Dancing with the Stars Season 24 – PRO WATCH!!
It’s that time of year once again folks. There are other sites out there mimicking us, but none of them that I would bank on just yet.
Which means that we know Derek is out. Also, according to a Good Morning America announcement today, Maks and Peta are dancing. If you have something to contribute, PLEASE PROVIDE a SOURCE – by that I mean a link. We appreciate the help, but it needs to be sourced, otherwise it’s just a distraction. Thx.
ETA1: And Tony confirms he’s out for this season. Not gonna lie, I’m disappointed – he was always so kind to his partners, moreso than some other pros that will likely get a spot…-Court-
ETA2: Witney and Sharna are confirmed per People Magazine as is Val…but I do wonder if they are making the same silly assumption that others do re: the poster. ~Heidi
ETA3: According to People, Jenna is OUT! ~ Vogue
ETA4: Vogue again. Gleb is IN again according to this interview. YAYYY! Can you tell I’m excited?! 🙂 Thanks to @GleekyZ for sending.
ETA5: And in the first development this season that actually has me excited, an old favorite returns…yes kids, She of the Awesome Boobage is back…Kym 😀 -Court-
ETA6: Not sure on this, but, according to @DWTSGossip, Allison is out. I think I am going to cry if true. I love her. – Vogue
ETA7: Confirmed – Keo is back. Kinda thought he might be, since I think he was only set aside last season in order to bring Gleb back on board. -Court-
ETA8: Source confirms that Sasha, Lindsay, & Emma are all IN. Doing some extreme vetting over here, folks…-Court-
ETA9: According to ET, Mark and Karina are out too. Dang. And to anyone thinking this site hates Mark, you couldn’t be more WRONG. ~ Vogue
ETA10: Not sure if anyone is really still watching this post, but it looks like Jenna is also out as a troupe member this season. To address some of the chatter on Twitter – no, we don’t know what Sasha’s talking about; no, we don’t know if Mark is back in as a surprise; no, we still don’t have a confirmation on Artem’s status. We’ll share if we get any updates…-Court-
Male Pros
Val – IN
Gleb – IN
Mark – OUT
Artem –
Derek – OUT
Sasha – IN
Maks – IN
Keo – IN
Female Pros
Sharna – IN
Kym – IN
Emma – IN
Witney – IN
Allison – OUT??
Lindsay – IN
Jenna – OUT
Cheryl – OUT
Peta – IN
Status of Former Pros
Tristan MacManus – No, appears to have sworn off TV dancing
Anna Trebunskaya – ??
Lacey Schwimmer – Unlikely
Louis Van Amstel – ?
Chelsie Hightower – ?
Corky Ballas – ?
Karina Smirnoff – OUT
Edyta Sliwinska – OUT (pregnant)
Tony Dovolani – OUT
The Troupe
Brittany Cherry – ??
Britt Stewart – ??
Alan Bersten – ??
Hayley Ebert – ??
Shannon Holtzapffel – ??
Dennis Jauch – ??
Kiril Kulish – ??
Jenna Johnson – OUT
I love this post every season. Now Dancing With The Stars Season 24 begins. WOO HOO!!
I’d say with Maks being officially in, Alan’s chances of becoming a pro just got a lot slimmer. Sorry, Alan fans – only six slots to fill, and I think Val & Mark are likely automatically in. Of the remaining 3 spots, I think they get filled by some combination of Artem, Tony, Keo, and Sasha. I would be genuinely shocked if that combo got shaken up.
As for the ladies – if Peta’s back, then one of last season’s ladies is not. My best guess is Emma, who was already kinda on-the-bubble last season.
I also think we may get Tony OR Artem, but not necessarily both – Artem seems to have taken over Tony’s role as “the one that gets the older ladies”, so I’m not sure there’s really a need for two male pros to partner older women. I much prefer Tony’s warmth and more easygoing attitude towards his partners to Artem’s more cold, clinical approach.
Oh I might as well take my place at the table with my wine and watch the mess from afar! ??. Welcome back one and all. I have given up hope that a series will at least 40% smoothly.
I like Peta and her work but back so soon after Shai being born, I would have said wait off another series unless she has a duffer and is out by W4. Maks ugh really, what else is there left to do now? I would be happy to never see him back. I don’t dislike the bloke (I often regard him as the better C bro) but why fill up a spot that someone new could take up?
But yeah it is nice to be back. I assume the Angels will keep me laughing.
Keeping my fingers crossed Mark is back!! And I’d definitely take Tony over Artem-as much Tony’s choreography is a bit lackluster at times, he is just so awesome with his partners, even the most demanding and challenging where as Artem has left a bad taste in my mouth watching him on TV.
Sasha has done fantastic and deserves to come back. I keep hearing Keo might be moved up to pro-maybe he’s ready for another chance….
With Peta back, I, personally, wouldn’t miss Jenna as a pro-she could be demoted back down to troupe in my opinion. Something tells me that’s not going to happen. I don’t want to lose Emma:((( She’s one of my favs!! I think the rest of the ladies are most likely in-Witney, Allison, Lindsey, Sharna. Cheryl, I think, is a goner lol. I think she was like a one hit wonder last season lol.
I just hope they won’t pick Jenna over Emma or Allison. That would suck
I’m curious about Cheryl (I hope she is back but part me thinks it was a one and done.)
From what I could gather…
Already confirmed:
– Maks
– Peta
Most likely back:
– Val
– Sasha
– Artem
– Sharna
– Witney
– Lindsay
Highly likely:
– Mark
– Gleb
– Allison
– Jenna
Somewhat likely:
– Keo
– Emma
Not likely:
– Tony
– Cheryl
Most likely line-up: Maks, Val, Mark, Artem, Sasha, Gleb, Sharna, Peta, Witney, Lindsay, Allison, Jenna
Preferred line-up: Maks, Val, Mark, Artem, Sasha, Keo, Sharna, Peta, Witney, Lindsay, Allison, Emma
Hit submit too early: I’d love it if Val sat out a season but doubt it will ever happen. I’m hoping Mark is back and the same for Sasha.
Source, Bia? Or is this you just speculating?
I’ve got a bad feeling that Jenna will be in over Emma, but then again maybe Emma will be happy to have the time off to work on wedding plans!
Completely forgot about Gleb!! While his choreo last season was bleh, he is eye candy lol and I’ll stare at him over Val on my TV screen gladly every week hee hee-not like Val is out-I highly doubt that lol
My Dream Pros
Mark Ballas
Val Chmerkvoskiy
Alan Bersten
Artem Chigvinstev
Sasha Farber
Maks Chmerkovskiy
Lindsay Arnold
Witney Carson
Cheryl Burke
Emma Slater
Sharna Burgess
Peta Murgatroyd
Ugh at Maks coming back. I’m less bothered about his personality, and more bothered about his style of dancing with that butt always sticking out and how he loses interest after a couple of episodes. Although I prefer him over Keo and Gleb.
Witney posted that she was on a road trip from UT to LA. And she’s on the poster.
If you’re an Artem or Emma fan I’d start getting extremely worried. Those two have proven to be expendable in the past. I think Mark and Tony will both be back which means Artem will be out. With Peta back that also leaves no spot for Emma, Jenna I assume will keep her spot and Peta will just replace Cheryl.
Once again: SHOWING UP ON THE POSTER MEANS NOTHING. In the past, two pros have been on the poster that ended up not being on the season.
Have we actually heard anything concrete about Mark being back? If he wants back in I’m sure he’ll get a spot but I haven’t heard much other than speculation.
Based on what’s happened in the past Jenna seems to be the logical choice to be bumped out but it could be Emma or even Allison. I’m not sure which of Jenna/Emma was confirmed for S23 first so it’s kind of up in the air. Also Jenna just dyed her hair so on the off chance they don’t want too many blonde pros she might get the spot.
Of course, it’s a new EP and the last time we got one we had two out-of-the-blue additions (Allison and Keo) so that might happen again here on either side of the line-up.
Going against the grain a bit on the Tony/Artem conversation. I do think Tony is exceptional with his partners (choreo aside). He treats every single one the same, whether its Melissa or Suzanne. That’s the gold standard and it says a lot about him. That being said, I like Artem. I truly enjoyed him and Maureen, and I think his choreo last season was good.
I’ve watched him on TV interviews or pros videos and there is a weird disconnect for me. On the show he does come off as cold at times, but outside of the show he seems sarcastically funny and open. There are pros I could see them replacing Artem with, but in a hypothetical Artem/Tony situation I’d pick Artem.
If we heard something concrete about Mark then he would be LISTED as IN on the post.
I know Mark being back isn’t official. I said that because I see a lot of assumption he is going to be back (all over different platforms and sites) and I’m not sure why there seems to be such strong speculation about him returning so I’m wondering if there was a hint from him or something I missed indicating the possibility. 🙂
I’d say Witney is back almost for sure, according to her Instagram, could be wrong though, might be about something else, I also think gleb will be on this season because since he and his family moved to LA I’d guess he’s on for a while, Val, probably in. And I’m not sure about the rest.
I’m so looking forward to the new season. To be honest, I’m a little bit surprised that both Peta and Maks is back for the next season. Didn’t see that coming.
I love watching DWTS, but honestly, I find all the contemporary and jazz routines quite annoying! Save it for the freestyle ! In my opinion, the pros should be pros in cha cha, tango etc
and that is why I’m leaving out Allison in my list. There is a big difference watching her dance compared to Karina, Cheryl, and Lindsey.
Also please give us good choreography this year. Fed up with hip hop moves in most dances. Again: save it for freestyle. That’s why Witney is not on my list.
When it comes to Val, he’s not on my list. Got it? I girl can dream right? I’m leaving Gleb out because I prefer the other male pros. Also it is important to have younger male pros; only Keo and Alan are under 30.
My list:
– Mark
– Artem
– Sasha
– Maks (in)
– Keo
– Alan
– Karina
– Cheryl
– Peta (in)
– Sharna
– Lindsey
– Emma
To M8: I’m very worried that Emma is not getting a spot. However, they surely wouldn’t pick Jenna before Emma???
Also; I’m aware that Whitney is on the poster and probably is in.
I think they would Linda, as we’ve seen in S22 Emma is seen as someone who TPTB don’t mind shunting aside, same goes for Artem in S21. That’s why I think those two are at risk. If it was up to me I’d drop Allison! I’d be surprised if Jenna didn’t get another go.
My List
Male Pros
Mark
Tony
Artem
Dmitry
Maks
Gleb
Female Pros
Cheryl
Karina
Lindsay
Peta
Witney
Sharna
Unfortunately M8, you’re probably right. I really, really enjoy Emma as a pro and she was missed in s22.
Seeing Dmitry om BEVAN’s list reminded me of his season with Mya and how enjoyable their dancing was. Why wasn’t he asked back or didn’t he want to continue on DWTS? Does anybody know?
I think it would be smart of Mark to come back and use the show as much as the show uses the pros. But by the same token I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to.
Oh please let Mark be back! And Emma! I’m thinking the line-up will be:
Males: Maks (known), Mark, Gleb, Sasha, Artem, Val (ick). 2 C bros is 2 too many.
Females: Peta (known), Sharna, Lindsay, Witney, Emma, Allison or Cheryl?
No clue if Cheryl would come back or if that was a one time deal but I can’t imagine they would have Jenna back with only a six person line-up over Emma, Allison or Cheryl. She was gone first and I don’t think left a good or memorable impression. I wouldn’t mind seeing how Haley would do as a pro. Also that German troupe dancer, Dennis.
I saw the show on tour, and Val, Sharna, Gleb, really got the screams and applause. Emma and Lindsay next. I see all of them coming back from the reactions of the fans. You got to see many dances and diversity and they all did so well. Artem got some attention, also.
In terms of the male pro lineup, I pray to God that if Mark doesn’t return Sasha is at least in the mix. Right now the likely male pros (Maks, Val, Gleb, Artem) are all literally the same person- Eastern European guys who like to take their shirts off. We really need some variety in that line-up.
I really hope we get Mark, Gleb and Sasha back.
Also Emma, Lindsey and Sharna.
It took them a really long time to promote Jenna to pro and she didn’t do that good, why do you guys believe she would remain a pro before Emma? I really hope that doesn’t happen! I love Jenna as a dancer but if the decision is between her and Emma IMO is a no-brainer! But you never know with this show!
*sigh* Looks like Mark’s our only hope to prevent the show being completely taken over by the C-Bro clique. If he’s out, I won’t be watching.
I’m lookin for how tptb will work this season… If we don’t have some interesting pairing coming (like Byles and Sasha, for example), I really couldn’t be less interested on this DwtS US season… =/
Peta and Maks are not the pros I’d like to see…
On the other hand, here in Brazil we finally will have a proper DwtS version. It’s called “Dancing Brasil” and the premiere is going to be in april. Interesting cast (just brazilian artists) and at least 5 or 6 out of the 14 stars announced have sorta previous dance backgound.
And two things different from US version:
1-people will vote just on the bottom 3 and one star will be eliminated (confirmed);
2-(not 100% sure, but) there’s a possibility that the star will dance with a different pro each week. Like, on w1, the star is paired with a pro who masters the argentine tango, next week, a pro who is good in salsa, and so on. Almost like what happens on sytycd… it’s not clear yet, just a strong rumor, but sounds interesting.
I really wanted Karina back this season but I doubt that’s going to happen now
As much as I like Emma, I don’t think she’ll ever be given a chance with a potential ringer, or even a 20-30 something w/ no dance experience. Mat be she’d be better off doing Strictly.
Gonna guess that each Emma and Sasha have now ingratiated themselves as pros and the shared engagement only further solidified that. Lindsay and a Mark return would guarantee some decent choreo.
Maks is back. Hmm – didn’t he say just a few months ago there was no money that would be worth him not being with his son? And implied Peta would work, and he wouldn’t?
Guess something changed his mind. Makes me wonder about the new EP. If their goal is to gain back followers they have lost, then Mark will def be back, and Tony would be top of the list too. Not sure how it plays out for Emma/Jenna since it appears to come down to one of the two of them.
On the other hand, if the EP wants to be developing new leads, I could see Tony being done for good, and Keo being courted. The girls already seem to be a mixed bag – Peta/Sharna with the experience. Wit/Linds bringing in the young talent. Allison bringing in a new demographic. So again not sure what that means for Emma/Jenna
I think Val is in, but I did find it interesting that Maks/Peta thought they were only in competition with each other. Never mentioning Val, who is the current champion. That seemed a bit odd to me.
@Sarina Undoubtedly, Peta and Maks were given talking points from DWTS including that they were the first pros confirmed for this season and to play up the married couple competing against one another angle. We all know Val will be back, nothing else on his plate, but this interview was a boon for these particular attention hogs.
With Maks and Val all you get is from season to season are the same dances don over and over just with different partners props and stage effects YAWN. Tony and Artem are OK but nothing really interesting. Gleb would be great IF they leave him alone and let him DANCE rather than milk the “sex on a stick” angle. Yes he’s gorgeous but so is his WIFE. Pleading with TPTB PLEASE I don’t need or want Jana part 2 or the choreography to match.Hoping we will gt BOTH Sasha AND Mark for some creative choreography and rather than Artem or Tony I’d prefer Alan or Keo just for some variety.
As far as the ladies go I would have preferred Peta take these months to spend with Baby Shai but it will be fun to have her back. Hopefully Sharna and Lindsay will also be back. As for the other 3? I’d love to see Cheryl,Alison and definitely EMMA over Jenna. While I do like Jenna’s dancing I have not been as impressed with her teaching or choreography either on DWTS or with the kids on SYTYCD Next Generation.
My WISH LIST for Season 24:
Male Pros
Maks, Val, Gleb, Mark, Sasha, Alan/Keo
Female Pros
Peta Sharna, Lindsay, Witney/Cheryl, Allison, Emma
I’m happy to see that Peta is back. With Maks, I don’t know. I don’t like the C-Bros and with the baby i really thought he would be staying home. So I don’t want to see them cry in rehearsal that its so hard with the baby and the work. Both choose to be back as pros, so please no crying.
As for the males I hope Mark is back. Loved his choreo in season 19. But after that he looked a little out of sinc for me. With that I mean he didn’t smiled a lot when they showed him. Same with Witney, Season 18 and 19 I really liked her choreography but then it went down. That’s why I hope that both come back and that Wit can be like in season 19.
I think Lindsay and Sharna, Val and Gleb will be back to. Don’t see a reason why not. What I really want to happen is that Dennis is in for a Pro-Spot 😀 I need to support my german fellow 🙂 Thats why I like to see Oti Mabuse for the female spot. But the german version starts this week and I mean she is in there. But it’s just a dream that will never come true.
Greetings from germany, sorry for bad spellings and keep up the good work 😉
Males Pro:
Maks
Mark
Val
Keo
Alan
Females Pro:
Peta
Lindsay
Witney
Allison
Jenna
Brittany
Ok, I’ll play. My last Pro Wish list:
Males – Maks, Mark, Gleb, Sasha, Artem, Someone Entirely New (please no to Tony, Alan, or Keo)
Females – Peta, Lindsay, Witney, Allison, Sharna, Cheryl, Emma
Would love to see Dmitry come back along with some other favorites of mine like, Jonathan and Tony!
My list Males:
Gleb
Val
Alan
Maks
Mark
Artem
Females:
Sharna
Jenna
Hayley
Peta
Witney
Lindsay
Emma plays a role none of the other females do. She will be in for sure
Out of curiosity, can’t it be assumed that Val and Whitney are in this season since they are both on the poster?
OK, I have restrained my comments for quite some time now. But, given the fact Maks is back, I just have to ask….what exactly does he do for a living if he isn’t going through the motions on DWTS? Just wondering, because he doesn’t impress me as a multi-talented individual that is in demand and has a whole lot of options as Derek has. Other than the possibility of seeing Sasha, Mark, and Emma this season, YAWN….much better ways to spend one’s time.
@Courtney I was just speculating there.
Fer god’s sake NO, Abby. And I think Courtney already answered this one yesterday.
Okay thanks Princess Heidi, I was just wondering.
Joanne B Maks isn’t a multi-talented individual in high demand lol. Google him. Not gonna go into his whole background but he and his family do own a whole franchise of studios called “Dance With Me” and Tony became a partner a number of years ago. I think he tried acting? When he took a break from DWTS but nothing panned out. He’s not a stupid man in the sense that he knows that, basically, unlike Derek and Mark, all he’s got is his dancing so he’s gotta capitalize on it for as long as he can continue to do so I guess-while he’s still young enough to and physically able to.
One thing I will say about the C-bros is I do have respect for their family-for how they came to this country and had to work hard for what they have. I come from a family of immigrants myself so I can relate to that.
Look, I’m not a “fan” of Maks Chmerkovsly but he’s certainly not without talent or skills with which to make a living. For goodness sakes, he’s only 37!
As everyone knows, besides being associated with DWTS, he (and the “fam”) have several dance studios. Maks could train/teach/coach up and coming competitive dancers. He could judge actual competitions. I believe Peta is trying to start up a for profit website. Maks is fit and interested in nutrition. A book or fitness series? Or something else. Other former DWTS pros have gotten into fascinating projects like Cheryl’s recent shows in Japan/Las Vegas.
I just wish for MORE passion, less whine, if Maks is to continue on air with DWTS. I found his season with Amber Rose curiously boring and his last judging positively nasty. I can’t see how those were positives for any but the most ardent C-bros fans. Surely the producers of DWTS can find other ways to keep fans interested in this show. Different hot pros. Ghost choreographers. A good mix of stars. NEW guest performers. Maybe other ways to interact with fans/the audience. Like maybe the possibility of a fan being a contestant. Letting fans vote on more than just the favorite couple. Perhaps offer several rarely used dances and let the fans vote again on which 3 to be used in a later week or something. Let fans vote for their top 10 Paso Dobles, ect.
That’s kind of a good idea Carlos, about celebrities possibly being paired w/different pros each week, or atleast interesting.
I would say that Val and Witney are in because of the promo poster and I would say that Sharna will be a pro this season
ONCE MORE WITH FEELING: BEING (CLAP) ON (CLAP) THE (CLAP) PROMO (CLAP) POSTER (CLAP) DOES (CLAP) NOT (CLAP) MEAN (CLAP) YOU (CLAP) ARE (CLAP) CONFIRMED (CLAP) FOR (CLAP) THIS (CLAP) SEASON (CLAP).
Just saw Graham Eliott & Cheryl Birke javing lunch on instagram. Don’t tell me tjis guy is on DWTS 24 & Cheryl Burke is his partner
Excuse my typos
I’d welcome a Cheryl/Graham Elliott partnership. DWTS hasn’t had a chef yet, have they?
I want to say Rocco DiSpirito was on an early season, but I don’t remember which one, Colleen.
Paula Deen might be classified as a chef….
Yup, I’m officially the village idiot!!! I WATCHED Paula Dean on DWTS. So I looked up Rocco DiSpirito and he was also on. And oh how I want them to ask Carla Hall!
I meant to mention that Paula had already been on but I got sidetracked. 🙂
Didn’t Maks swear that he would not come back to the show as a dancer after his Meryl win? I know things change but I chuckle at his dramatic announcements about how he is done with with the show, just to come back. I liked looking at Dimitri (so.?) so I would not mind seeing him come back, but I don’t expect it happening.
I’d like to see Val or Mak get someone w/some sort of disability like Derek did and see how they do. I wonder if they could handle that situation.
ter, pretty sure the answer is that they wouldn’t be able to handle it.
hear hear PH – the C-Bros would implode partnered with somebody with a disability. They usually “check out” pretty early in the season when they deem their partner can’t make it across the finish line.
A part of me is always annoyed that some pros, like VAL, are never given a challenging partner. But a bigger part of me is concerned with the contestant. I shudder to think of how someone like Terra, Amy or Marlee would feel partners with an easily frustrated pro who would resent them.
However, I don’t think that certain pros should be given the “pick of the litter” each season either. How about partnering Val with someone plus sized and /or over 50? And even one of my faves, Mark Ballas? I feel like he’s grown and changed over the years. Just like Mark has shown the patience and tenderness to work with very young girls and the very religious, he certainly showed Paula Dean a good time in their switch up. I did see him have a problem with Alexa but since Witney was also struggling with Carlos, I believe there were things going on behind the scenes making everyone uncomfortable. I’d like to see both Mark and Witney with partners that would make them think outside of their normal routines. But Val for sure because I’m damn bored with what he’s been putting out!
I’m done with the C-Bro’s. There are so many talented male dancers out there who would love to be on the show and would be grateful rather than whining. Maks definitely checks out if his partner is weak. Mark sort of does that as well but I still like him, he seems to have grown up a bit. He and Sasha are the choices for the short girls, and if Simone is competing then I hope it’s Sasha.
I really hope Jenna is not one of the pro’s, I much prefer Emma or Allison.
Hell, how about giving Val someone with no training of any kind! That would be a start.
Sad to hear about Tony, always seemed like a generally good guy. Wish him lots of luck in his other endeavors…
So hoping Mark is back Not worth watching without him. Hoping for Cheryl as well If Cheryl is not Jenna may get a chance depends how many celebs I would take Emma over Jenna
Trying to remember…has Val EVER had a partner that was not (at least relatively and often quite) young and fit??!! The most physically challenging for him I can recall was Sherri Shepherd in his second season and she still had plenty to work with (not to mention she’d taken lessons with him before the show started).
PSA: The next person that comments with “Well Val & Witney are on the poster, so they’re in” or something to that effect is getting deleted. This has already been addressed multiple times, and you’re being rude for not at least skimming through the comments first to see if someone has mentioned it.
@wynn. You’re correct. The lovely Sherri Shepherd was Val’s oldest, heaviest and least experienced partner. But she wasn’t a typical Tony/Artem partner by any means!
My guess is everyone who was on tour is back, whether as pro or troupe. Witney and Val are definitely back bc their faces are on the promo… I don’t think Karina is back, but I love her…
For Simone, if it was my choice and he was available, I would pair her up with Paul Karmiryan. I think they’d be the cutest couple ever, and he’s super sweet. I remember she said last year she was open to dancing with someone new, so…
So, out of Peta, Emma, Sharna, Linds, Wit, Jenna & Allison one will be out (unless it’s 13 people again…). No idea who it’s gonna be… Hopefully not Allison 🙁
I wish Val would take a season off and Maks and Peta werent back together! This is gonna be such a ‘fam’ filled season…?
Out of the guys my pick would be: Artem, Gleb, Paul, Mark (he’s been posting a lot of gifs and emojis on twitter & being cryptic), Maks and Keo or Sasha.
If there really is a 5th harmony girl on the show, I hope Artem gets her!
READ THE DAMN COMMENTS BEFORE POSTING, MAINA. All of you, for that matter. Jesus. We’ve discussed the damn poster ad nauseum. I should just delete you.
Enews is going on and on about a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star-Erika Jayne? No idea who she is-I don’t watch any of the Housewives shows-don’t know if Enews is an accurate source or not:/
While I definitely know the poster is not proof that a pro is “in” for that season, I do believe at the moment, Sharna, Val and Witney have guaranteed spots unless they want to skip a season. Like Mark did in order to star on Broadway. But Sharna appeared to want to return and I’d be shocked to find out that Witney or Val lined something else up for this spring.
wynn (71), every single season after Season 14, Val has had a ringer. Pretty sure they give him a ringer to make sure he stays as long as possible because he’s clearly popular. So I’m sure if Val is back, they’ll give him another ringer again.
People Magazine just reported that Jenna is out.
I was relieved to read people’s article that Jenna is out. Too many talented female partners who can teach available this season to give a spot to her I feel.
Ha! Ha! Had this weird feeling Jenna was out LOL can’t say I’m surprised or sad about it personally. Not a fan of her and she didn’t impress me last season as pro. She can go back to SYTYCD-I, actually, think she’s a better dancer on that show than on DWTS for whatever reason.
I was watching Cheryl last week on QVC with some new active wear for her cee bee active wear line and I am almost positive she said she would be doing DWTS but did not know her partner yet????
Loving how then pro cast is coming together 🙂
Hell yes to Kym being back! She is, hands down, my favorite female pro. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the female lineup shakes out.
So excited about Kym! YAYYYY
WOW! Kym back is a good shocker to me! Not sure it’s looking good for Emma though. We have Peta, Sharna, Witney and Kym. So 2 or at most 3 more from Lindsay, Allison, Emma and Cheryl?
So excited to have Kym back! If Emma, Lindsay, Sasha, and Mark are back in I think we’ll have a great season! Watching Sharna’s interview led me to think she has a pretty good partner again, especially since she was blushing. I’m hoping that “The Fam” does not get all of the good partners, because I would like to see the others pros stick around.
Here’s my Pro Wish List, updated with the confirmed pros
Guys
– Val
– Gleb
– Maks
– Sasha
– Mark
– Arten
Girls
– Kym
– Peta
– Sharna
– Lindsay
– Emma
– Cheryl
– Witney
The list female pros seem to be MUCH stronger than the guys
Delighted to hear Kym is back. She is there with Cheryl for me as someone who deserves to return whenever she wants to regardless of what other people think. If Cheryl is back as well that would be awesome!
Fairly indifferent about Gleb, I don’t love him but I certainly don’t hate him, so I’m nice and neutral on him being back.
Kym! all they have to say is Lindsay and Cheryl are back and I’m going to very happy. The female pros are easily my favorites this go around already.
I had high hopes for Jenna before she went pro on S23, and excited to see what she would do with that opportunity. Then that “Go, Diego Go” dance happened. Now I’m reading the news in People and feel overwhelming joy and relief.
Keeping my fingers crossed for some Emma, if not on the show then at least as a host on All Access.
Thanks to all for the updates and thoughts!
I thought Kym quit??
Sad to see that Jenna isn’t returning because she did a great job with James. Kym’s return is a surprise but that’s ok! Maybe she missed the show more than she thought she would and it’s nice to see all the aussie girls back at the same time: Sharna, Peta and Kym. I’m so excited Sharna confirmed she’s back and yes, I hope this is her season!
I think it’s a natural that they would take Kym if they could get her over Jenna. Kym is quite the choreographer – better than most of the women, although Sharna and Lindsay give her a run for it.
So happy that Kym is returning to the ballroom. I absolutely adore her.
Jenna danced what, two dances with James and she didn’t even choreograph or really teach. Bit of a stretch to claim she was good with James and more than a little insulting to Sharna.
What I meant is Jenna did a good job helping out Sharna and James even if she didn’t teach or choreograph anything. I didn’t say Sharna wasn’t good with James.
YAY on the Kym news – have always loved her vibe.
So happy to hear that Kym is back, but I’m also kinda sad because the female pro slots are starting to fill out and it looks like there might not be room for Emma.
DWTSGossip says Allison is OUT
Sooooo excited to hear Kym is back!!! YES!!! She has always been one of my fav female pros!!! I would be bummed if that Emma loses a spot though….but I’m this is great news for the girls side!!
Hmmm DWTSgossip is reporting Allison out? Oh boy wonder if it’s true….
The implication was there, Sandy.
I though Jenna was too much the camera hog and was way too excited that she got to dance in Sharna’s place.
So if it’s the tradition 12 person (6m/6f) cast, then I guess that leaves it down to either Karina/Cheryl/Emma for one last spot on the female pro side. I can’t seem them taking away Lindsay or Witney’s spot at this point in the proceedings. Peta, Sharna and now Kym seem pretty definite.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see a supersized cast w/ 13 or even 14….but I’ve not seen anything to make me thing that’s happening this go round.
Definitely glad to see Kym back. I wonder what prompted her return?
I don’t know if Marks back. I would think if he was coming back he’d be in LA now like the rest of the pros instead of being in England. He seems pretty focused on making new music.. right now.
I’m actually happy that Jenna is not coming back. Interestingly, Hayley beat Jenna on SYTYCD, but she is hampered by the same shade on Allison, they are primarily contemporary dancers. I’ll give Jenna credit for not being afraid to promote herself.
looks like Allison is out…I would like to stay in denial about it but unfortunately its not looking good. Its so sad for me cause we just got her back last season :/ but then again, she’s one of the pros that dont need the show anyway.
SO happy to hear the news about Kym, now holding out for Emma, Sasha, and Mark, and although I think she’s moved on I would love to see Karina back.
I’m always on the fence on Jenna. In my opinion, she (and Keo) are so awesome on tour, but, teaching Pros they aren’t. But, I did love her dance with James last season (thanks to Sharna’s choreo).
Ditto #comment #68!
Yeah I’m a little confused myself-if it is true that Allison’s out, who’s in on the girls side? Supposedly Jenna’s definitely out so if Allison’s out too but Kym is back, maybe this new producer brought back Cheryl again? Maybe Karina was asked? Hell maybe even Anna Trebunskaya? Something tells me we’re seeing a mix of old favorites mixed with the youngins on the pro side, at least for the girls ?
So happy Peta is back Maks I can do without Not a Gleb fan either We have enough of a sex object in Val All of Glebs dances are sexual Praying for Mark to return the show needs his choreography especially without Derek Would also like to see him win He was robbed his last season with Paige
I would think Simone would dance with Sasha, not only because of height, but she said he’s her dream partner. I think people are looking at her as a ringer.
My worst nightmare for this season? Having a finals of Val/Maks/Peta. Can’t you see TPTB gleefully rubbing their hands together and saying let’s make that happen?
Kym is back!!! Best news ever.
Can’t believe it. I’m so excited. And Gleb being in and Jenna being out. Since the ladies are Peta, Sharna, Kym, Witney, Lindsay (I’m assuming). I’m really hoping Emma is the 6th spot.
I would love if they would add one new male pro. Maks & Val are old news, same stale, schtick for years. Thrilled Gleb is back. That’s 3 Russian/Ukranians already. Would like Sasha, I consider him Aussie. Mark is a must. Shannon I would love. He was a hit I thought & they seemed to give him special airtime when he was in troupe. I would take Dennis too. And neither are Russian. Don’t mind it but can we mix it up. Add a German or Aussie since they’ve already been in troupe.
God help me either I can’t count or I seriously need more coffe-assuming, and I shouldn’t assume, Emma and Lindsay are in, the girls on the pro side would be done-minus Allison and Jenna. Nobody else is needed.
Peta, Sharna, Kym, Witney, Lindsay, Emma
Why the hell was I thinking Cheryl or Karina? ??????
Love Allison as a dancer, but I never found her to be the right fit as a pro for DWTS.
I’m torn right now between hoping Cheryl/Karina is back & not wanting that at the expense of Emma or Lindsay. I also find myself not particularly caring about the male pro line up out side of hopefully Sasha.
I’m so happy that Kym and Peta are coming back but I really miss Karina
Fingers crossed that Sasha and Mark and Lindsay and Emma are added to the pro lineup.
I’m with you, Sandy! Those four are some of my very favorites. Right now I’m very happy Kym and Sharna are in, though!
Pretty meh on Keo being back. He’s the weakest pro and the other three unconfirmed are far better but they aren’t black and tick that all important diversity box that TPTB crave for. I’m assuming this means Artem is out as Mark should be coming back.
I desperately hope that Simone specifically asked for Sasha.
Yeah I’m beyond happy to see keo back….but at the same time I’m really wondering if they are making artem sit out this season since I’d guess Simone and Ashley are rumored. Side note, Nancy and keo is now my dream pairing 🙂
Frankly, I’m afraid for both Sasha and Emma.
2 openings left on the guy’s side. With Mark Ballas, Artem, Sasha and other possibilities… I desperately want Mark and Sasha but TPTB have different priorities than I do! Like I find Keo more attractive than any of the male pros other than Tristan but he can’t teach and hasn’t impressed me choreographically from the little I’ve seen. And it pisses me off that he gets chance after chance when Sasha has done better all 3 times that he’s been a pro.
And we’ve seen several times that TPTB aren’t very enamored with Emma despite her doing quite a respectable job with boys/men of no experience. On the woman’s side, also only two more openings with Cheryl, Lindsay, Emma, Karina, Anna and others to choose from. And I want them all!
So excited Kym is back AND Keo is a pro again…The cast doesn’t seem too impressive to me right now though…I hope Kym isn’t coming back just to get Mr.T who May not do so well…
Why isn’t it announced if Lindsay is back in as a pro again?!? I feel like every season I am always on edge waiting to find out if she is going to return as a pro. She’s always one of the last few announced. Is it because she’s not as well known as the rest? If that’s the case, why isn’t she? Example; she’s been performing so much better than Witney over the past 3 seasons, yet Witney is always one of those pros given a spot automatically. Can someone please explain why Witney is one of those untouchables in dwts? I am genuinely curious about this. Because i only started watching since Season 20, and I honestly haven’t been impressed by her all this time, so I’m wondering why it seems like a given every season that she’s automatically in, or she’s usually front and centre in numbers she’s in, or she’s in the posters as well.
Kind of feel like they wasted a pro spot on Keo. I like him as a person but he had FOUR seasons already to show us what he had and to connect with audiences& his partners and he didn’t. They could have tried a brand new pro.
Not too excited with the celeb line-up. I hope they have some really good surprises coming. It feels like the show is in its twilight days. Rinse & repeat.
Why did they bring Keo back as a pro? When he got a good partner in Jodie Sweetin, I think he blew it. Jodie had a dance background and came from Full House, I bet she would of made it to the finals with almost any other partner that season. You could tell how much better she was the one week she danced with Val during switch up week. I dont think Keo is a good teacher or cheorgrapher. If they wanted to bring someone up from the troupe they should of gave Alan a chance.
Maks has been on how many season with weak choreo and horrible teaching skills….do you attribute that to a diversity box? Can we not reduce Keo to that as well?
(Also, I was a Full House die hard and thought Jodie was obnoxious her season.)
I have to agree with Kelly A (127). I would rather have Alan as a new pro than Keo be back. Keo is just not a good teacher or choreographer and that’s why he was out so early with all his partners except Jodie. In that season, he finally got a break with her but I don’t think he helped her with her confidence. She had to figure that out herself and what was he thinking, going along with the choreography given to him and Jodie that caused Jodie’s ankle injury?? His whole body weight was on her leg so yes of course that hurt!
DWTSgossip is reporting both Sasha and Mark as IN!! Whether or not they’re 100% true remains to be seen but I hope they’re right!! I guess that leaves Artem out for the season? Hmmm….March 1st can’t come fast enough!!
@Beck.
Comparing Maks and Keo is a comparison between a pineapple and a kiwi! Maks is throwback from when the audience was much larger and expectations of the pros was actually lower. But he CAN produce good dances. Will he? I don’t know that it matters all that much. Maks is one of the 2 most popular pros ever on this show and the other one won’t be on this season and perhaps ever again. He has at least one dance on the all time top 10 voted by fans. Maks is certainly memorable and was the original “sexy” pro. He was around when this show started to become about the pros rather than the “stars” who are only on for a short time. Look at the amount of publicity generated each time it has been announced that Maks C is returning to the ballroom! I personally don’t care for him (even though I find him more attractive than Artem or Val) but I do know what he brings to the show.
Now think about Keo. Will there be many articles lauding his return? What kind of fan following does he have? And WHY are they big fans of his? Memorable dances? Great personality? Or because he’s stunning and the only Black pro? I think they can find a more promising Black pro, or get him help BTS to improve his teaching/choreography.
@Anonymous – I hope they are right. I’m excited.
Sandy-now @DWTSgossip is only confirming Sasha as IN!! It was somebody who tweeted them who said Mark was in but they can’t confirm Mark yet I guess:/ Wait and see game!!
No Beck because Maks isn’t black. Yep I said it and I’m not afraid to. Keo gets preferential treatment due to his skin colour. Imagine if Artem, Gleb or Sasha had his record with stars. They’d all be long gone by now. ABC seem to be on a diversity drive more than ever since Dungey took charge and DWTS is no different.
Ehh. I would’ve prefered Alan over Keo as well. He was good on tour but he seems a bit weak when having to teach a celebrity. Can’t wait for the reveal.
Beck makes a good point. Maks and Val both have had some pretty large failures on the teaching/choreography front and both needed big ringers and lots of help to last. Both have been pimped to high heaven.
So why assume that Keo is checking a diversity box when Val and Maks aren’t much better and definitely benefit from producer assistance?
Good point Beck – it’s appreciated.
Colleen, I think you’re confusing popularity with ability. Yes, Maks is a throwback who can produce good dances – but has he lately? Not in my opinion. But remember him as a teacher which is half (or more than) the equation. Would you call Maks a good teacher? I would call him rigid and unbending – which is why he only works with very specific types of partners. He only won the show when he had one of the biggest ringers of all time.
You’re also confusing PR with popularity. All the articles lauding his return…what do you think a publicist is for?? Keo probably doesn’t have a publicist. Maks sure does, as does Derek. Look at all the PR that Maks is getting just for having a kid – do you think that magazines are knocking down his door or do you think his publicist is working her ass off?? The show also goes out of it’s way to promote Maks and Val – none of this is natural or organic. Look at the press that Derek gets compared to what Maks gets – it’s ALL ABOUT HIS WORK. Most people don’t even know he’s been dating Hayley for nearly two years. I would bet his publicist doesn’t have to work as hard. Maks, on the other hand, has PR solely tied to Peta and his child. I don’t think any of this is coincidental.
As for fanbase – Keo has been around a fraction of the time that Maks and Val. He may gain that fanbase, he may not. I think his personality hampers him a bit – too cocky. Although why that should hurt him when it doesn’t hurt either Val or Maks…well, I’ll end that train of thought before we get too deep and controversial.
But the point that Beck was making was that Keo’s presence on the show was being tied to his race, using the argument that he’s neither a good teacher nor a good choreographer. Beck is saying that there are others on the show who are neither good teachers nor good choreographers and no one is claiming that there’s a diversity box for them. They stay because they’re the “sexy, hot” guys – why is no one making the same argument for Keo??
Ooh, a fan voted top ten dance? Wow. Was it with Meryl, the professional ice dancer, by any chance? And there is hype about him because DWTS hypes him. I don’t see articles or TV specials about many of the dancers on the show. Do you see hype about him outside of DWTS press, or crazy C-Boys fans?
And for the record, one check is not diversity. All though it is deeply meaningful for children of color, like mine, to see representation on shows like DWTS. Much more meaningful than the “sexy pro” checkmark.
Gee, M8, how brave. :::rolls eyes:::
So, Keo gets preferential treatment? He gets to stay on the show (oh, except season 23!), despite being neither a good choreographer nor a good teacher…sounds like Maks and Val to me. And, honestly, Gleb (who was let go from the show once before for not performing) and Artem. Keo doesn’t benefit from getting the ringers that Val (and Gleb and Maks) have gotten until his most recent season when he didn’t perform that much worse than what Val could do given the same partner. The difference being that they pimp the shit out of Val – Keo doesn’t get that treatment at all.
I’m not claiming that Keo is a great DWTS pro. I don’t think he is. But what I AM saying is that he’s not getting any more preferential treatment than any of the other men. He sat out a season, as have the others (except Val and Maks). He’s not gotten the calibur of partners that Val and Maks have gotten. He gets NO pimpage at all. You want to focus on preferential treatment for pros who are neither good teachers nor good choreographers, you might want to throw some wrath Maks and Val’s way…and Artem’s for that matter. Doing otherwise does sound racist.
What on EARTH makes you think Alan would be a good pro?? I still don’t get it. There is no evidence that shows he would be any good.
Keo hasn’t received preferential treatment in my opinion. The only decent shot he had was Jodie in my opinion. And, I wasn’t a fan of the choreography. However, that is just my opinion.
Has there been any signs of Lori Grenier joining the show? Keo started following her on Twitter. She isn’t following him back so maybe he just likes Shark Tank. I am sorry if I shouldn’t be speculating on contestants!
Also, I really hope Lindsay is back. She is always positive and has great choreography in my opinion.
I maintain my opinion, if Keo was white, he’d have gone the same way Gleb did a few years back.
I’m more interested in why Gleb was brought back and received a young actress/singer for a partner and a fair share of pimping right out of the gate. I DO see that’s he’s eye candy and IMO, a better interview than Val or Maks. I did find that his dances that were posted here from the Russian DWTS were fabulous but considerably longer than ours, weren’t they? Also, how much do we know about the set up there? Is there more help BTS? What are the judges/audience in Russia looking for vs. the US? ‘Cause I haven’t been thrilled yet with anything Gleb has done here. So another case of TPTB are all over him because he’s hot. And if I was Val, Artem or Maks, I’d definitely be nervous. Gleb definitely isn’t a Derek replacement and he is of a type with the aforementioned to me. And how much of that flavor do we need? That’s why I need Mark Balls to return and like Sasha’s puckishness, at least so far.
@Dee, Keo was on the team of dancing with the stars pro who taped an episode of family feud with a team from Shark Tank. Lori was on the team so they likely met there.
I find it ridiculous that it’s considered preferential treatment that a guy is allowed to exist on the show with far less of the perks of some of the other men. For preferential treatment to exist, he has to be getting something more than someone else is. So who is suffering because of Keo? No one that I can see…Sasha is still on the show, as are Gleb, Val and Maks. Artem? Well his track record hasn’t been that much better than Keo’s and his attitude is not as good from what I’ve heard. And he may still be on this season as well!
You want to worry about preferential treatment, why not talk about how ALL OF THE WOMEN are treated as second class citizens when compared to all of the men, including Keo? Obviously, Keo is not taking a female pros slot, but the men in general are pimped and propped up to a greater extent than any of the women ever are.
Yay! DWTSGossip twitter is reporting that Emma is IN!!
Good. I hope tptb show her a little more love when it comes to her partner.
Interesting points about PR vs. publicity in comment 145, with regard to the perceived “popularity” of the pros. I agree that some of the male stars get more PR than others, but I had previously thought it related more to their personal publicists than anything else.
Do any of the female pros have personal publicists? or do they rely on DWTS publicity department?
@Lurra, thank you so much! Per DWTSGossip Twitter, Lindsay is in!
I truly hope DWTS Gossip is correct in saying Lindsay and Emma are the last two female pro spots!!! Having Emma & Sasha makes up for Maks & Peta. Just for me of course.
The female pro lineup is straight up amazing. ? Very happy right now.
Did they let Jenna go or did she decide to leave?
What makes you think Jenna left? She could still be part of the troupe.
The news about Kym makes me sad and happy. I really thought her trajectory was complete. First waltz (J.Springer) was a father daughter dance – and her last waltz became a first dance (with Robert). She’s opening up a new dance/fitness studio – so it’s an easy way to get paid for promoting it.
The pro/troupe thing… If they ‘try’ to cast based on who would be the ‘best fit’ (robert/kym) (james/sharna) (Patti/Artem) (meryl/maks) etc. (Kate Gosselin wouldn’t have worked with anyone)then it would just make sense that some members of the team ebb and flow in and out of troupe (just like they add the pros to troupe after their team is eliminated). Perhaps some don’t want to be pros (you do more dancing if you’re in the troupe), Perhaps some don’t want to teach (doing a pros job is not easy). It could be a timing thing – Edyta (although, I don’t know why she came back anyway). Deena Katz says the door is never closed (there’s probablly some caveat to that rule dancers). Some of them may just need some time to study, hone, or take a creative breather. They keep busy lives/schedules to stay relevent and make a living.
First time commenting here, so I hope I’m not breaking rules!
I think we have Rob Wade to thank for some of the (negative) perception, and general confusion about the show lately. For example, those who keep commenting that “being on the poster is a sign /guarantee of being a pro this season”. In actual fact, before season 20 (the gold crowning of Val), faces were never shown on the promo posters – and some seasons, like season 18, just had a single dancer by herself. After the previous executive producer left and Rob Wade took over, that’s when this identifiable-dancers-on-the-poster thing started. And even in season 21, Peta and Artem were featured, but they didn’t participate that season. I’ll just leave that here.
My main gripe with Rob Wade’s leadership is that I believe he’s solely responsible for pimping Val and creating a monster out of “the fam”. Since Rob Wade took over as EP:
– Val has been in EVERY season’s final 3, with the exception of season 21 because Tamar was sick (but I believe she wasn’t even meant to be Val’s partner that season. Val’s original partner dropped out before the cast was finalized. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tamar made it further in the competition than she was “supposed” to according to the votes!)
– Val won season 20, then said he wanted to win again, and interestingly enough … he did
– Val has won twice against his “friends” among the pros (namely Sharna, who seems to be a very good sport about her terrible treatment on the show). He’s never had to “beat” another male pro to get his trophies. Compare this to season 16 with Zendaya – though I believe that was Val’s best season, he had some stiff competition in Kelly and Derek, and they beat Val in the final 2
– I would argue that since season 19, this is when the producers made it obvious that they were giving Val top choice in celebs. You can almost tell that Val didn’t have his choice of partnerships in the past, because he doesn’t talk about Kelly, Elizabeth, Danica, etc. anymore, while he gives shout-outs to more recent partners like Ginger and Tamar, also re-posted a dance featuring Janel last year (yes, even after ending on bad terms!), and he invited partners like Rumer into “the fam”. Zendaya is really the only exception to this trend.
-Maks came back as a judge in season 22, and producers allowed him to trash-talk every pro except Val and Peta. The blatant favoritism was noticed by all of us! But was it a coincidence that Val and Peta ended up being in the final 3 that season? Add to that, last season Maks critiqued all of the pros in the top 6 (if I recall correctly), but he ignored Sharna and praised Val. And then Val won against Sharna again … hmm…
– the C bros got their own tour sponsored by the same company that does the DWTS tour. I’ll leave that there.
– pro dance numbers became centered around Val, maybe as a way to make up for the lack of Macy’s dance numbers (brought to us by Derek?)
– Derek was only able to win in the season where Val was forced to drop out by Tamar getting sick! Every other season, Derek was shafted (season 20), or saddled with a partner that had no hope of winning relative to the popularity of the other contestants (season 23, and arguably season 19)
– Peta came back from an injury and won with Nyle while pregnant. I’ll put an asterisk (*) here because I don’t want to imply that she didn’t win fair and square. But I do think it wasn’t by accident that the producers gave her Nyle to work with, knowing that he was likely to be very popular based on his looks, personality, being deaf, and if he could dance at all, people would vote in large numbers. It happened to Noah Galloway, just saying. (And didn’t some of Peta’s choreo that season remind you of Maks’s style? The blindfold idea was even done by Maks and Erin Andrews before!)
– that one guy in “the fam” who was posting cast spoilers before the cast reveal in season 21 (and had the nerve to say that nobody knows who Bindi Irwin is). Why didn’t he get in trouble for that?!
– Val and Jenna’s fauxmance being used to drum up interest and sell tickets for the tour. Funny how Jenna wasn’t a part of the tour, when it was all about Maks and Val being in the spotlight of their own headlined tour…
I don’t even think this is a full list of the blatant favoritism Rob Wade has shown “the fam”. When I compare Rob-Wade-era Val to past-seasons Val:
– in the past, Val did get “ringers”, but they weren’t an automatic ticket to the final 3. He had only placed in the final 3 twice before the pimping of Rob Wade reared its ugly head
– Val wasn’t able to win with a partner who had ALREADY WON before (Kelly Monaco)
– Maks wasn’t able to win in 17 seasons (minus the seasons that he took a break) until season 18 with Meryl. And arguably they were helped by a voting fanbase who believed that Maks and Meryl were romantically interested in each other. Without that “are they? Aren’t they?” showmance factor, how much do you want to bet that Amy and Derek, or even Charlie and Sharna could have won that season?
– Val was very much a “background character”, and I think that was part of what him likeable in the past. He seemed humble and hard-working, but I honestly think that pimping and more fame have gone to his head and made him a bit of a jackass in real life (being sued by a child, anyone?). If he was a jerk in the past, he wasn’t so outspoken about it! It seemed to be his friends in “the fam” that would do the most e-battling on Val’s behalf.
– I think Val proved that he was an excellent choreographer with numbers like Zendaya’s Argentine tango, and Meryl’s Argentine tango. We all know about his dance accomplishments outside of the show. But I think Rob Wade made Val complacent, knowing that he doesn’t even have to put in work, but he’ll make it to the final 3 anyway. Personally I think this is why Val’s choreo quality has been on a rapid downhill trend. He phones it in because he’s allowed to
– Val started advertising his sexuality in season 19, but before that season (beginning of Rob Wade), he didn’t court fans with his looks. Now it’s all about “look at how HAWT Val is on his Instagram!”. I do think he’s attractive, but he was much sexier to me when he kept his clothes on in the past, and also sexier when his dating life was a mystery (none of this Jenna and Amber Rose nonsense). Just reiterating the point that Val seems to have forgotten himself because of fame. (By the way, isn’t he a little embarrassed by his behavior? I wouldn’t be able to face my co-workers if I had a picture of my bare a$$ on my Insta, just saying… But it all seems out of character from the private, classier Val of the past).
I’m not necessarily a Derek fan, but I think I can make a case for him as to why Rob Wade shoved him (and Mark) out of the limelight:
– Derek isn’t a SELL-OUT. Who he was 10 seasons ago is who he still is today! Derek is not suddenly nauseating us all with his showmances, his topless outfits, and other craptastic behavior that generates fans but has nothing to do with good DANCING. Derek has a dating life, but he doesn’t run to People Magazine to tell us all about it! Mark is the same way; he’s grown and improved as a man over the years. His engagement and wedding wasn’t even publicized (I’m not even sure if he got married yet, that’s how little he pimps himself!). But judging by Rob Wade’s style, “the flashier, the better! The less it makes sense, the more it should be part of the show!”. So I don’t think 2 pros who are creative but not attention-seeking were a good fit for Rob Wade’s “vision”, if you can call his leadership that. He tossed Derek and Mark to the back burner (along with other deserving pros like Sharna, Lindsay, and Emma. Poor Sasha gets let out of the basement when there’s a short celebrity on the cast).
– Val resents Derek’s success, and I do strongly believe that Rob Wade dimmed the spotlight on Derek to make Val happy. Even when it comes down to team dances or face-offs, Val makes a huge deal about beating Derek, but Derek lets it roll off of his back.
– Derek always remembers that the show is about the CELEBRITY, not the pro! Does anyone else find it ridiculous that Val chooses team names that almost always put his name first? (VALENRue, VALENTay, VALaur). Rob Wade was clearly trying to make this show about the pros (examples being the hype around the return of Maks, now “Maks vs. Peta”, and since when did we have “pro reveals” before season 19??). Derek, Mark, et al don’t buy into that philosophy.
– Derek has tried to leave the show 3 times that I can remember = before 20 (producers coaxed him into flying in and out of Los Angeles that season), before season 22 (producers let him walk), and now before season 24 (and I’m worried that he may not want to come back for good). This speaks to bad management behind the scenes, as Derek is not the only pro who was tossed around / bumped out at the last minute (it happened to Sharna, Tony, Artem, Brittany Cherry, Emma, etc.) But the fact that Rob Wade thought he could make a good show without Derek and / or Mark speaks to how blind he is about the ratings and viewers.
– Rob Wade must have known that Derek and Mark are strong competition (maybe too strong?) for Val and Maks (as noted above, Val has never had to beat Derek or Mark in the final 3 for a trophy. Maks literally cried on camera when he had to dance against Derek and Mark in the final 3 of season 18). Rob kept Derek out of the final 3 in EVERY season that Val made it to the top. Val considers Mark to be his friend (judging by comments he makes on social media), so I think it doesn’t bother Val as much when Mark beats him for 2nd place. Also, Rob gave Derek partners that were “ringers” in the EXACT same sense that Val’s partners used to be “ringers” pre-Wade: they may have had dance experience, but they were not a lock to win, or their fanbase wasn’t large enough to overcome other competitors. (This is why I think it’s not necessarily fair to criticize based on the idea that all of Val’s partners were ringers. The problem is that whether or not they deserve it, Val’s partners always make it to the top!)
I’ve written an entire book, haha! I just had to get some of this off of my chest after watching for several seasons. I’m hoping that now that Rob Wade is gone, Val’s Hour of Power will go by the wayside. I want to like him as a pro again, and I need to see Derek return!
So glad to hear Emma will be a pro this season! I like her a lot and think she has done a really good job with all of her partners, regardless of their ages or ability levels.
Interesting post, KH. Not sure I buy into the Rob Wade as Machiavelli quite as strongly as you do – but I do agree there is a method to the madness. And I do agree that the C-bros are big babies who need a good dancer so they can get far before they will consider themselves successful on the show (unlike others who measure success the way Derek does).
I also think that Derek is a LOT more in control of his own destiny than what you think. I think Derek knows he can rely on his own talent and teaching ability to take him far (he still has the best record by far) and doesn’t need a ringer. Rob Wade supposedly told him that “people were complaining” about how he seemingly gets good partners…and this was before he won with Bindi…and Derek also said he would prefer a challenge as opposed to someone with experience. So, I wouldn’t martyr him too much. In fact, I don’t think the problem has anything to do with Derek at all – he is brought up as a point of reference, but the issue is Val and Maks and their inability to make it without a ringer. And the fact that Rob is determined to make Val happen – unless of course he can get Maks back to help with that. Let’s face it – Val will never be Derek, in either choreography chops or star quality. He won’t be Maks either. So if Rob can’t have Derek he needs Maks…and when he can’t have Maks OR Derek, he desperately needs Val to happen. I wager that’s why Gleb was brought back too, in addition to the choreography promise that he showed in the UK. Derek’s partners on the show are because he’s won too much. Val’s partners on the show are because he needs to happen and he can’t do it the way Derek did. I don’t think they are necessarily about each other except in how Val and Maks make it about Derek themselves.
Good post KH, I don’t know if Normani was cast before or after Rob Wade jumped ship. I hope it’s before he left, if so it would match up with your post about Val’s partners under Rob Wade. Normani is young, with dance experience and has a big fanbase, your typical genetic Val partner under Rob Wade. And as you said Tamar was not meant to be Val’s partner, it was strongly rumoured that it was meant to be Shay Mitchell, that would also match up to Val’s generic partner under Rob Wade’s control.
Welcome to the site, KH. I love your post. I especially agree with what you wrote on Val and his jealousy of Derek. You nailed it. Also, I so would love what you wrote in your last paragraph too.
THRILLED that Kym is back! This is the best news of the pre-season so far IMO. Would love for Karina to be back as well but looks like that ship has sailed, at least for the time being.
I really do hope that the Val and Maks pimping will stop now that Rob Wade is gone. Hard to believe that I actually liked Val during his first couple of seasons, but the pimping has really gone to his head, I guess? I’m thrilled to have Lindsay, Emma and Kym on this season. I really hope Mark is back.
Thanks for replying, Princess Heidi! I didn’t mean to make it sound like I believe that Rob Wade was an evil warlord fighting Derek, haha! I was trying to say something more along the lines of what you said – that Rob favored Val for a certain agenda (like getting more young people to watch the show by offering showmances between hot young people! Dances that are better suited for SYTYCD! Younger winners! Contestants that got famous through social media, etc.). After Val and Janel’s showmance increased Val’s popularity (and fans were literally fighting over him on Twitter), things really got out of control with respect to the favoritism, in my opinion. I also meant to say that the attention that has come from being favored has gone to Val’s head – it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the reason/s why Rob pimped him. I hope that makes sense!
I also agree with what you said about Derek not being helpless in the situation – I wasn’t trying to say that Derek is a martyr, but I can see why my comment might give that impression. I don’t think that Rob or the show is “against” Derek, but I was trying to suggest that Derek doesn’t fit the new agenda / era of DWTS as seamlessly as Val does. You helped make the point I was trying to make when you said that Derek asks for challenging partners. I agree with you – I’m also suggesting that Derek asking for a challenge / non-ringer goes against what Rob did for Val (giving him ringers / easy-to-teach-and-young partners back to back). And arguably the same goes for how Witney won her trophy … but that’s another topic.
You also pointed out that Derek doesn’t need “help” to go far, and I was trying to say the same thing – that if the show doesn’t establish roadblocks somehow (by giving Derek a partner who won’t do well with votes no matter how well Derek teaches her, or by making a partner like Nastia look bad in the rehearsal packages), then Derek always rises like cream to the top. On the other hand (and I say this as somebody who is a fan of Maks and Val before season 19): even when they are paired with partners who have a world full of potential to win, it’s not always believable that they deserved to get to the top, because Maks and Val don’t CONSISTENTLY display the teaching / choreo chops to make their wins convincing (sorry for the caps! I don’t know how to underline in my comments, haha). I do think that Rob started making a star out of Val because he knew it’s not a good look (even if it’s justified) for Derek to win every season. Val’s past as a championship competition winner may be part of the reason why the show started pimping him – maybe they believed that Val had the chops to be “the next Derek”, but nowadays, Val isn’t demonstrating much of the outstanding dance / teaching background that got him onto the show in the first place. I think he has seen that he can rely on his looks, his showmances, and the media (instead of his talents as a dancer) to get ahead.
I politely disagree that the show “needs” Val to happen 🙂 there are other male / female pros who could take over the mantle of being the next big thing! I also think there’s a common belief that the show doesn’t exist without Maks or Derek, but I constantly read comments from people who want to see fresh blood / old pros back on the show. And I respect Julianne for not overstaying her welcome on DWTS as a back-to-back trophy winner! Some of the pros achieved huge star status because of their personalities / lives outside of the show (Maks, Cheryl, Derek, Julianne), but isn’t the point of DWTS supposed to be the excitement of watching celebrities learn to dance? Maybe if we could go back to its original premise, the show wouldn’t be losing viewer interest? Pimping any pro (Val, Maks in season 18, those who believe Derek was pimped in season 21, etc.) does not sit well with viewers, and probably never will get a good response from viewers, because the show isn’t supposed to be about the pros.
Lastly, I wholeheartedly agree that Maks and Val make it personal with Derek. I just slightly believe that their personal gripes made it to Rob’s ears, and Rob tried to “even things out” by boosting the C bros out of proportion 🙂
I really appreciate you taking the time to respond, Princess Heidi!
No Mark is a surprise but no Karina…I get since she she has that other show soon airing on e.
No Mark!!! This really, really sucks. Without Derek or Mark, the male pro line-up is seriously lacking. Wow!
Are they really going to pick Artem for the 6th male pro spot? That would be 4 1/2 Russians if you count Sasha (born there), and then Keo? Oh boy. Really bummed.
Of course there are other male pros who could take the mantle, KH – but that requires that the producers see beyond their own manipulations. You get inside a bubble and you don’t necessarily believe that anyone can make it organically on that show like Derek, Mark and Maks did. Reality and the producers perceptions are two different things. These are producers that listen to squeeky wheels like the C-bros fans – who are far from the majority fanbase.
Of course there are complainers – but twitter is not representative of the general audience – it never has been. And I wager even those complaining on twitter think they want new blood – but once both Derek and Mark are gone they may change their tune.
Congratulations to Mark for finally saying so long to a show that doesn’t appreciate him. Like Derek, he doesn’t need all the manipulation to look good. Talent speaks.
Do you think Putin has something to do with the casting? LOL
Ooh, y’all bad!-lol 🙂
Any chance Mark could be replacing one of the judges?
I doubt it. Why would he want to do that?
Sasha has had a couple of cryptic tweets about last minute changes and not believing everything we read.
Glad that Kym is back and that Emma, Sasha and Lindsay are in. But bummed that Mark is out! I think we can expect good stuff from the female pros. Not so sure about the male pros. I hope Sasha steps up even more this season. He did really well last season. What I am really, really hoping for is that there won’t be pimping of any couple at all. The producers already gave Val and Maks ringers; I think that’s more than enough “favor” for them. But with show, we’ll never know. Sigh!
I want Mark to return!!
I may sound crazy but part of me is imagining Mark bumping out Sasha at the last minute, which would be sad for Sasha(I like him) but it would make me happy, as I love Mark
Someone confirmed Sasha as in days ago and BuddyTV posted that Sasha’s partner is Simone Biles. I doubt that he’s tweeting about someone else so probably one of these things isn’t true.
WOW! I really thought that Mark would return this season. I hope he’s not quitting the show for good, which I know he’s not.
Our source confirmed that Sasha IS in, so I doubt it’s his status on the show. I’d be more convinced that either Simone dropped out or there was partner-shuffling.
Mama Spence joked this morning that maybe Val threw a tantrum about Normani not being “ringer-y” enough, so they gave Simone to him and made Sasha take Normani.
“I hope he’s not quitting the show for good, which I know he’s not.”
Do you even read your own posts for clarity, CH???
Sasha has been liking tweets telling him to stop trolling and he’s been tweeting like this for a couple days now so it could be a joke but if it’s not I think it’s either that mark was originally supposed to be in but is now out or has something to do with Emma or maybe Lindsay.
This occurred to me as well, Sophie – Mark has been doing happy tweets, sasha not so much.
Just re-checked – as of Sunday afternoon, Sasha was still set up to be a pro on this season. Now has that changed in the last 24 hours? Who knows.
Sasha has definitely been posting pictures on the plane to NYC with Emma, so I’m more inclined to think there was a partner shuffle. With Artem being so quiet, and Mark’s tweets, I almost wonder if Mark came back last minute and was given Simone. I guess we’ll know tomorrow.
maybe sasha will be put with ashley benson from PLL she was rumoured to be on the show
Sasha could be on the plane as a troupe member, though. They do take the troupe with them to GMA to dance in the bumpers.
@Courtney- I definitely forgot about that. I also just saw Artem and Alan are apparently going to NYC, so we’ll see…
Price, Waterhouse, Cooper gave me an envelope with all the pros and stars listed. It says > La La Land !!
I see you have Cheryl “out”. Too bad! She did a great job last season with Ryan and was hoping she would be rewarded this season with a good partner. Wow … no Derek, no Mark, no Karina and no Cheryl. Very disappointing!
I was under the impression Simone requested Sasha so it would be awful if they switched out her partner now.
My first thought is that Emma may be the one affected by the tweets. I just read that a baseball player may be the last spot. If that’s the case, when have they ever given Emma an athlete or even a true contender for that matter. Maybe Emma has Mr. T now.
Just in case anybody on here hasn’t seen it, Jenna released an Instagram post that said she’s not going to be involved with DWTS this season. The wording was kinda murky on whether she’s just taking a season off or if it’s more of an indefinite thing.
I would not assume that Cheryl’s absence wasn’t up to her.
Chicago Cubs and Chicago networks reporting David Ross is competing! He was on my wish list. Great guy!
Read all the posts before commenting, please. We have a post on David Ross.
I read Jenna’s Instagram-she makes it sound like it was her decision-me personally, I don’t buy it but whatever-tell you the truth I’m glad she’s even not on troupe-she’ll most likely be doing SYTYCD anyway…..as a side note, read that Mandy Moore got some sort of promotion to creative director for SYTYCD, then someone asked on Twitter if that means she won’t be choreographing on DWTS anymore but Krystyn Burt (spelling her name wrong sorry) said that Mandy will still be choreographing for DWTS. UGH!! Guess we’re stuck with the sexpot pro dance numbers:/
You know Court, maybe Mark is not quitting the show. I just find it surprising that he’s not doing this season either. The way I see it, one of 3 things has happened.
1. He just decided to take another season off.
2. The producers decided not to let him back on. (Let’s just leave it there!)
3. He got another gig.
Only one of those 3 things are happening…!!!…
Actually, no, CH – number 3 automatically means #1 happens, so it could very well be that two of those things happened.
Again, CH, I reiterate: DO YOU EVEN READ THROUGH YOUR OWN POSTS TO CHECK FOR CLARITY???