PureDWTS Season 25 – The Couples!!! **SPOILERS**
So we already know a few of the couples, either because they were formally announced or because we have intel of our own. Below are the couples we have confirmed thus far – IF we get any more confirmations between now and the cast announcement next week, you will find them here. If you want to see the list of this season’s pros only, go to Pro Watch.
SPOILERS AFTER THE JUMP…
1.) Drew Scott & Emma Slater: first officially confirmed couple on GMA on 8/30. I get the impression that this partnership has been a long time in the making, and Drew may have actually requested Emma has his partner – this may be a bit of a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” situation. Make what you will of that hint 😉 I think they could actually pleasantly surprise people – I could see Drew being a bit of a natural.
2.) Nick Lachey & Peta Murgatroyd: older brother of season 2 champ Drew Lachey; married to former MTV VJ Vanessa Minillo, who is also in this season’s cast (see below). I don’t get the impression that Nick L. is going to be the second coming of his brother/Joey Fatone/Lance Bass/Nick Carter – 98 Degrees were the one boy band from back in the day that didn’t really dance (and judging from some of the moves they were trying to pull when I saw them in concert 4 years ago, I can understand why), and I think Drew vastly benefited from just working really hard and having Cheryl as a pro. But hey, since my expectations are low, he could surprise me.
3.) Vanessa (Minillo) Lachey & Maks Chmerkovskiy: I got taken to task on Twitter for calling her by her maiden name, so here ya go – the married couple is competing against each other with the married pros as their partners. It’d be kinda cute if it wasn’t just so…predictable. Like Nick, I don’t really have super-high hopes for Vanessa – she strikes me as kind of a Denise Richards or Holly Madison type, that just may not be a natural mover. I think a lot will hinge upon just how invested Maks is in the partnership – he seemed pretty checked out with both Amber & Heather.
4.) Nikki Bella & Artem Chigvintsev: One of the two couples I’m most excited to see, because Nikki basically goes against Artem’s celeb casting “type” on DWTS: she’s young, she’s outgoing, she’s got dance skills, and a big personality. Nikki’s the type of partner that I think most of us would predict as going to Gleb or Val – so I’m curious to see what Artem can do with her. She’s got some dance experience and The Bella Twins are one of the most popular acts in the WWE right now, so she could stick around for awhile.
5.) Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold: I daresay Lindsay got her first semi-ringer – he’s an actor that just finished a stint in Hamilton, he’s a singer, and he also dances. He’s also apparently a Disney kid, which worries me a bit because they sometimes struggle to get votes on DWTS – but I’m excited to see Lindsay with a partner that she can actually go full-out with. If last season was the #Emmassaince, this season may be the #Linsanity 😎
6.) Derek Fisher & Sharna Burgess: The ol’ smoking gun IG follow/unfollow 😎 After all these seasons, they still never learn, do they? Derek is a former NBA player who also coached the Knicks for a time, and has also been a sportscaster. He’s shorter than the other basketball players we’ve had – only 6’1″, compared to the 6’5″ of Clyde Drexler, Rick Fox, and Metta World Peace – so he’s going to be a lot easier for Sharna to couple, methinks. He ran afoul of the law in June for a DUI, so part of me wonders if he might be doing DWTS as a Lochte-esque reputation repair mechanism.
7.) Frankie Muniz & Witney Carson: It wasn’t Cameron Boyce behind the snow cone, but someone I personally find better 😉 Frankie is probably best known for his role in Malcolm in the Middle (w/a pre-Breaking Bad Bryan Cranston playing his dad). I’m not sure he’s been up to a whole lot in recent years, so he might be a bit of a Chris Kattan situation – been out of the public spotlight for awhile and could struggle with votes. However, unlike Chris – I think he might be a decent dancer.
8.) Victoria Arlen & Val Chmerkovskiy: Remember when I said an awful lot of you were making some broad assumptions about Bethany Hamilton? 😉 Didn’t help that the DWTS Instagram was fanning the flames with a rather misleading picture. Victoria’s a paralympic swimmer who suffers from transverse myelitis (a neurological condition) and spent almost 4 years in a vegetative state, and only re-learned to walk about a year ago. I think her story’s fascinating, in that she’s our first disabled contestant that hasn’t been an amputee. Will she be able to dance? I don’t know, but I’m definitely interested to see what she can do.
9.) Barbara Corcoran & Keo Motsepe: Probably one of the more interesting pairings this season – and while I’m already seeing complaining about Keo “getting another old lady”, I daresay Barbara is sharper than Charlotte, less neurotic than Charo, and in better shape than Chaka – I could see her actually sticking around for awhile, and Keo’s progress with Jodie & Charo gives me hope that he may be able to harness her strengths.
10.) Lindsey Stirling & Mark Ballas: Next to Lindsay and Jordan (and possibly Nikki & Artem), the couple I see with the most potential so far. Mark & Derek have both known her awhile, and I do wonder if part of the allure of returning to DWTS for Mark had to do with getting Lindsay as a partner.
11.) Sasha Pieterse & Gleb Savchenko: The whole of Twitter and IG seemed to have already guessed it, so here ya go. Don’t know a whole lot about her as I was never a Pretty Little Liars viewer, but she seems cool enough from what I’ve seen. Source thinks she’s probably the most laid-back member of this season’s cast – which could be a good thing or a bad thing.
12.) Terrell Owens & Cheryl Burke: The second officially-confirmed couple, announced on GMA on 9/5. Some of you may remember that Cheryl was originally to be paired with Bobby Brown, who dropped out at the last minute due to contract issues. I personally think T.O. is a vast improvement from Bobby – if Bobby couldn’t even reach an agreement during the contract negotiation phase, what makes anyone think he was actually going to listen and take orders from Cheryl??? I was having visions of Master P all over again. Terrell, on the other hand, has wanted to do the show for YEARS, and has been a rumor several times – I get the feeling he just was never a priority for the casting directors, as he has been out of the NFL for a few years now. But given that he has fallen on hard times due to being unemployed in recent years, I think T.O. is gonna work hard and try to stick around as long as possible – HE NEEDS THIS MONEY, Y’ALL. I think Cheryl got pretty lucky for getting him as a last-minute partner. There’s potential there.
13.) Debbie Gibson & Alan Bersten: Y’all guessed it, so here ya go. Debbie may be older, but she’s got a HUGE nostalgia factor on her side – she’s squarely in the demographic that would be doing the bulk of the voting. She also seems to be in good shape and has (some) moves from her earlier years…so we’ll see!
I love your spoilers! Been waiting for this post, so thank you for this. Can’t wait to find out who the other pairs are.
Thanks for this but I’m really disappointed so far. If a property brother is a tease for the season it looks meh.
Jordan Fisher is so damn adorable. What a great partner for Lindsay! I’m excited to see what she does with him.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the last married couple that competed on the same season. It was uncomfortable to watch sometimes. The show isn’t known for being subtle and laid back, so I expect we’re going to get the “They’re competing against each other. But they’re married!!!” hyperbole non stop.
Intrigued by the Artem&Nikki pairing.
I had to google Jordan Fisher. Yep, I’m old :p
I like the cast so far. Not excited about the married couple but whatever.
But I literally just did a little swoon for Jordan Fisher. I first noticed him in Grease Live with Julianne when he sang Magic Changes and thought he was super talented!
Love love he got Lindsey!!
My mother is obsessed with the Scott brothers, so I’m excited to see Drew also, I too think he’s got some surprises for us.
I’m really excited about Emma and Drew. They both have fun personalities. He’s so tall, hope he can dance.
Lindsay and Jordan will be cute. I think she’s going to have to fund ways to make him appeal to the older demo. She can fo it though.
The other two, I think they’re a cute couple, just not a fan of the pros who I think are just doing this season to pay the rent.
Kelly K, so did I. I had no clue who Jordan Fisher was.
Love Drew and Emma! They both have a following, so if he can dance, he could make it to the end. And a bonus, hopefully, will be having his brother in the audience.
Married couple vs. married couple, meh. Waiting to see how they do, but Courtney, you always seem to hit it right.
Glad to see Artem has someone he has a chance with.
Can’t wait to hear who the rest of the cast is. I like what they’ve announced so far.
My mum’s obsessed with the Scott brothers as well. I think he’ll go far purely for the fact that he falls right snug in the average DWTS viewer’s wheelhouse. Jordan Fisher I’ve not heard off but after googling him straight away he screams out Corbin or Riker v2. He does strike me as the typical star who will obviously dance really well but finishes second on a show like this. Don’t really care for the married couple. As for Nikki, Court are you sure she has dance experience? She can shake her booty, (as she does in her WWE entrance) and she’s definitely got hips but I couldn’t find anything to suggest she actually has dance experience or training like say Paige Van Zant for example. Still a very intriguing partnership, Artem will have to be careful though because her neck is being held together by a rod and a few screws.
Well done, Court. I’m the most excited on 1, 2, and 5 the most so far. Bring on this new season. It’s funny…just about the time, I think I am moving on from this show, they find a way to bring me back. lol
I never knew who Jordan Fisher was until he was on “Grease Live”. Remember “Magic Changes”?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pnL1quIayA
So far I am really interested in 3 couples, Lindsay/Jordan, Emma/Drew & Artem/Nikki. I really don’t know if any of them will be in the finals, but I think all 3 of them will have adorable partnerships. Of course with Emma and Lindsay, everyone of their partnerships have been great. I think Emma & Lindsay have similar personalities.
@M8 – I vaguely remember a Q&A at Comic Con where she & Brie (her twin sister – have we ever had a season so saturated with twins???) mentioned taking jazz & tap through high school. I may have been intoxicated, though, so don’t quote me on it 😉 Someone on Twitter did mention that both she & Brie had also done quite a bit of promotional modeling pre-WWE, and most of those girls do have at least a bit of a dance background. I don’t think she’s going to be on Paige’s level, but I do think she’ll probably be better than your average DWTS lady.
I’m interested the most in the partners of Emma and Artem
As long as the C bros and Peta are nowhere near finals I’ll be happy as a clam
Out of the 5 we officially know so far I am SO pumped for 3 of them. I was already excited about Drew before watching him this morning with Emma on GMA but now I’m even more excited. I think he’s going to be a lot of fun to watch. I think we’ll get a lot of fun packages from them, lots of goofiness but I also think he’s going to be a hard worker too. I also think he’s got some skill between what Emma said about his was it martial arts training, as well as a video I saw on ET’s site that showed him dancing with his fiancee and he had some moves. The fact that he’s also popular among the main demo because of being on an HGTV show definitely helps as well. I’ll be shocked if Emma and Drew aren’t in the finals. So glad that they are finally giving Emma the types of partners she deserves. It also sounded like originally Jonathan was going to be on the show but did something to his shoulder recently that took him out of commission, hopefully that means a chance for us to have him compete on the show at a later date.
Artem and Nikki.. I am SO pumped for this partnership. There was a group of us on twitter that were praying that Nikki would get put with Artem and not the predictable pairing with Maks and when Courtney let us know that Artem got her I was elated. I think Nikki has tons of potential. I think she’ll be a lot like Paige in terms of having the athleticism plus the drive to work hard. Factor in the fact she’s young and from what I’ve seen has some natural rhythm I think Artem has a partner that could take him possibly the furthest he’s ever been. I feel like they’ll be a good match personality wise too.
Lindsay and Jordan.. I have loved Lindsay since her first season as a pro and I’m so glad they are finally giving her a shot with someone that has potential. I mean she’s been able to take 3 men with no dance background at all to the finals and came in second with David. So just imagining her with Jordan who has some background just makes my heart so happy. I will admit I’m awful with names sometimes so when his name started buzzing I was like who…? Until I looked him up and then immediately recognized him from Grease Live. I think this has the possibility of being a super fun partnership that could take Lindsay all the way.
Now with Nick and Vanessa.. meh. I know who they are, but I was never a huge 98 degrees fan (was mostly an Nsync and BSB girl) and from everything I’ve seen of Nick he’s not a natural mover like Joey, Lance, Nick, or Aaron were. Throw that in with the fact that I don’t know if he’ll be a hard worker like his brother since from everything I know he has never had an interest in doing the show I don’t think he’ll go that far. I’m kinda surprised Peta got him with her whole I want someone that’s good comment. As for Vanessa don’t know as much about her background but of what I do know she seems pretty backward and not Maks’ typical partner type so not sure how she’ll do. Also wasn’t happy that they decided to pair them up with Peta/Maks to make the married couple celebs vs the married pros thing. But if that’s the worst thing they do this season then I’ll take it honestly.
I’m super curious to see who the rest of the cast is because this is looking to be one of the best cast line ups we’ve had in awhile. From twitter it seems like the biggest hype is trying to figure out Mark’s partner and he’s being his usual troll self and not helping things. Only a week left.. hopefully we’ll get some more leaks from People, E!, ET, etc before the reveal.
Excited to see Lindsay and Jordan. It should be a fun creative partnership.
He also sang You’re Welcome with Lin Manuel on the Moana soundtrack. If you Google “Jordan Fisher Moana” you can see the video of them recording it.
I don’t know much about Nikki but it does sound like a good match. I’d love to see him in the finals.
But so far it looks like a good cast. My one hope is less drama and manipulation. We shall see.
I had too google Jordan when Court first announced him, but when I saw who he was I recognized him. He did phenomenal in Grease Live, he seems to be a pretty nice guy, and I have a feeling he’ll grow on the audience. Between Drew/Emma and Jordan/Lindsay I am so fricking excited for this season!
Hit submit too fast
I’d also like to see how Drew does with Emma.
And a Val free finale
Narcie I agree a Val free finale will be nice, and I think this is potentially a season where it could happen. Sounds like he’s going to have a partner that isn’t easy and doesn’t have as much ability as past partners. I think Val may be on the outside looking in when it’s all said and done. Between Artem, Emma, Lindsay having partners with a lot of potential plus Mark being back as well as his partner being the drive for him coming back she must be someone he thinks he can go all the way with(and a lot of people being excited he’s back which will lead to a lot of votes going his way) and Alan having a partner that could have some potential that’s older that may be someone that appeals to the main demo I think there is possibility for a Val shut out.. unless the producers decide to play manipulation. Won’t put it past them to try and do that but I’m trying to keep an open mind since I am so excited about this cast. Might be because I know this is all we get until next fall so I’m trying to savor it.
If Val has some inspirational partner with a disability then he’s going to the finale. As much as I hate to admit it. The biggest fanbase ringer you can get are those types of casting.
I adore both Emma and Lindsay and I’m really excited to see these partnerships in action! Also really excited to see rested, more mellow married Mark Ballas who seems inspired already…………..
I like Artem and I’m very interested to see how this partnership goes. Artem was really, really excited to work with an athlete last season and Nikki is younger and seems like she won’t lack confidence or competitiveness. But to date on DWTS, Artem seems to be a traditionalist, not someone who really thinks outside of the usual ballroom/Latin competition steps. So the big curiosity for me is – Will Len fawn over Nikki/Artem for traditionalism like he did Rumer/Val, or will he have a producer driven agenda to heap praise on someone else? Like Val’s disadvantaged partner? I’ll be having FITS if he does since late season. Len wasn’t about making ANY allowances to Amy, Noah, Nyle or Terra!!!
Speaking of Val, how I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when he was told about his partner this season and how TPTB presented this to him!!! And anyone want to place a bet as o whether Val making his partner cry will be shown on TV? We know he’s caused every partner at least one melt down but will they show their golden boy bullying a woman with a disability?
I think it all depends on who it is, if its someone that the main demo likes/appeals to them, and how Val handles it. Since it’s going to be someone similar to an Amy Purdy or Noah Galloway type he’s going to have to get creative with choreography like Sharna and Derek did. I think an inspirational story can carry you so far and with how limited Val sometimes is when it comes to creative choreography I don’t see him being able to be up to the challenge like Derek and Sharna were. I think he’ll be the last of the 3 from the C clan standing no doubt about that but I say he places 5th. Unless he comes out and really surprises with this partner or the producers play manipulation.
Thank You, Courtney for posting the couples above and a great job on getting these early. This is getting me more excited for Premier Night!!!
With Mark back and Lindsay & Emma’s talents, I think the bar will be raised higher this season and other Pros will have to dig in and give it more effort.
I am pretty excited for this cast, but this is only a little less than half. What would make this season perfect -for me, at least- is if Mark got a dream partner of his, Wit has the energy she did for Alfonso’s season, Val has an older woman who requested him, Gleb should get a lesbian star to prevent another showmance (still hoping for Raven-Simone, omg if this was a partnership I’d be saving up for the tour starting now, if she’d do it that is lol), Cheryl should get the chance to partner a disabled star, and for the love of god after last season’s NSFW star Bonner let’s give Sharna a less handsy partner.
From your lips, to God’s ears, Courtney! I hope Lindsay finally gets to #1!!! Great information and always well written, thanks, this is the highlight of my day, so far!
I would like to see Jordan does with Lindsay, Drew with Emma and see how both Mark,Cheryl and their partners do this season. I’m getting absolute tired of Chmerkovskiy Klan (Val, Maks and Peta).
M8, I agree and apparently Val is super excited about his partner as in his IG story he was thanking God for such an amazing partner this season, which probably means she’s similar to his previous partners or has an amazing storyline to exploit.
I wonder if Ally from Fifth Harmony may be doing it this season…too soon for another 5H girl?
I hope the NBA player is shaq. I’ve been dying for him to do the show. He’s such a character. And tall as hell lol
I’m curious to see how the rest of the pairings shake out. Glad to see Lindsay with a semi-ringer. Hopefully, Jordan can help her clinch the mirrorball.
Not gonna lie but Nick and Vanessa Lachey don’t scream to me as contenders. Out of the two, I can see Nick lasting longer.
I’m really hoping that Leona Lewis, Tia Mowry, Jordin Sparks or Chilli from TLC join the cast!
EmnEm it’s been confirmed by Courtney that Val’s partner is disabled similar to an Amy Purdy or Noah Gallowway type. So it won’t be any of the girls from 5th Harmony. Based on what we know I’ve been thinking personally he’s got someone like Bethany Hamilton or possibly her. Someone with a good story that has potential to be pretty great but it’ll be if Val can come up with decent choreography that’s creative with someone that has an injury like that. And I don’t know if he’s up to that challenge. He could be excited because of his partner’s story not necessarily because it’s someone that’s got loads of talent. Sounds like the formula has changed this year to where pros that normally get the duds (Artem, Emma, and Lindsay) are finally getting partners with potential. And on the flip side those that usually get the good ones (the whole C clan) are getting the questionable ones, maybe the tides are turning and they realize they don’t have to have Val in the finale for the show to succeed.. or maybe I’m wrong. A girl can dream.
And I believe that Courtney confirmed on twitter that the NBA partner Sharna’s with isn’t Michael Jordan or Shaq if I remember right. My guess is that it’s someone from the NBA that’s not very well known that’s either retired or is a free agent that currently isn’t signed to a team. Someone like how Rashad was, has some free time on their hands because they may not be signed by the time that the season starts on October 18th or someone retired that doesn’t have any obligation. I know of a few players that are in limbo as free agents but I don’t know if they would ever do the show. I know one year Anthony Davis got asked and he told I believe it was Jimmy Kimmel that he said no because he can’t dance, but if he ever did the show that would make my life. I’m a University of Kentucky grad and he played for us so I know Big Blue Nation would go insane if him or any former UK player turned pro did the show. Basketball is a big deal in Kentucky whether its college or pro.
Is Val dancing with a person with a disability suppose to soften his image re: his court proceedings with the family of the Down Syndrome child who are suing him??
@#M8 ITA w/you. Just because a contestant has a disability, does not mean Val won’t reach the finals. The last person w/a disability was Nyle partnered w/Peta and they won, he was deaf. And Sasha w/Terra Jole (a little woman) were in the top 5. Plus leaving the best for last, Derek was w/Amy Purdy who came in 2nd and would have come in 1st if the TPTB hadn’t promised Maks a ringer (Meryl Davis) and then manipulated the show so Maks would win. So as much as I would like a “no Val in the finals” outcome, I am not holding my breath.
Looks like ABC-Disney is circling the wagons harder than ever for in-Mouse House only talent. Makes perfect sense with only one regular DWTS season per year.
Good point Meggie! That thought never entered my mind. Thanks.
Noah came third as well. Sharna did fantastic work with him but he still wasn’t the third best dancer. Nyle is the big example for me that having a disability gives you a huge leg up as people will vote for you even if you’re not the best dancer. He was a good dancer don’t get me wrong but he certainly wasn’t great and should never have won. Had he just been a celeb from ANTM and not deaf I don’t even think he’d have made the finals. Sounds to me so far that TPTB have just said stuff it we’ll give everyone a celeb with a fanbase or potential. All the pros seem exicited, I bet the celebs aren’t when they find out that their may not be any low hanging fruit to be eliminated before them. Either way if Mark’s partner is good which I’m assuming they are or he wouldn’t have bothered coming back, it’s going to be hard to look against a Val, Lindsay, Mark final three unless we get a surprise.
As Mark said in the recent interview, “Sometimes, the best dancer doesn’t win.” Nyle was very, very attractive, talented and already had a pre made fanbase who was schooled on how to vote before even appearing on DWTS. Add Peta’s fans and his appeal to the core audience and that season was always Nyle’s season to lose.
I agree that Noah Galloway wasn’t the third best dancer of his season. But (very popular) Sharna did a GREAT job of working with him, he was a National hero veteran and there was the reunion/proposal with his servicewoman GF.
I thought Terra Jole and Sasha should have been in the Finals before Jana & Gleb but it also felt like the judges panel were desperate to close her out of the final 4. And speaking of the Stooges, I’ll never forgive Len’s comments for Amy and Derek’s Freestyle vs. his shocking 9 for that breathtaking and inspiring dance! I thought there was a sense of resignation coming from the judge’s table when it became clear that Noah was going to the Finals. Len came right out and said that Noah wasn’t “dancing” and that he was there because America wanted it. And Len said right out loud that if the MB winner was about dancing, Paige would have won. Despite his being stingy with her scoring!
I thought Sharna and Peta did a great job in adapting to working/choreographing for differently abled partners. Although I did think that Peta didn’t polish Nyle’s skills much from the beginning to the end of the journey. I thought Sasha and Terra were delightful together! Of course, she was a performer. But Sasha taught her well and he created fun, for the most part content filled routines without complaining about a height difference or her particular needs. They didn’t look for sympathy votes what so ever. Nor did Nyle/Peta. Amy and Derek were a phenomenal pairing altogether! His choreography and her talent would have been outstanding even if you didn’t know that Amy doesn’t have feet! But Derek also made that look easy and polished. We only saw a little bit about the extra planning and trust involved.
Even without knowing who Val’s partner is or what difficulties she brings to the partnership, I will make some predictions based on VAL and the powers behind the scene:
-We will be asked to believe that NO other pro has faced a situation like this one before.
-We will be told that it isn’t fair to compare her and this team to anyone else.
-The judges will pretend to be using similar criteria for all but if they actually do, Val will be incredibly and publicly offended.
-And I’m already wondering if we’ll see machinations like the ones that ensured that Terra didn’t make the finals or if this will be more like the usual ones to be sure that Val/partner DO make the finals.
Not gonna lie-I had to google Jordan Fisher lol but good for Lindsay! Never know-he might be quite talented!
I, personally, was never a fan of Nikki Bella-I can see how she and Artem are definitely going to be the ‘pretty’ couple. She’s an athlete, per se, so that does give her an edge….
Nick Lachey and his wife-what can I say? Match made in heaven with Maks and Peta I guess….????????????????????????
I keep hearing rumors all over social media that Val’s partner is definitely Bethany Hamilton. I happen to be a big fan of her for years and I’ve heard that she wanted to do the show before so if it’s her, I wouldn’t be surprised. However, and I do not mean to insult anyone by saying this, but she is not on the same plateau as Amy Purdy or Noah Galloway-in my opinion. Bethany Hamilton is missing an arm due to a shark attack. While that would make some moves in dancing difficult and would, obviously, limit frame in dancing, she still has two good legs to dance; whereas Amy and Noah were in different situations that limited them more-in my opinion. So if Val does have Bethany Hamilton, he should thank his lucky stars and work 500% to make her shine-we’ll see lol????
Just my thoughts on the couples thus far. Lindsay and Jordan seem like a perfect pairing on paper and ones to watch out for so I’m hoping for the best. I’ve warmed up to the nick and peta because it hit me that he probably will Be good so she might have some fun this season. Vanessa and maks….it’s gonna happen so I’m not gonna say that it’s ideal but good luck to them. Emma and drew were pretty good on gma today so I love the chemistry already. Last but not least: Nikki and Artem. This is exciting and I think that they could be really fun since she is definately a personality that I love. My only fear is that she might be like Sabrina Bryan and ocerdance cuz she tends to overdo it sometimes in wwe matches.
Sounds like they found another way to put Val front and center, last season I saw quite a few people complaining about his ringers. He’s probably bringing Jenna with him to do the choreography cause I could have sworn she said she refused the troupe last time because she wanted to do better things.
I love Emma and Drew so far. He seems coordinated and oozes charisma. So glad he asked for her cause I think he would have gone to Sharna.
I’m happy for Artem and can’t wait to see what’s up with Mark.
I love Property Brothers so I am so excited to see Drew on the show. I thought maybe they would surprise us with Jonathan too but he apparently has shoulder issues. I’m fine with the other couples so far. So excited for Cast reveal next week!
Val isn’t Derek, Sasha or Peta, Darlene. I wouldn’t be so quick to assume those people made it to the finals just because of their disabilities.
That said, I can see the “Val is a saint” meme being cranked up to the point of unreality again this season.
Sofia Carson
Cameron Boyce
Just want to put it out to the universe.
I’may be wrong. I’m ok with that 🙂
From what I heard on GMA, Emma already sounds kind of impressed with her partner, so hopefully they won’t be an early out.
I’m also not sure Drew Lachey would have won today.
I actually like Nick and Vanessa on the show! They are cute together and were competitive when they were both on Hollywood Game Night competing on opposite teams. I’m just not thrilled that they are partnered with Max and Peta. I bet Vanessa isn’t going to put up with Maks’ bad attitude and laziness but did she already have her baby?
Im really looking forward to this season!!
As for Nyle, the hearing impaired community seems to come out in droves to support their iwn.
If Val has rumored Bethany Hamiltin, she will carry Val to the finals. Not only is she popular and inspiring, she is a conservative Christian who I read does the talk circuit. He won’t have to do much. It will be a lot like Nyle’s season IMO. His dancing was for the most part bland, but all the other elements were there. Peta was there for the ride.
Rose1 – I’m not so sure. Unless Val can get there again on sympathy votes he may be in trouble. Val has never worked with a challenging partner. He’s not creative and he may realize quickly that his repeat choreography may not work. We can expect more high kicks… that’s a given.
As far as Bethany, she is missing her entire left arm, that could be a challenge. Noah had a partial arm which gave him and Sharna more leverage with their choreography.
I know one thing, the three stooges better not be harping at any of the other couples about their arm extensions…. Yes, I’m talking to you, Bruno, Carrie Anne, Julianne, and Len.
I don’t agree about Nyle at all. I think he was a pretty darn good dancer, especially considering he couldn’t HEAR the music.
It’s early yet to gauge most of the couples chances. We don’t even have all of the pairs yet, never mind seeing them perform. We know the pros and their strengths/popularity but not all of the celebs. So far, I don’t see a real fanbase or skill ringer above but John’s Angel’s can correct me if I’m wrong there. Jordan Fisher and Nikki Bella probably have had some dance background but Misha Barton said outright that she had ballet and jazz as a child and where did she go? Nikki and Drew seem to have fans but will they support them/vote on DWTS the way Nyle’s did?
On the other hand, based on quite a few seasons evidence, the producers seem to feel Val C needs to get to the finals, come hell or high water! Will this season be different? There seems to have been some slight shake ups in the partnerships BUT once again, Sasha is shunted aside while Artem, Keo and Gleb retained their pro positions AND Alan got promoted! You better believe I’m going to side eye the height of EVERY female contestant. Plus, we don’t know if Emma would have been given a no hoper again because it appears that she’d been campaigning for a Property Brother for some time and with her being the reigning champ plus the twin SL…… Who knows, maybe Sharna’s basketball player had a near death experience!
In the grand scheme of things, the change in pairings might be giving hints on change of producers’ pets. Artem got Nikki and Lindsay got Jordan, the married pros got not the front running celebs, and even if they hand Val someone with disability, it’s going to be a huge challenge for him. He ain’t no Derek, and it might expose his limitations a lot. I am excited to see if this season actually turns producers’ bias away from the clan, and someone like Lindsay or Artem do end up winning this time without manipulation.
@Rachel – I think the fact that Drew was such an early out on All-Stars is a pretty strong indicator that he wouldn’t have won in the much more competitive atmosphere of today’s DWTS.
Awful lotta people making broad assumptions about Bethany Hamilton…
@PH – I will say this about Nyle: he was indeed a good dancer, but he wasn’t the most consistent. He definitely had dances that were really, really good (his Viennese waltz with Sharna comes to mind), and he had dances that were pretty weak (his quickstep, his jive). And the weaker dances seemed to be the faster-moving ones, since he couldn’t hear the music and struggled with staying on the beat.
I’m calling it now! Jordan and Lindsay will make the finals. He is fantastic, and this is coming from me, an old lady ever so slightly beyond her fifties.
I think Jordan and Lindsay will be amazing. He has an Usher-ish quality about him and that alone could win over the core demo. And we all know the power of Lindsay.
Hey, if Kyle Massey (whom I thought would surely be out week 1, can make to 2nd place with a much weaker pro. Then I think Jordan could go far this season.
As of know my favs are Drew and Emma and Jordan and Lindsay. 🙂
I heard that val has Bethany Hamilton from soul surfer
Yes, several people before you have mentioned this, Faith…
…and again, I reiterate: a lot of people are making assumptions.
Should be an interesting season. Happy that Mark is back, and that Emma seems to have a great partner again.
I think Nyle would have won no matter who he was partnered with. His dancing was great for a hearing impaired person..or for a hearing person for that matter. We’ve seen some celebs who, despite having two good ears, had two left feet. Having danced in a clogging group with a deaf member, they are adept at feeling the floor vibrations from the music. Our hearing impaired lady was one of our best dancers. I think if Nyle wasn’t deaf, his dancing would have moved from great to exceptional. Add in the factor of the deaf community support, his likability and the MBT was his to lose. Agree his pro was just along for the ride.
There is at least one ringer on this season….
Remember, just because you don’t make it to the end, it doesn’t mean you aren’t a ringer.
Agreed, Courtney. I was responding to Rose who was essentially panning him completely. Don’t think that’s accurate at all.
Yes Colleen in the past it’s been obvious the producers have manipulated to high heaven to get Val into the finals. s22 it was very obvious that this is what they were doing especially since he had Ginger who was apart of the ABC family. I think everyone can agree they tried to do it last season as well with Normani. This is an eternal optimist speaking, I’ve been watching the show for a long time so I know the manipulation train but I do like to try and see the positive and such. I think the formula may be changing some. Last season we got new producers and they tried to use the old formula which kinda crashed and burned. Then they had a tour without Val that seems like it was just as successful without him as it has been in the past with him. Like I said may be my optimism but maybe the light bulb is finally going off to where they realize Val isn’t the driving force of this show now that Derek is gone. I mean this season so far we have 3 pros that usually have duds that have no background at all or that have little to no potential pre season that have to fight to stay in the competition week to week and all 3 have celebs with potential this time around. Yes Emma is the current MBT champion and it’s obvious Drew and or Jonathan being on the show has been in the works for awhile and regardless Emma would have gotten him since it appears like he requested her, but if it would have been a normal season I would have guessed they handed her another dud. Lindsay finally got someone under 30 with background which has never happened, and you have Artem who had Nancy last season with some potential but he’s gotten someone even younger with maybe even more potential.
While you have Maks and Peta being given what I would call the least excitable of those officially announced that may have limited background and Val is finally handed a challenging partner for a change. As has been said above yeah sometimes the disability narrative can drive someone a one way ticket to the finals. But in the cases where someone has won JR and Nyle being the examples I can think of right now both were pretty decent dancers. JR also had Karina and he had a really great story. Nyle he had a HUGE following before doing DWTS from ANTM and his guest spots on shows such as Switched at Birth (that’s how I personally knew him) so I don’t know if Peta being his partner played much of a role. As others have said too Noah, Amy, Terra there was combinations of things that led them to finishing where they did. Terra and Amy were both very good and Terra had a following. But they all also had pros that were up to the challenge of choreographing some pretty great stuff. If Val isn’t up to the challenge and isn’t able to showcase his partner in a great light in terms of his part of the deal just having an inspiring story may not be able to carry her to the finals.
With a season like this that already has several names that could be in the finals I don’t think it’s going to be easy to say one way or the other who makes it and who doesn’t. If Val does his same old same, the producers don’t manipulate then I can see him not being in the finals but if he steps up his game then maybe, or even if he doesn’t step up his game the producers manipulate then he may have a spot. It could go any number of ways at this point.
[…] is the only contestant confirmed so far, although there are many rumors. PureDWTS says their sources tell them that married couple Nick and Vanessa Lachey will be competing against […]
I saw on GMA the announcement. I think it was another disppointment. I feel to myself this won’t be a highly rated season either. I don’t feel it will be a good season either. The first thing is, Derek Hough won’t be on this season. The second, Cheryl Burke won’t be on either. The third, Karina Smirnoff won’t be on. They are 3 of the finest dancers they had next to Mark Ballas. The contest is still run wrong. For the first time since it started, I didn’t watch it last season. More likely, I am not watching this season either. This is because those 3 dancers aren’t on and I think the rules and regulations are wrong. I have mentioned this in the past on here. I think fans are going to be disappointed that Sasha is demoted. Also, they will be disappointed because there is no new dancer on there. This message comes from Steven Lantz from Brooklyn, New York.
Gotta give credit to the producers. They must be proud of themselves for finding Val a 22 year old Olympian with one of if not the most inspirational story the show has ever seen. She might not be the best dancer considering she couldn’t walk a year ago but I’m going to go ahead call her a finalist at least regardless of her pros lack of choreography skills. No wonder he’s out there thanking god.
I love the “smoking gun unfollow” when it happens. Ha!!
I already call val winning, people love an inspirational story. Look back three seasons with Nile the deaf dancer. He wasn’t necessarily the best dancer but people loved his story
[…] you been watching our Spoilers post? If so, you know that Jordan Fisher is dancing in Dancing With The Stars Season 25. He’s […]
Very interesting cast so far. Really curious as to who Keo, Mark, Cheryl, and Gleb have.
This is an great cast so far. My favorites so far is drew scott,nikki, jorden, frankie, and victoria. i cant wait to see the rest of the cast
Getting serious Jonathan Bennett vibes from Frankie Muniz. Okay dancer with a big nostalgia factor which will probably wear off and see him eliminated around mid series. Basketball ain’t my sport but I can’t imagine them giving Sharna a dud so maybe this Derek Fisher can dance. Will fans be motivated to vote for him? It definitely seems like TPTB have gone screw it, we’ll give every pro something to work with and they can duke it out for themselves. Unless Keo, Cheryl and Gleb have gotten duds. But the two guys seem very happy on social media.
This Val situation isn’t like Nyle just yet. Nyle must have had some sort of following thanks to ANTM, he was/is super hot (even those who didn’t know him could’ve fallen for him easily) and he could dance. Then you can also add the pity factor. That’s a winner.
This girl HAD a story apparently, and she’s not disabled anymore I believe. Doesn’t mean this story won’t be forced on us on every single episode. So she would have to really dance and have a great personality to really win since the disability is not as present as with other people. Plus Val has to work hard at it which we know is not an easy task.
Nyle’s combo was a whole lot better going into the show than Victoria’s is right now. We’ll see.
Having said that, #paigewasrobbed
I know next to nothing about Victoria Arlen, but from what little I’ve seen I really like her. She won’t even need pimping, she’s young, gorgeous, confident, an Olympian, a Christian, AND has a sad/inspiring backstory. The votes are going to be flooding in. Too bad she’s with Val – maybe there will be a miracle and he’ll actually step up his game this season. Maybe he’ll choreograph as well as he did on SYTYCD. Maybe.
Gleb & Keo seemed really excited about their partners the other day, especially Gleb by his Instagram story. Makes me wonder since those rumors are still floating around that Sasha Pieterse who’s Allison from PLL is one of their partners?
[…] like somebody may have been holding out for mo’ money. Given that we’ve already spoiled the partners for the five female pros already confirmed for this season, I can only assume that Bobby was probably going to be the […]
Just putting this out there again: IT’S KINDA THE PROS’ JOBS TO ACT EXCITED ABOUT THEIR PARTNERS…whether they’re actually excited or not. Does anyone really think the pros would act apathetic and cranky, and tweet out “my partner sucks”? Doubt it. Therefore, I wouldn’t put too much stock in the pros “acting excited” about their partners on social media – they’re paid to be enthusiastic and positive.
@MF – Errr, Victoria had a neurological disorder – not sure if you are familiar with those at all, but you aren’t ever 100% okay afterward. There are lifetime complications and you’re never fully the same again. Victoria may be walking, talking, dancing, etc. now, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say she’s “not disabled anymore”. And from what I understand, transverse myelitis can go through periods of relative dormancy, and then flare up unexpectedly due to stress – I imagine Victoria will always live with the knowledge that she could very well lose the ability to walk again at some point in her life.
What I do wonder is if the audience will be as passionately sympathetic to her as they were to Nyle/Noah/Amy/JR, as Victoria’s disability isn’t as “visible” as all of theirs. She may appear normal to someone that doesn’t know better, but I imagine she isn’t going to have it as easy as someone that’s normal. Her struggles are going to be unique.
The Bellas entered WWE in that period where they were essentially hiring models and fitness models into their women’s division, and they sort of fell somewhere between. I think they auditioned as pro cheerleaders/dance teamers at some point.
I’m actually excited to see what Artem can do, especially since he’s going to have a partner who should be able to move, but does have a couple limitations as to how risky things like lifts can be.
Nikki had serious neck surgery about a year and a half ago that they thought might end her wrestling career. It didn’t quite, but she is relegated to being part-time and a brand ambassador because they’re not quite sure how many bumps she can take in a ring.
Interestingly, her fan base could potentially be huge. Not only are the Bellas themselves, popular, but she’s engaged to John Cena, so some of his fans could get behind her.
Just heard ET announce Victoria Arlen as Val’s partner-not gonna lie-kinda disappointed it’s not Bethany:/ But this girl does seem to have overcome some pretty amazing obstacles that could’ve taken her life. It’s a wonder she’s even walking today. With that being said, I agree with Courtney in that-I wonder how the audience/fans will take to her and her backstory. Will they be as sympathetic to her, as they were to Amy, Noah or even Nyles? ???? I, also, wonder, in light of the fact that she CAN walk now-just how much will Val push her? Is he gonna push her enough to want to win that stupid trophy b/c he’s that greedy? Is he gonna not push her enough and play it too safe with her? I guess we’ll see…
Making me feel really old Justin thinking back to the Bella Twins’ debuts haha. Think it was about ten years ago back when I watched WWE every week. To be honest her wrestling career is basically over I reckon. She’ll never recover fully from that broken neck and when she returns (early next year) I can’t see it being for long before she retires. But she and her sister know what their doing, they’ve got their fingers in many pies and doing DWTS gives Nikki publicity and WWE benefit having their superstar on the show. I wonder how much promotion/support WWE will give her considering DWTS clashes with Raw? She has a big fanbase but international fans who support her can’t vote and most demographic viewers probably won’t have heard of her so she’ll still have work to do.
So far this season is looking pretty great. Although I didn’t have any idea who jordan fisher was, after rearching him I think Lindsay got partnered with a winner! I think with her creative mind and his natural dance ability they will be a fun couple to watch.
Finally Artem got a partner who he can most likely challenge himself with his choreography and get more creative then he has in the past seasons. I think they will stick around for awhile.
Not too sure about how I feel with the married couple (lachey’s), but I feel like at least one of them will surprise us a little.
Loving that Sharna got a somewhat different partner than who she is normally paired with. The last 3 seasons she had young athletes, this time she an older retired athlete. From what I see Derek fisher is in great shape still & was one heck of a hard working athlete. All Sharna needs is a partner who puts in the work (aka hinch) and a little dance ability and she becomes a genius at work. I think Sharna will do great with him and maybe we can finally see some fun lifts since she hasn’t been able to do that past few seasons.
Excited to see val become creative with Victoria. I think she is going to be very inspiring like Noah. I feel like she is going to have a lot of similar weaknesses that Bonner Bolton did since he also was paralyzed. Simple things like spinning, and keeping up with the quick dances were hard for him, and it may be for her also. A lot of people forgot Bonner was disabled because he looked fine and healthy, so I’m worried people may react the same with Victoria, but I have a feeling she is going to have a much more positive outlook than Bonner did, which will make her likeable.
Excited to find out the rest of the celebs (especially Alan’s), but this season is looking positive 🙂
Also, Barbara Corcoran will be participating, rumored to be with either Alan or Keo.
I’m dying to see how mansplainy Val will handle himself around a partner that is a famous public speaker. What do you think will happen if Val can’t get a word in edgewise? Will he literally explode?!
I actually am beyond thrilled to see Barbara listed. By far my favorite “shark” there (which really isn’t saying a lot since I only like her and Robert lol)
Nick, Barbara is the first name mentioned this season who actually interests me so I’m glad that I finally (with only about five more names to be revealed) have one person to root for. I suspect she’ll be Alan’s partner.
Barbara is awesome, she always seems very fit and full of personality, she is not Alan’s partner tho, he posted a teaser picture of pink clothes and what looks like a hair scrunchie, Corcoran has short hair, there is no way she needs a hair scrunchie that big.
Sorry – they didn’t say Lindsey Stirling is with Mark, but based on comments that is my guess.
Woo hoo! This season is looking GREAT to me so far! I love Shark Tank and find all of the business people fascinating. Except the guy who always wears a cowboy shirt….. Barbara Corcoran is certainly a new flavor for DWTS.
And Lindsay Sterling!!!! I can hardly wait to see what Mark and Lindsay do together!
Barbara Corcoran will stick around for a few weeks longer than people may think. ABC Family so quite well known and has Shark Tank fans behind her. Also as said above she has some personality. The only question is whether Keo harnesses her rather than giving her the Chaka Khan treatment. People will moan at Keo getting someone older but he’s got a better chance of sticking around past the first few eliminations with her than someone younger.
To be honest right now I don’t see a first boot staring me in the face. Last season we had Charo and it looked obvious early on in training that Chris was going to struggle. We’ve not got that this season, obviously as we see rehearsal pics/vids and the show itself then it’ll be become clearer but right now its hard to tell. Eliminations will be tough.
This is a very interesting cast. Right now, even without the final three I’m having a little bit more trouble predicting finalists than I usually do- which I love.
The top three I’m most looking forward to currently are Lindsey/Mark, Jordan/Lindsay, and Drew/Emma. I’m incredibly excited to see Mark’s choreo with someone like Lindsey. I agree that Barbara might make it farther than people originally think, but I still would have liked to have seen Keo with a younger partner. I really think his choreo has grown.
I echo Courtney that, as much as I personally dislike Val, I’m really hoping Victoria gets a fair shake. She was paralyzed for a decade! She also had to relearn to talk, eat, etc. I worry that because she can walk now and she’s athletic people are going to disregard the challenges she is going to face. I’ve also really enjoyed Val’s choreo on SYTYCD so hopefully he’ll be on top of his game this season. They could be fun to watch.
Wow! What a crazy DWTS day! Thank you Courtney, Heidi and Vogue for keeping us up to date. I am excited about how this season is shaping up!
I Am psyched for Mark and Lindsay but something about Barbara and keo makes me happy too. She just has a cool vibe to her.
If Miss Sterling was Derek’s partner can one imagine the ringer talk on social media.
Umm, you mispelled Lindsey Stirling’s name…
She was my initial guess when he said she was a friend of Derek’s and a natural. She’s amazing, I’m a huge fan of her music!
I’m liking the cast so far! I’m a bit excited for Frankie Muniz since he has been out of the spotlight but he’s done so much outside the acting realm that it will be interesting to see how he progresses as a dancer. He had done some car racing so maybe he’ll be like helio and James, plus he also has been in a band so hopefully he has a little more musicality than say Michael waltrip.
I’m also sensing a possible music collaboration with Lindsay sterling and mark after this season!
And in aswer to yous question above, Mark said in interviews that Lindsey was one of the reasons he decided to come back 🙂
Nastia was in Mark’s music video and danced with Derek on DWTS.
Lindsay was in Derek’s video (and Derek in her’s) and she’s dancing with Mark on the show.
😀
I am SO excited about Lindsey and Mark. I have had a gut feeling since the cast announcement it was her. The clues just lined up to me, I couldn’t imagine Mark not getting Derek’s friend that was doing the show and when Mark said it was someone he has been friends with for years, she was a natural, and that finally schedules lined up I had no real doubts. The final nail in the coffin was seeing where she was going to be on Ryan and Kelly live the day after the reveal. Her tour will be done, she’s not releasing any new music, why be on a talk show if you have nothing to promote. Now knowing for sure she’s Mark’s partner I think officially her, Jordan, and Drew are my top 3.
More couple reveals! Thank you, Courtney! The celebs this season seem to be a great cast. So Many interesting pairings already. Very happy that Mark is partnered with Lindsey. I just hope my schedule allows me to tune in.
So I am super excited to hear that Mark got Lindsay but is that for sure? Because by her Instagram and Twitter she was is in Mexico. It looks like Mark was in LA the day he met her but she was in Mexico…maybe they tricked us with when they uploaded and I’m wrong.
Well seeing some videos of this Lindsay girl, it’s more than obvious why Mark returned. Ringer talk will come by (or not because he’s Mark), but it’s exciting as she will allow him to show some nice choreo.
How well-known, would you all say, is Lindsey Stirling to the DWTS demographic? I hadn’t heard of her before.
If you’re a Derek fan you’ll know Lindsey. She worked on Kairos with him and Derek shot a great video with her to one of her scores. She also played for Max and Meryl on season 18 for one of their dances, All of Me. I think she will do very well on the show. I honestly think that after the choro drought we’ve seen on dwts the past few seasons folks will vote for Mark for the entertainment value as well as the dancing.
Looks to be a fun line-up, I’m looking forward to this season. Hopefully tptb will let it will flow organically. (I won’t hold my breath on that last sentence.)
If everyone could stop getting so pressed about spelling, that would be great. Lisa & I were both dealing with the site acting up yesterday, working our 9-5’s, and trying to keep up with everything that was leaking.
A little more gratitude and a little less judgement, Maina.
Who’s judging?? Just trying to help… And how is me pointing it out ONCE “being pressed”?
You were NOT being helpful, Maina. There are far more diplomatic ways to correct someone’s spelling than “Ummm, you misspelled Lindsey’s name”. Wow, I used an “a” instead of an “e” – really hope I didn’t confuse people who thought I was referring to Lindsay Stirling instead of Lindsey Stirling.
And there are other pedantic individuals splitting hairs about spelling in the comments, not just you.
Yeah, I agree with MF to a certain extent. Not necessarily that her story won’t be inspirational…but Nyle WAS HOT. Like Super hot. Like smokin’. This show is watched mainly by WOMEN. I don’t even think Nyle had a huge “pity factor” going on. Mostly people were impressed and he was hot. 🙂
Maina, also, you act like we didn’t know about Mark and what he said when we already reported it.
Anyway, lay off already
Maina, you misspelled “your”. (It happens) ????
Wow, Lindsey is a big get, dancewise. I don’t know how recognizable she is, I’d never heard of her before her collaboration with Derek.
My guess, just speculating, is that Bobby didn’t like the idea that the show could, and most likely would, bring out his story with Whitney. Doesn’t seem like $ would be at issue. Feel bad for Cheryl if she let other things go for that though.
True, Stoli. But then other pros always get a lot more leeway than Derek ever did. Because he’s a legit threat every time he hits the floor, I guess.
That said, Lindsey isn’t super ringer-y. She is one, but no bigger than ANYONE Val has ever danced with. Yeah, she did a killer Argentine Tango with Derek, but they had multiple takes to get those moves right.
Lindsey may not be as well known to the main demo unless they are youtube watchers since that’s where she got her start but I think she has a good enough backstory to connect with the GP. Someone that was told no that her craft wasn’t enough to fill up arenas and she was able to persevere and do it all on her own and make a name for herself. She’s also dealt with anorexia issues in the past and last year her keyboard player who was her best friend passed away of cancer. Throw in that she’s a super sweet personality, is insanely creative, and does have already a bit of a natural dance ability that will go right along with Mark and his usual style/choreography. I’m not worried at all about her being able to connect to the demo even if they don’t know her now. Honestly right now I can see Lindsey along with several others being able to connect pretty well to the main demo because of several of the things I listed above. I think that Drew, Jordan will definitely be able to do that as well.
My mom who is smack in the middle of the main demo didn’t know who she was but once I told her Lindsey’s story and showed her videos of her playing (as well as both Karios and The Arena with Derek) my mom was thoroughly impressed. Out of all the pairings so far my mom only knew of Barbra, The Lachey’s, Frankie Muniz, and Drew. Barbra because of Shark Tank, the Lachey’s because of myself growing up in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, Frankie because yet again grew up in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, and Drew because I have literally talked about how awesome it would be to have one of the Property Brothers on the show for the last 2-3 seasons they have been rumored.
So the only ?marks are Gleb,Alan and possibly #13 (Cheryl) as to couples. I am excited about the couples – actually know almost all of the ones above – at this point looks like Drew and Emma are my favs.
Alrighty folks. My head hurts. First off Nyle deserved to win. They probably both did , but somebody had to finish 2nd. I felt Nyle was an excellent dancer. And pity???? Pfft I envied him.
As for Val this season, this is my wish. I want to see him do well with this girl. I want to see him rise to this challenge…Will he? That’s a whole different question. And yeah, if one is in a vegetative state for 4 years, they have a disability.
Brittany,
Actually Lindsey got her start on America’s Got Talent. So, I bet the main demo will know her pretty well. Although, it’s been a while. That said, she has a great personality that the main demo will likely appreciate.
Really curious as to who will be Alan’s first partner??? Any Intel yet?
Okay so I had to do some research on Victoria Arlen, but does anyone know what form of transverse myelitis she has? From what I read I doubt it’s cervical, rather one would hope that it isn’t cervical, but you never know (I would hope the casting department didn’t go that route). Also why the hell is Val her partner? Well aside from the usual blatant pimping (cleverly repackaged in this young woman’s story), but i just dont see Val being as great a coach towards her as Mark or even Maks could be. I can see the backfire already: by week 4 Val and Victoria are both wearing down and getting frustrated, week 5 Victoria has an epiphany that Val just isn’t able to be a great partner in the long run, week 6 Val walks out on Victoria only to return with a “sudden breakthough” slightly reestablishing them, week 7 Victoria has a slight breakthrough (No thanks to Val) and bumps a high scorer out, week 8 Victoria is eliminated after a dance that doesn’t properly reflect in scores. You see it sucks because as much as i dislike Val I’ve only found myself to genuinely dislike one of his former celebrities and that was Janel. That made it easy for me NOT to vote for them, but when he has partners worth voting for it sucks because I dont want to support him… just his partner!
Just had some thoughts, since Bobby Brown jumped ship last minute let’s heckle Drew to get his brother partnered with Cheryl! ????
John I know she technically got her start on AGT but she didn’t become a big name until she began posting her stuff on YouTube. So I consider her start where she became a known name to be them if that makes any sense. That’s what I was trying to convey.
Nick Jonathan was originally supposed to do the show but had a shoulder injury which is why Drew stepped in. So he wouldn’t be available because of that.
Yes to Nikki & Artem (finally someone young for him), Jordan & Lindsay (I hope she finally got a dancer because she did miracles with her starts) and Mark is back! I can’t wait for his positive vibe and creativity! Emma also has a fun connection with her partners. So I look forward to their real packages.
And I also do hope for a Val free finale, but without a doubt DWTS will make loads of dramatic packages that gets him in the finale with Victoria Arlen. Since Val always get stars with dance experience I wouldn’t be surprised when Victoria danced before it all happend to her and/ or that she used dancing for her rehabilitation. I indeed think DWTS goes for a “Saint Val” image. He might be a good teacher but his packages are boring, his stars are ringers and his choreo’s forgettable. The 2 times he won in my eyes it should have been the number 2: Riker and James Hinchcliffe. They showed the progress, memorable choreo’s and fun packages.
I also wish that Maks had stayed with his promise not to come back after Meryl because he was outdated. Finally some good perspective on himself and too bad that he did come back. He annoyed me before with arrogance, his love of himself and that he thinks that he made DWTS and now he annoys me even more with his attitude. I don’t understand why America likes him that much when it is all the time about himself. Guess being Dutch makes me don’t understand that. I like hard work, giving, humility and caring for others in people. The only time he could win was when DTWS gave him a very experienced dancer (he always got amazing dancers but his choreo’s are lame compared to Mark, Derek, Lindsey, Cheryl, Allison), created dramatic packages about a changed Maks (seriously how could people believe that fake romance) to create votes, a huge fanbase and get rid of the competition (Charlie who had to be eliminated because he pulled votes away while in my eyes his dances where much more fun, better and real packages).
The brothers (/ Familia) in my eyes bring down the fun, joy and sportsmanship that was in the earlier days of DWTS. With them (especially when they don’t win) they show bad sportsmanship and to me it seems jealousy when they don’t show happiness for other winners (especially Derek). Guess not getting nominated for emmy’s, or winning or not being asked for anything else beside their own shows (unlike Julianne, Mark, Cheryl and Derek who do things beyond the show) makes them even less sportsmanlike.
Just an extra bit of background on Lindsey Stirling: she did appear on a YouTube-based dance competition: D-Trix Presents Dance Showdown 3. That was back
One of her dances can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9voB2-ND_-U
Going back and watching, her musicality was very helpful during the competition. She did end up losing because she lacked the popular vote. She lost to a very well known and well Video Game YouTuber, Egoraptor, even though he was nowhere near her on dance skill.
That was very amateur hour, Paz, but oddly entertaining. I like Lindsey, she seems fun.
I do have a question for any of our Mods.
I’m guessing that the celebs have to pass a general physical in order to be signed. I mean, they want to make sure that a celeb doesn’t have an underlying condition that could flare up or intensify during training such as severe heart disease, an undiagnosed severe illness or something like that.
The reason I’m asking is because Courtney mentioned up thread Victoria’s condition and that it could lie dormant for a time then flare up again due to something like excessive stress.
What could be more stressful than doing DWTS?
I would have to quess that her medical team has given her the okay to compete, but I just dearly hope she can handle the stress and fatigue and stay healthy. I do know that people who go through something so intense and threatening to their body often have a sixth sense about just how far they can push themselves.
She’s an inspiration and I want her to have a great experience. AND I want Val to not be a douche.
I also agree that people will look at her and not “see” the obvious signs of her disability like you could with Amy, Noah and Nyle. As someone who has suffered several awful bouts with clinical depression through the years, I empathize with her. Depression isn’t visible the way other illnesses are. Viewers are gonna see someone who is walking and dancing, and for all intents and purposes, looks hunky dory. I hope they’ll see beyond that.
I don’t know for sure, Susan2, but I can’t believe that the network/producers wouldn’t want a physical before competing. Seems like the liability would be high. But maybe they sign a big contract that covers all of that. Still, seems like a big risk.
What!! Barbara Corcoron and Frankie Muniz! Love the coupling of Witney with Frankie. And Mark with Lindsay too. Okay, maybe I’m a little excited.
Isn’t that how Jennifer Grey’s thyroid cancer was found? During her physical for DWTS? I seem to remember her saying that DWTS literally saved her life.
Kelly, just about to post the same thing. They used to require a physical. Not as confident they do now (or how did Chris Kattan/Bonner ever pass one?).
Was trying to get a feel for Victoria’s present health and found a clip where she said she had run a marathon with her mom this year. That’s pretty impressive.
Victoria has been a motivational speaker and has fan bases from para olympics, other sports from espn hosting, and has told her story to many large Christian Broadcasting programs like Joel Osteen.
I have never heard of her, but I’ll bet a lot of the DWTS voting fanbase has. Just hoping she has the stamina and ability to do a good job.
and enjoy it! (sorry)
Was wondering if she is on because of a connection with Erin?
This season looks promising. Most looking forward to some querky creativity from Mark & Lindsey. Also praying this season goes smoothly for them. Would selfishly love Mark back in the spring, then Derek with Celine Dion for season 27 next fall…
a girl can dream.
I’m pretty confident that a physical is required before competing on the show. Legally I don’t see any other option.
I always assumed that everyone who was approached to compete and wanted to do the show would have to do a physical (just like an actor must to do a film) so nobody drops dead on the dance floor (the Marie Osmond incident no doubt freaked out the producers enough) but then I read that Jennifer Grey went to her own doctor to see if she was up to the task rather than the show’s doctor and that’s when she found out about her neck and that she required surgery.
Like Carol, I’m wondering how certain celebrities over the years got okayed for it and now it makes sense if Jennifer’s experience is the same for the others – that they can visit their own doctor who’s more likely to wave them through (because they know their patient needs the money) as opposed to one unbiased doctor testing everyone and holding them to the same strict standard.
George Pennachhio made a reference that his gut feeling is that dwts may be looking for 2 funny people. Does this mean the cast is not complete as of now?
There was a rumor out there that Bobbie Brown may have dropped out. So that leaves Cheryl, Gleb, and possibly Alan without their partners as of now?
There’s a partial pic of Gleb with his partner and Alan announced that he loves his. Did they back out??
Now that you mention it, Kelly, that does ring a bell.
Love the cast, but my only concern is Lindsey and Mark. I do understand that she is great pals with Derek. I mean look who she’s up against. I’m pretty confident that they will go far. Hopefully Derek will watch and get his fans voting for them and supporting them. The cast is so huge this season and I just hope that her and Mark don’t get eliminated early and they make the finals. On another note, I love the fact that Nikki Bella is following in the footsteps of Stacy Keibler and Chris Jericho and competing on the show. I’m excited to see her with Artem and I hope that Artem makes it to the finals this season. As for Bobby Brown, I honestly would have loved to see him on the show this season. I really hate that he backed out.
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A lot of people think Gleb’s partner is Sasha Pieterse from pretty little liars, in the photo dwts twitter posted earlier today the girl has a mark of a ring on her left hand and Sasha is engaged. I would love to see that partnership. Plus Sasha posted on her ig story that she is counting down the days to reveal a secret.
Lindsey is going to be fine CH. She has a decent following herself add in the fact she’s friends with Derek and will gave support of his fans plus Mark fans. And she has a great personality and story that will really I think resonate with the GP/main demo. I don’t have too many concerns.
Really hope they find a partner for Cheryl. I was so excited to see her again this season alongside Mark.
Maybe Cheryl could partner up with the guy who hosts American Ninja Warrior. I remember he hinted towards doing the show if asked in All Access and isn’t he recently divorced or something…. And he may fulfill the comedy spot?
Just a huge guess and sorry I don’t remember his name.
I don’t mind Sasha all that much compared to the other PLL cast members (mostly because in addition to PLL she was also in Geek Charming, which is a DCOM that I actually kinda like), but I’m so disappointed she’s Gleb’s partner. I was hoping to see him get someone older, more conservative/religious (like Candace Cameron Bure or Sadie Robertson), or with a personality more in line with that of Anita Rani from Strictly (who’s still my favorite of all the partners he’s had), so we could see him switch gears and do more versatile choreography.
I am SO excited about Sasha and Gleb. Have loved Sasha for years. Was an avid PLL watcher. Her character was a bit of a bitch of the show but Sasha as a person is literally the sweetest. Last week when she posted an instastory looking like she was in DWTS glam (on the same day Gleb did his promo shooting) and captioned it as saying “counting down the days until I can tell you all a big secret” I had a gut feeling it might be DWTS. And it was another case of perfect timing since she just wrapped a movie she had been filming Friday. Couple that with the fact she went silent of social media the last three days, the clues Gleb gave in his instastory last night, and the promo shot of Gleb and his partner I knew it was her. The indentation of the ring in her promo shot as well as Gleb’s hint about his partner loving water is what did it for me. The ring indent was same size as her engagement ring band and she has to drink a lot of water because of her hormone imbalance. I’m so happy that my gut ended up being right about her and Lindsey if I have learned anything this week listen to your gut!
I know alot of people commented too about how her arm looked weird in the promo shot her arm looking almost double joined and it looking kinda meaty on top and then thinner towards the bottom. The double jointed thing I think was her trying to keep her inner arm hidden because she has a tattoo on her inner arm that any PLL fan would be able to spot. Her upper arm being heavier and bigger is because of her hormone imbalance. I think her struggles with that and online bullying she’s received because of it will resonate with the GP. We are going to have a lot of good and inspiring contestants this season between Sasha, Lindsey, and Victoria.
I’m excited Sasha is doing the show but also a little worried, she has an uncontrollable weight issue and I’m not looking forward to seeing the first person that calls her big because she already had to deal with that while on pll. But she is a grown adult now so I’m sure she can handle it.
Ha! Doubles must be the theme for DWTS, season 25. Not only do we have Emma and Drew being twins, but we also have 2 Sashas, 2 Lindsays (although one is Lindsey),and 2 Fishers. Can’t wait for the show to start, looks like it has a good cast lineup.
Oh god, if she’s pimped as much as Janel was then we’re in for long season! Is she dance trained, I’m pretty sure most of the female cast on that show are. Janel certainly was.
Just a thought on Victorias disability. As someone who has had to learn to walk again, though due to a different cause, I have found that while outwardly appearing to be back to normal, balance is an ongoing issue. Learning to walk again also involves muscle memory. You re-teach your muscles to do what they already know because you have walked before.
For Victoria, I would suspect maintaining balance in choreo and teaching her muscles to perform moves, steps that she was not familiar with prior will be among her greatest challenges. It will be interesting to watch her journey through this and how she is able to adapt and incorporate dance moves, tempos, styles into her movement range. As a former para-olympian, she presumably has the mental toughness and training/competition mentality that has benefitted previous athletes. Hers could be as compelling a story as Nyle’s ability to dance without hearing music.
[…] 25. Also included below is some poster art and other teasers. To read on all of our Spoilers, see THIS POST. It’s a must read! […]
Oh good Lord, NOT looking forward to this PLL girl one little bit if the awful Janel is what we have to go by. Thank goodness she’s not with a C-Bro, I tell you that much.
Pretty Little Liars again? There are hundreds of celebs to choose from… yet we get another PLL. Bummer.
How about we give the girl a chance first? She started on that show when she was around 12 years old and from what I’ve seen, she’s remained very humble and down-to-earth. She’s also been bullied a lot due to her weight, which she’s unable to control. I personally think she’ll be great.
So now we just need to find out Alan and Chery’l partners…..
I love the speculations going on for who Alan’s partner is over on his IG account lol. Someone suggested reality star Mama June and I just started dying of laughter. Hoping to see him with one of the other speculated celebrities people are guessing.
[…] partner. Yay, I love football players! Check back for a video shortly and don’t miss reading this post for more spoilers and thoughts from Courtney on all the […]
Fruit Loops, Cheryl’s was just revealed on GMA and I am hoping its not another Ocho Cinco situation.
Nick, I read some guesses also, but I kept on seeing Andrea Barber from Full House.I wouldn’t mind her and I think Alan would be a pretty good fit for her. Both are funny characters and Alan will probably have a mother son rel. with her. Mama June is so random yet I could see her wanting to do something where she’s making money and trying to keep the weight off after all those surgeries, I’m just not sure if TPTB would want her on the show for their 25th anniv.
It seems they are trying to up the bar with casting and keeping the reality tv celebs out this time around and I ain’t complainin. The cast reminds me of older seasons and in a good way.
Can’t believe that out of all the pros, all of them veterans of the show, the real mystery ended up being Alan’s partner. The new guy.
Also, Cheryl mentioned this is her 20th season, out of 25? I thought for sure she had missed more than 5 seasons total. Good that the Bobby Brown thing fell through, she would’ve been eliminated way too early.
Agreed MF, I could see Bobby Brown being eliminated after sharing his story about Whitney Houston after week 2 or 3. I just hope Cheryl brings her A GAME and doesn’t recycle too many steps or dances. She has stiff comp. from Peta, Sharna, and Lindsey who are pretty good choreographers. And I’m worried TPTB may have a Sharna and Derek vs. Cheryl and T.O. story arch where Sharna may just beat Cheryl by a hair. We’ll see.
Hopefully T.O. and Cheryl get to at least week 8. With the new formula that I am noticing on DWTS, the football players are starting to be ones that have been out of season and it seems like Baseball/Basketball may be the new “football” players of the show…meaning that they get to semi/finals over other contestants when it was usually a given that the fresh off the field football players would.
I do hope an original pro aka Mark or Cheryl win this season over the others.
Wow. Terrell Owens is a HUGE upgrade from Bobby Brown for Cheryl. Now instead of likely being the first pair voted off, she and Terrell will probably make it to the finals if not outright win.
I’m eager to find out who Alan gets now that he’s finally a pro. Andrea Barber would be interesting seeing as the other ladies from Fuller House have all done DWTS already. Though Mama June (who I’m surprised has never been on already) would be interesting to watch at least (if only for her comments and attitude in rehearsals).
I was under the impression Alan was going to be a pro this season! Did I miss out on something? Is he still slated to be on but we just haven’t heard who his partner is gonna be? Was looking forward to his participation.
Alan, Alan is still in – you need to go to the Pro Watch post for the list of pros. We just haven’t spoiled Alan’s partner yet, which is why he isn’t listed here.
Please actually read the post next time.
Been dying to know Alan’s partner! I know, just a little while longer to wait.
I really hope Alan will be doing it Gibbler Style.
@Nukegrrrl – Alan will not be doing it Gibbler Style this season. Sorry.
Courtney, when you wrote that “we just haven’t spoiled Alan’s partner yet” does that mean you do already know who Alan’s partner is and just aren’t telling us so we have the excitement of having to wait to find out Thursday? Just asking because that’s how it reads.
Too bad Andrea isn’t his partner as the new season of Fuller House is released this month which would make it perfect timing for her to do DWTS promotion-wise.
Well I just hope Alan’s partner isn’t Mama June, and personally out of all the speculations I only like the idea of Pam Ferris or Lara Spencer being his partner. I never watched Full House so I can’t say how I’d feel about Andrea.
I enjoy how some think it might be Christine Brinkley* (Not sure if I spelled out her name correctly), it would be nice to have another older model, but idk something in my gut tells me it’s not. If my guts wrong though that’s fine by me! Cannot wait for tomorrow morning!
@Luke – I know who his partner is, but without getting into detail, I got in some hot water for leaking some of the other pairings last week and I’m trying to keep my head down and not get anyone in trouble. So I may or may not reveal Alan’s partner before the cast announcement tomorrow – you guys only have to wait 20 more hours, and who knows what could leak in that time from other sources 😉
@Nick – It’s not Mama June either.
Thanks for the response, Courtney. Gotcha.
Nick, I’ve been saying for years that I’d love Christie Brinkley to do the show. She still looks gorgeous at 60 plus she did play Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway a few years back so she would at least have passable dancing skills. And you just know the show wouldn’t be able to help themselves and they’d have her dance to ex-husband Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl.
Sorry for the two posts in a row but I found this video about Christie Brinkley saying “never say never” about doing DWTS (not sure when it was recorded) and that she’s been asked by the show multiple times but the timing was always off.
At least I now know that she’s open to it.
EDIT BY COURT: We actually reported on Christie back in 2012 – here’s the link: https://www.puredwts.com/2012/12/05/puredwts-audience-casting-watch-christie-brinkley-danica-mckellar-adrienne-maloof/
Thanks for that reply and all the posts, Courtney!
With all the great partnerships this season I should be able to live without some Gibbler. I hope whoever Alan’s partner is, she keeps his smile shining bright!
I’m in the minority here… but I can’t stand Christie Brinkley. I hope she never does the show.
Hey Courtney,
Thanks for all the spoilers. I always still anticipate the announcement every year and get excited. I was wondering for a little hint on Alan’s partner. I love as hoping for some celeb name that has wider recognition.Someone my mom might recognize. Christy Brinkley would be great. I’m hoping for someone that’s older, would be known on different platforms. Not just a niche cable show. Any hints would be greatly appreciated ????
Courtney Love?
@Pablo – I recommend checking my Twitter (@putuincespence). I’ve given clues to Alan’s partner there.
I hve a feeling it may be Christie Brinkley after seeing people guess her and looking up who she is. She does seem to fit the model celeb quota DWTS usually had on the older seasons and it sees they are following a more traditional formula for a strong cast for their 25th anniversary for the show.
She’s a good celeb for a first timer and I feel like TPTB give newER pros a model as either their 1st or 2nd partner to break them into the position of being a professional for the first time. … Like Val’s first partner and Kep with Charlotte.
Just as I thought… The cast has now grown much much much bigger. WOW! Lindsey has some huge competition that she is going to get tough and to beat this season (in followings, fan bases, and votes). And now, Terrell Owens and possibly Christie Brinkley are on the show!?! Ugh! I still believe that they will go pretty far because they have Derek’s fans supporting them. Like I said before, Good Luck Lindsey and Mark!
I don’t know. The photo that I saw of Alan’s partners arm just seems to thin and fair skinned to be Christie. Every recent photo of Christie that I saw she had that spray tan appearance. Could be nothing though.
Someone tweeted over on DWTSstats and Info twitter.. Could Alan’s partner be Debbie Gibson? I think that’s a great guess.
Debbie Gibson would be a great choice. Hope it is her or Lara spencer. For some reason my friends think tonya tucker but not buying their logic at all. She doesn’t seem to be someone that loves pink.
courtney you rock. thank you a gazillion times over!!!!!
OMG! Debbie Gibson! She was the second tape I ever owned (first was Tiffany-ha!) I hope she’s good and I’m happy she’s paired with Alan. What a great first partner for him. Yay, so excited about this one!
Good luck predicting eliminations this season. LOL
Just the other day I was wondering where I’d last down put that bottle of Electric Youth! So excited for Debbie and Alan!
Uhhh the last leak was not easy! But Im not too excited about a married couple either Look for a lot of drama about couple competing against each other #CarlosAlexa Plus you get splitting of votes between them which doesn’t do any good Looking forward to Mark and Lindsey
I’m very interested to see how the by the numbers posts come out after the first elimination. Because I have a feeling it’s going to be very close and hard to call week to week. But I’m excited for it. The even playing field amongst everyone for the most part is nice so its not predictable who is going to move ahead and who will be eliminated. I will say this I think Barbara has the potential to be a darkhorse, someone that’s not bad and makes it just as far as Robert did when he competed or maybe further.. I’m excited to see the cast on GMA tomorrow, excited for the promo photos in full to come out, and excited for hopefully soundbites of all of them from when they did the promo shoots.
I think this is the first time in DWTS history for me, where I actually like each couple and look forward to seeing them peform (didnt say each pro ????)! TPTB did a job with casting this season and upped the anti for season 25.
Funny, I feel like Nick Lachey fulfilled the bachelor-esque type of celeb usually cast for the show.
Now as long TPTB don’t have switchup week, then I may enjoy this season and actually watch full episodes.
Terrell Owens and Cheryl!! Can’t wait. I also really love the Debbie Gibson/Alan pairing. Alan can be a hit or a miss. He can be like a charming Gomer Pyle goof which makes him endearing if he’s your kid brother. But I don’t get leading man at all. We’ll see how it goes with Debbie.
You guys and gals are too funny!! @Nukegrrrl – pass me that bottle of Electric Youth please!
Maria_D – You description of Alan being like a charming Gomer Pyle is too cute. Well Goooollly… 🙂
If Alan is paired with Debbie Gibson I think they will be one of my favorites this season. Good for him!
[…] I feel like we have all the couples, but I guess we’ll see if we got any of them […]
Every season it seems like it would be a tough call, and then it ends up not being that difficult at all. Season before last I was right nearly every week. Last season it seemed like I was off by one person every other week.
Looks like Mark Cheryl Emma Artem and Alan will be the ones to watch this season
Maybe somehow the dream of a Cbros free finale will actually come true a girl can dream
I think you’re right Kathy (#179). It does not look good for Mark and Lindsey in votes at this point. Sure they’re going to have Derek’s fans supporting them, but from the look of it so far that’s not gonna do them any good. At the same time, I just hope that’s not the case. As much as I’m try to stay possitive, for some reason I can’t even though I know that they will go pretty far. I hope they win this season. It’s way to long since Mark has won.
WOW! Debbie Gibson!!! I was in high school when Debbie Gibson was popular! Loved her song Only in my Dreams! :>
I am glad to see that Artem has a younger partner. I can not wait to see what the two of them do this season.
I am so glad Mak is back. I missed his unique creativity on the show.
I am very happy that Alan is finally a pro with a partner. He is partnered with Debbie Gibson. I think these two will be real contenders. Debbie looks terrific and fit and Alan is a fantastic dancer.
My complaint is that they gave Keo another older woman. Why?? It seems he gets shortchanged ever since he came on as a pro. Jodie sweetin was really good with him but she did not have the fan base. I would like to see Keo with someone like Debbie Gibson or Nikki. I do not know why TBTB always stick him with the older and/or least talented partners.
Emma who is my favorite female pro will have a great time with Drew.
I am not too happy with the married couples competing. I remembered how poorly Carlos Penavega was treated when he and his wife competed before.
I think this is going to be an exciting season. Can’t wait for it to start.
CH, do you think you will EVER post something different than “oh noes, it doesn’t look good for Mark and ____”?? Jesus, the season hasn’t even started yet and your hand wringing is over the top. Go away and think of a different way to contribute.
@Deborah
I hope you meant that you missed Mark’s unique creativity ’cause I don’t think Maks C was ever known for creativity and he feels like he’s just collecting a paycheck in his most recent incarnation. Which is a shame because at least once upon a time, he was passionate…..
As for Keo, he HAS NOT always had older partners. Barbara is his 6th partner and the 3rd who is older. Keo has also had 3 young partners including an Olympic athlete and Jodie Sweetin who had a BIG and CURRENT as well as a nostalgic fanbase plus plenty of prior dance training. If Jodie had been with a different (more popular/skilled) pro, like Val C, she probably would have been in the finals. I like Keo but he’s only slowly coming along. Quite a few other newbie pros have proven better at teaching and choreography. TPTB have been patient with him.
[…] Ooh wee – who made these odds? The president of the Nick Lachey fanclub??? I’ve said it more than once, but here it is again: I am not at all convinced that Nick is going to follow in the steps of every […]