Derek is facepalming over the music for a team dance…it’s NOT a good sign. Just saying.
No one will ever come close to Derek’s record on anything with regard to this show – wins, Emmys, team dances, whatever…but this is not in the bag. Derek choreographs to the music. He needs the music to be good. This is why he has ALWAYS instructed his partner to go for the music first, team second. He knows he can make anyone into a dancer, but if they have shitty music they are handicapped.
I have to say….there has never been ANY evidence that Val or Maks have had ego problems with Derek during team dances. If fact, it’s usually the opposite – they know what he’s capable of. And really, in Season 21 people automatically ceding control to Derek was a PROBLEM. When the man says the music is hindering him or he hates it…LISTEN to him. He’s not perfect. Closer than any one else on that show, but not perfect. The other men on that team need to contribute – the end result will be even better. And really, I think James’ team comes out ahead with the fresh Lindsay and Sharna, if Derek’s team’s music is crap.
Thanks for all the inside info, Courtney!
To your point about Val beating Derek on the Team dance in season 21: at least we won’t have to listen to the “Derek’s never lost a Team dance” whining anymore…
I have faith in Derek – he will figure something out despite the lack of great music. He is so creative and Val and Sasha can also come up with some ideas to incorporate into the dance. I think the teams are pretty well matched and it should be a good contest!!!
From a performance standpoint – I do think James team will have a harder time. Everyone but James seems to have had struggles showing their personalities.
But from a choreography standpoint – I think this is about an even split. Derek and Sasha vs Cheryl and Sharna. (IMO). Val hasn’t really choreographed much of anything for a couple of years now, and use don’t know if Gleb can tone down the sexy and work a big group.
On the other hand – Cheryl and Sharna are by far the best two female choreographers and Lindsay is pretty close to that as well. Artem? IDK – I dont really remember him choreo’ing any group numbers, but with that female pro lineup I dont think it matters.
And it seems in my non-dancer opinion, that as long as the group is relatively in sync, the groups are judged as much on performance value as technique. Unless someone totally messes up, I think this could be a close call.
I never count Derek out – a cringe on hearing the song could mean he goes really far out of the box and delivers some of his best creativity. I’m actually looking forward to seeing these creative minds compete!
One disadvantage Lauries team has is that Laurie and Jana both travel throughout the week. It’s gonna be tough
Keep in mind, though, that the teams actually only have (2) rehearsals as a group – one was last night, the other is usually on Saturday. So even with Laurie & Jana traveling, odds are they’re not actually missing out too much on team rehearsals. Now whether they slack on rehearsing their own individual portions of the team dances, that’s another story.
Personally, I think James’s team is better set up to win the team dance. James and Calvin are the two most electric performers among the celebrities. Moreover, Ryan performs with more personality than at least two of the celebrities on Laurie’s team. Also, even though I like Tera, I think her dancing will suffer in comparison when she is dancing simultaneously with the others on her team. The contrast could also lessen the impact of the team portions of the dance. I also agree with a previous poster that Maureen will likely benefit from being surrounded by three top notch female pros. Finally how much time is Laurie’s team going to have to practice together if Derek has Hairspray and Laurie potentially has her gymnastics shows.
I should also add that I think the three female pros on James’s team have had the best choreography this season, better than even Derek’s, although I must acknowledge that Derek has been handicapped by having Marilyn as a partner.
I’m actually interested in seeing if/how Lindsay, Cheryl and Sharna can help Maureen loosen up a bit rather than dealing with Artem’s teaching style only.
Maureen could actually learn a lot from them, I think.
Hmmm… if the teams don’t tie, then normally don’t they eliminate from the losting team dance. Which makes me think Team James will lose thereby sending either Ryan or Mo home. But, if they tie or if Team Laurie loses, maybe they send Terra packing?
I am very anxious to read Derek’s blog this week and see what he says about the team dance. I know he can probably work his magic and a light bulb will probably go off. I’m excited to see what he comes up with. He will find a way to make it work.
With traveling and hair spray rehearsals, remember during Nastia’s season Derek had to fly to NY and miss the first team rehearsal, so they will make it work this time.
I actually think both teams are pretty evenly balanced so for once no complaints on teams. As for the song that could make both of them face palm, I can’t think of any really futuristic song off the bat but if it’s that bad I’m a tad bit worried for that team. Hopefully Sasha and gleb have some creative juices flowing becuase besides Derek and Lindsay they seem like the ones most likely to think of something when a song isn’t ideal.
Hit submit too early: I hope Lindsay and sharna show artem a thing or two about how to make his partner motivated instead of just stressing her out like he has lately. That video was cringe worthy.
THE PERSON HEADING HOME ON MONDAY WILL HAVE ALREADY BEEN DETERMINED BY THE SCORES AND VOTES FROM THIS WEEK. Whether they’re on the winning or losing team is irrelevant, Cassanova. If you’re talking about the person that is going to be eliminated in week 8, then it’s also rather irrelevant, because there’s such a huge cumulative point total from both the individual and team dances in week 7 that the margins are very, very small – so if someone gets sent home, it’s usually because they just were not getting the votes, rather than because they were on the losing team.
As mentioned above and if you watched the 360 cam and red room on all access post show you’ll find that the pros weren’t even in the same room when the celebs chose teams with the producers. The pros were down in the red room tog. on their phones and hthe celebs were in the skybox.
I love the team dances and the fact that they can be a bit unpredictable based on many different factors. Just because Team Laurie may have higher scores or seem stronger on the surface doesn’t matter, Team James could pull out a stronger performance.
I think Sharna is a team dance wiz, Lindsay is a innovative idea machine, Cheryl is experienced to whip em into formation, and Artem is creative on the production side and how to hide and hinderances from his pro.
It’s a freestyle guys…remember there are no rules so it’s going to most likely be based on how tight they r, mistakes, and performance level.
And I don’t think we can cast Maureen as a put down.
Sounds like maybe Ryan, Mo and Terra were the last three picks and James perhaps fudged up picking Ryan, allowing Laurie to pick Terra and leaving Mo left over. Ryan and Mo are equal weak links which puts that team at a clear disadvantage in terms of celeb skill. However take Derek out of the equation and I’d say Team James have the better pros in terms of creative choreography. Lindsay and Sharna have been brilliant this season and Artem is unbeaten in his two previous team dances, one of them with Patti LaBelle and Chris Soules as clear weak links which they turned into a great team dance. I’d personally want those three over Val, Gleb and Sasha. If Derek takes control though then they should be good. It’s just a shame Marilu didn’t end up in the other team over Ryan or Mo.
Cassanova Hayes Grier won his team dance a couple of seasons back only to get eliminated at the end of the night. The votes are based on the week before. However if Maureen or Ryan are headed home that night then you’d imagine they’d call that whole team in jeopardy beforehand to make things easier come elimination time.
Wow, it sure sounds like they are trying to make one team have a much harder time of it (future). I’m still surprised they would do that to Laurie as all season she seems to have been given an easier dance/music combo IMO. Maybe James team will have a better shot at it. I can’t even envision this futuristic music.
I love the Outlander theme! Lucky team James. Great song, I’m sure the dance will be amazing.
Oh boy, here we go again. First, I would like to thank you for reporting this in an unreal timely manner. This is just my opinion, but I thought the best group dance ever was when Maks, Derek, Val and Mark partnered together in Season 18. The team I am for very rarely wins, and I’m afraid thats gonna happen again, since I am a James fan through and through. And Derek is on the opposing team. I forgot it was cumulative scores and not scores from last night. I just so badly want James to win that I’m already a nervous wreck. I loved what Julianne said about James last night, being the best male dancer. But at the same time totally shocked me since she won with Helio and Apolo. But she certainly says what she feels. The only thing I didn’t agree with that she said last night was she still wanted more chemistry. Maybe if James laid a big one on her like Helio did to her she would be happy. Which I still find one of the best quick steps ever pulled off on that show. I’m so glad Len will be back next week. Pitbull was way off IMO. But answer me this. Do you think Len would have said it took too long for the dance to begin and that there was no need for the bed. That scenario happened back when Erin danced with Maks. I don’t know what the dance was they did for him to say that, but I know 9 times out of 10 he does not like all the “foo foo” stuff. ??? for TeamStopAndGo.
Oops that ???? was suppose to be before TeamStopAndGo.
There is music on YouTube called “Future Music” by Astrix that sounds like what you are describing. Is that it?
I think that’s what’s going to make Team Future exciting and keeping us on edge. They have a song that we can’t even envision a dance to and make it into something awesome which I think we are in for a treat.
I am SOOOOOO FREAKING EXCITED that James’ team will be doing the Outlander theme. I am also a huge fan of the books and the series. Now we just need an appearance by Sam and Cait and my night will be complete. I can’t wait!
Men in kilts is always GOOD!
?
What Susan2 said! 🙂
Man, I love this Outlander song….and everything Scottish/Irish. Still, pulling for Team Laurie, mainly because I have faith in Derek’s creativity. Since their crazy music “sounds like Riverdance at a nightclub in outer space,” maybe Derek will come up with the futuristic version of the “Outlander”:) I would not put anything past him.
To change the subject, I can’t wait until the power rankings are out.
On a different note, DWTS Gossip tweeter a few minutes ago that Calvin and Lindsey have a jive next week
@Rachel – They’re coming later, I just had a dumpster fire of a day at work, combined with the effects of new migraine meds and lack of sleep.
Omg! Love the Outlander song! Huge Fan! Can’t wait for the kilts!
I Loooove your blog. It is our go-to-guide in our house to find out all the good scoop!
I am hopeful regarding Maureen, I believe she, above all other celebs, will benefit from having 3 female pros training her. Agree with the idea that it was Shawn & Nastia who put the Derek bug in Laurie’s ear. I’m sure Val is like “whatever”, I’ve got the MBT in the bag anyway!
Future music hard to dance to? Hmmm…don’t forget Derek’s remarkable PASO with Joanna Krupa. Still watch that puppy!
I think Derek will also find a unique way to use Terra as a surprise element within the dance.
and back-tracking a bit to Monday night. Ummm….Erin is not letting Maks off the hook, period. A little lingering angst from when she danced with him? Glad he’s gone. Wish he and Peta the best.
I actually think both teams will do well. I trust Derek to handle the odd music selection and to think outside the box for costumes. Sharna will be good at choreo for their team. I am looking forward to the two dances as I think each team has something in their favor and it should be really competitive!
#38 Iris The female pros have yet to achieve what Derek has with choreography. We don’t know if those females are receiving choreography assistance. We do know some funky stuff is going on with Derek and Marilu- strange song assignments that don’t match the dance style, lighting/production miscues, outrageously inappropriate scores relative to other pairs who didn’t dance as well, the agenda to promote Precious and other Tour performers for marketing purposes. I don’t recall any of those females snagging an Emmy nomination, much less winning one.
I’ve been waiting for DWTS to have Outlander theme as a song…yaaaay! So excited. The music is so beautiful and haunting…and it give extra publicity to Outlander, which is really in my opinion one of the best shows on television…okay, I’m ready for Monday night! 🙂
Team Past seems like a really interesting group. I heard rumors that James has a mean Scottish or Irish accent so I’m looking forward to rehearsal footage.
@Nia – James does a mean Fat Bastard, and also an impression of Robin Williams telling the story of how golf was invented, in a thick Scottish accent. Although the Scottish accent you hear from the male lead on Outlander is what I would consider much, much more pleasing to the ears than the comically thick one people usually associate with the Scots 😛
Power rankings are up for those who were asking about them: https://www.puredwts.com/2016/10/18/puredwts-season-23-week-6-power-rankings/
Yeah Derek starting HairsprayLive rehearsals on Thursday will definitely make him pressed for time. Hopefully he only concentrates on that and his performance with Marilu.. Leave the group number up to Val, Gleb & Sasha.. I was really hoping Marilu & Derek were on Team James and hearing now that he gets another crappy team song makes me even more disappointed. Good Luck Team Future.
This is actually the problem with Derek’s record on team dances – all the fans and pros go “Oh, Derek is great at this he always knows what to do and wins” and then they step back and throw their hands up. Person most likely to do that is Val. At least Sasha is used to working with Derek so he’ll be less inclined to do that.
The mark of a great choreographer, Iris, is how well the do with some one who isn’t much of a dancer at all or who has other issues. It’s much easier for Sharna and Lindsey this season because they haven’t had the issues that Derek has – yet he’s still gotten very good (to great, counting that V. Waltz) dances out of his partner. Sharna has struggled in the past when handed a bad partner, as has Lindsey. Both are turning out great – but they have a long way to go before they can touch Derek’s prowess. There is also the issue of using outside choreographers – I have no problem with it at all, but both Lindsey and Sharna have used them in the past. All that means is that full credit may or may not belong to them for the dances. Hard to say. And hard to compare them to Derek who makes it VERY clear when there is another choreographer in the room and it’s typically only on dances he is totally unfamiliar with.
As for the practice time – see Courtney’s post. The team dance practice time shouldn’t be impacted unless they’re out of town on Saturday.
Er, I don’t think you can give Artem credit for Team dance wins unless it was clear he choreographed them. He’s certainly not impressed me much otherwise.
I am also an Outlander fan — both the books and tv series. I don’t usually care for the team dances (too much score manipulation for my liking), but I am really looking forward to seeing how they choreograph a team dance to the Outlander theme song.
Do you know which version of the theme song will be used? There are actually several versions of the theme song used throughout both seasons. I was not wild about the one one with the French (first half of season 2), but any of the other versions would be great. I think that the second season DVD and soundtrack will be released in early November, so maybe they will use one from season 2 — part of a marketing push.
I’m still putting lots of hope in Derek getting inspired by the Futuristic theme and maybe the DWTS Band tweaking the music a bit to work better. Joanna’s Futuristic Paso was amazing as well as Derek and Mark’s Futuristic Pro dance from S16.
@Dee, why? When he was on NYSS he choreographed the team dance through FaceTime. Hairspray rehearsal is in LA and the teams only rehearse Monday night and Saturday anyways. He will make it work. This is Derek we are talking about. Bad songs = magic. Hence the futuristic paso and 50s paso.
I would love to see Marilu do an elegant 20s Quickstep or maybe a 70s Rumba.
Totally off topic here but cannot decide where this pathetic little gem fits. Our little ballroom dancing show’s reputation has reached a new low with this one media blurb:
Regarding Billy Bush’s step to re-enter mainstream media–
What about Dancing With the Stars, the newest stop on the reputation rehabilitation highway? ABC’s competition series has extended invitations to scandal-tinged celebs including ex-congressman Tom DeLay, TV chef Paula Deen and swimmer Ryan Lochte, and “would help Billy rehab his celebrity image,” Schiffer says.
DWTS Rehab begins as a 12 or 13 step (depending on # of celebs) rehab program for those Celebs who have screwed up their careers in a huge, public way. We should have one season dedicated to these folks with behind the scenes therapy sessions on how to rehab your career. They could use palm readers, tarot cards, a medium…possibilities are endless.
Do team dances get scored?
Tina(73) Because it’s Val’s partner that is the team leader. Not saying that he isnt’ but he should be the one responsible for creating a fantastic number, not Derek. The other pros should just be there to assist and create their partners part of the performance. The fans expect to much from him with these team dances IMO.
#Chris (76) Yes. Everyone on the team gets the same score.
2. I wouldn’t mind in the future if the teams were picked at random. Tack up pics of the teams face down on a board, have one team leader pick one, have the other pick another, and so forth, keeping them all upside down, and when they have picked them all, turn them right side up and see how it turned out. Or pick envelopes out of a hat. Do the same thing for the music. Then there would be no cause for complaint.
3. Has anyone figured out what the music to “Future” actually is yet? I enjoy dances more when I have heard the music beforehand.