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DWTS 16: What Was it Like to Be At the Cast Announcement?

…thankfully, we have someone to tell us! Kristina (our reader who was able to confirm there was a 12th couple – thanks again!) was fortunate enough to nab tickets to the announcement, and was gracious enough to share her experience with us.  Here’s some tidbits she gave us about what’s it’s really like to be there live…

Courtney: First off, you have to get up REALLY early, don’t you?

Kristina: There was a 2:30 AM call time for the studio audience, and I got there at 2.  It was held at a nice ABC studio, and they fed us breakfast.

C: And here I was bitching about getting up at 7 AM EST to live blog the announcement! :-P What can you tell us about the crowd, Kristina?

K: The audience was pretty small, and about half of it was press people.  There were no phones allowed, because they didn’t want anyone taking pictures.  Everyone seemed kind of quiet, and it wasn’t really the same party atmosphere that the show has. (Kristina has actually attended quite a few DWTS tapings in the past!)

C: Can’t say I blame everyone for being a bit quiet – I would be too if I had to get up that early! What were Tom & Brooke like?

K: Tom was quick-witted as always and we got the chance to chat with him briefly.  Also managed to exchange a quick “Hello, how are you?” with Brooke.  Tom’s coattails were all crumpled in the back – some sort of wardrobe malfunction.  He actually did a funny walk to make fun of it once he noticed!

C: Ok, now I’m jealous that you got to interact with the Berge ;-) Did you interact at all with Sam & Lara?

K:  Gal sitting next to me was a huge GMA fan, and she got to chat with Sam a bit.  Sam kept getting caught in between Sasha & Emma as they were dancing! I was also surprised to see the anchors whipping out their own makeup to touch-up in between takes – while Brooke had her makeup girl come out to reapply her lipstick and Tom was hollering for powder for someone else, Lara was touching her own makeup up.  Poor Lara actually had to have her dress fixed right before the live broadcast, because they found out during the pre-broadcast screen test that the bottom of it was see-through.

C: Nice to know that anchors, like us, are human too :-) Anything else funny happen before the announcement?

K: One of the chairs they had on stage for the celebs kept coming unlatched, and we audience members were yelling tips to the people on-stage to try and help them to fix it.  Sasha & Emma kept having to start their dance over, because the music was coming on at random times.  It would be like “1, 2, 3, GO!” and there would be no music…and then it would start a few seconds later.

C: So tell us about the celebs. 

K: Jacoby was hilarious! Gave us quite a nice little preview of what to expect this season. LOTS of cheering for Wynnona from quite a few fans in the audience.  Andy was funny too, and tried to get everyone to start cheering “DICK! DICK!” in response to Wynonna’s fans cheering “Wy! Wy!” Audience seemed to be pleasantly surprised when Dorothy’s name was announced, too.  I actually brought my Kellie Pickler CD along with me in hopes that I could get her to sign it when I read about Kellie being rumored for this season at Pure :-) We got to watch as they took their group photo – it was funny, they wanted the DWTS logo in the background, but the projector guy had already left for the day! They managed to get it back, though, and it was cool to see the whole cast standing together for the first time.

C: Really??? We love hearing that :-) So in your opinion, who are the big contenders this season?

K: Dorothy for sure! Probably Jacoby too – he showed us some nice moves.  And probably Kellie too, since she has Derek.  I actually shouted out “We love you Derek Hough!” at my daughter’s request before we left the show…not sure people appreciated it, hehe.

C: I bet Heidi would have appreciated it :-)

Thanks once again to Kristina for giving us a peek behind the scenes of the annoucement, and being patient with me as I got bogged down with my 9-5 this week and didn’t get this posted immediately after the announcement :-P Kristina has actually been fortunate enough to attend quite a few tapings of the show itself (one of the advantages of living in CA), and in the future, we may get more behind-the-scenes POV’s from her on tapings she attends.  In the meantime, you can follow her on Twitter @KrismissHampton and chat about all things DWTS – she’s good people :-D

kristinagmaaudience

Kristina at the annoucement…she’s the lovely lady in red :-)

March 8, 2013 I Written By

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donny Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night".

DWTS Season 16 – The 12th Contestant Exists After All!

Well, we now have several sources that confirm that there is indeed a 12th contestant. One source is someone who was in the audience yesterday for the live cast reveal and who contacted Courtney.  Kristina Hampton was in the studio audience and said that they were told there was another contestant that will be announced later – after they asked about it because of what they read here (I love that part – thanks Kristina).  Apparently the question was asked during a New York segment and the California contingent was not on the air.

This is supported by the fact that several media outlets are still reporting on a 12th contestant, including the mention in this article about how badly Emily Maynard wanted to do the show. From US Magazine (emphasis mine):

Eleven of the twelve celebrities competing on Dancing With the Stars were revealed on Good Morning America Feb. 26: boxer Victor Ortiz, Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman, actor D.L. Hughley, country singer Wynonna Judd, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones, Disney Channel star Zendaya Coleman, comedian Andy Dick, Olympic figure skater Dorothy Hamill, actor Ingo Rademacher and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump. The final contestant will be revealed before the new season begins Monday, March 18.

Not everyone in Hollywood is clamoring for a chance at the Mirror Ball trophy, however: A source says Olympic swimmers Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte both turned down the chance to dance!

I also saw some other media this morning that talks confidently about a 12th contestant – like it’s a done deal – but I’m not sure where I saw it. Maybe Miss Vogue can add a link back to the post where it is? :-)

Vogue here with an update: Check out this tweet from the official site last night. It supports this theory even more being Peta Murgatroyd is in it for which the 12th contestant might be paired with…


Look who we are dancing with tonight! http://t.co/Tiq4W684pW
@DancingABC
Official DWTS

February 27, 2013 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

DWTS 16 Cast: Sean Lowe – In or Out?

You guys were probably just as shocked as I was to hear this morning that we were only going to have 11 couples on this season…after hearing 12 couples for quite awhile.  Also shocking to not hear Sean Lowe’s name called as one of the celebs, as he was a name we were hearing quite a bit, and shocking to not hear Peta’s name as a pro, considering that she had been confirmed by @DWTSGossip as being part of this season…and DWTSGossip seemed just as shocked as we were.

So what happened? We’re not sure – some are guessing that the deal fell through at the last minute, others are surmising that Sean IS part of the cast, but they are going to wait to reveal him until after The Bachelor finale.  In the absence of anything official, we can only speculate.  Reality Steve, who has a pretty damn good track record of predicting Bachelor-related stuff, assures us that Sean IS part of the cast:

realitysteve1realitysteve2

ETA1: Reality Steve goes into more detail in his most recent Bachelor blog – and I daresay, someone with a spoiler history as credible as his would not just be making claims like this willy-nilly.  I’m starting to believe that we may get a “surprise” 12th couple sometime in the next few weeks…

ETA2: In her OTRC interview, Lisa comments on how it’s “an honor to be one of the 12 chosen” to be on the show.  There were only 11 celebs announced this morning :-) Thanks to Grant for the heads-up on this one!

ETA3: Peta tweets that she has a “big day today!” and that it’s “time to play” – which makes me wonder if she’s either a) meeting Sean for the first time, or b) starting to rehearse with Sean.  And OMG! Insider (totally dumb name for a show, BTW) jumps on the “mystery 12th contestant” bandwagon in a video that Vogue just postedNow I’m really starting to believe that Sean’s the 12th contestant, and that ABC maybe just can’t mention it outright for contractual reasons…but they are hinting at it in a not-so-subtle way. 

ETA4: @KrissmissHampton was in the live audience at the announcement yesterday and was kind enough to tweet me and tell me that, after the cameras stopped rolling, they were told that “a 12th couple would be announced at a later date”.  Thanks Kristina! :-D I’m wondering if they were initially going to announce it on the air, but ran out of time…things seemed to get a little rushed at the end.  Heidi also dug up some more evidence confirming the “12th couple” theory, courtesy of US Magazine.  So there is, indeed, a 12th couple – but is it safe to assume that it’s Sean & Peta?

I’m inclined to believe Reality Steve, but at the same time, if ABC had a 12th couple up their sleeve, I would think they would at least tease it during the announcement this morning: “Stay tuned in the coming days, because there is still a surprise 12th couple, yet to be revealed!” Peta has not said a word on Twitter this morning, nor has Sean (although I doubt he would), and neither one is following each other – could be a precaution so as not to reveal anything, could be that they really aren’t on the show.  What do you guys think?

In the meantime, we will keep our eyes peeled and update this post with anything official we hear.  Random…anyone else think Sean kinda looks like Macklemore?

I’m gonna pop some tags…

February 26, 2013 I Written By

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donny Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night".

Dancing with the Stars Season 16: Cast Announcement Live Blog!!!

Woohoooooo! After weeks of few casting rumors and a hectic week of pro watching, the big day is finally here: today we find out who’s going to be dancing on season 16, and who they’ll be dancing with (I presume).  I’m assuming this cast announcement is going to pretty closely mirror the season 14 cast announcement, which was also on GMA: they kill time and tantalize us with periodic clues and whatnot for the first hour or so, then they announce all of the celebs, take a commercial break, announce which pro each celeb is paired with, take another commercial break, have a brief Q&A session with the couples, and then they’re done.  A lot less painless than sitting through the fauxmance and schlock of The Bachelor, if you ask moi ;-)

First, a few ground rules: please, please, PLEASE do NOT keep hitting refresh repeatedly on this page! We keep upgrading our server, but during high-traffic times (such as the cast announcement), things tend to get a bit…wonky.  If you keep hitting refresh, I cannot get in the dash to update the page, and thus nobody gets any updates.  Try to keep the refreshing limited to every 15 minutes, k? You can also feel free to follow @puredwts on Twitter – Heidi will be tweeting the names as they’re announced as well.  Also, if you’re watching the announcement yourself (or are carefully monitoring Twitter/the interwebs) and hear the names, PLEASE – do not post them in the comments if you don’t see them posted in the body of the post (looking at YOU, Grant).  Not only does this also clog up the server and prevent me from updating the post, it also irritates the hell out of me, as I am not a) Amish, b) broke, or c) living in a van down by the river, and I, like you, have television, internet, and Twitter.  If you don’t see it posted, it’s because I’m still trying to get into the dash – not because I don’t see it.

UPDATE: Moving the list of couples up to the top of the page for those who don’t want to hear all my play-by-plays :-P I went ahead and put Sean & Peta on the list, but they are by no means a sure thing…

ETA2: We’ve confirmed there is, indeed, a 12th couple…but no official source stating that it’s Sean & Peta.  I’d be surprised if it wasn’t them, though. 

Celebrity Height Pro Height Pro
Wynonna Judd  5’5″  6’1″ Tony
D.L. Hughley  5’7″  5’4″ Cheryl
Jacoby Jones  6’2″  5’5″ Karina
Lisa Vanderpump  5’6″  6’1″(?) Gleb
Andy Dick  5’10″  5’5″ Sharna
Victor Ortiz  5’9″   Lindsay
Zendaya  5’10″  5’11″ Val
Aly Raisman  5’2″  5’8″ Mark
Ingo Rademacher  6’2″  5’7″ Kym
Kellie Pickler  5’1″  5’10″ Derek
Dorothy Hamill  5’3″  5’11″ Tristan
Sean Lowe (?)  6’2″  5’7″ Peta (?)

Ok, now that that’s settled, on with the show!!! Read more..

I Written By

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donny Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night".

DWTS Season 16 Rumors – A Housewife and a….

…I was going to say it…okay, I’ll say it. A Dick. :-D  Andy Dick, that is. All according to Radar Online. Keep in mind that Radar Online has gotten it wrong before…but they’ve also been right. Nothing confirmed until tomorrow.

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump will be competing alongside the always outrageous Andy Dick, Radar is exclusively reporting – and we can’t wait to see him bust out the Foxtrot!

Also along for the ride will be former American Idol star Kellie Pickler, Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman, boxerVictor Ortiz, Baltimore Ravens’ Jacoby Jones and another comedian D.L. Hughley.

This cast is looking pretty train-wrecky and like a “Reality TV” Zone. I guess we have to hope some are wrong??

February 25, 2013 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

DWTS Season 16 Cast Rumors – Different Source, More Names!

Yowza, after months of silence, the leaks (real or otherwise) are coming quickly. TMZ has weighed in with Sean, Wynonna and…Kelly Pickler???

The two biggest reality shows on the planet are about to come together — TMZ has learned the identity of four of the contestants for this season of “Dancing With the Stars” … including the first ever former “American Idol” wannabe.

“DWTS” has not revealed their cast for the upcoming season yet … but sources close to the show tell TMZ that Kellie Picker – everyone’s favorite country bumpkin from season five of “Idol” — will be doing this season of “DWTS.”

In addition to Pickler, our sources say country star Wynonna Judd, “Bachelor” star Sean Lowe and 2012 Olympic gold medal winning gymnast Aly Raisman are among this year’s cast.

Kelly could be lots of fun. TMZ is betting on Aly, but from what I’ve seen on twitter, her fans don’t give her much of a chance and they’re not to happy she’s doing it.

February 24, 2013 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

DWTS Season 16 – MORE Rumors, including Wynonna, Jacoby and Sean (Supposedly)

Yep, Rumor Fix has joined the rumor game - the question is, are they reliable or are they just going off of what has been rumored in the press and here?? Anyone else remember that they reported Faye Dunaway as dancing only to be dead wrong??  I have to say – Wynonna?? We made a wild-assed guess that maybe she was doing the show and it’s been discussed NO WHERE else and suddenly Rumor Fix says she’s in?? Color me highly skeptical.  If she’s not on the show, I guess we’ll know where they got that info. ;-)  And if she IS on?? Then me and Vogue are just that GOOD. :-D

ABC isn’t announcing the cast of Dancing with the Stars until Tuesday on Good Morning America,but RumorFix has exclusively learned the names of four of the contestants.

We all know that DWTS loves Nashville and the competition show loves to showcase someone as they lose weight ala Kirstie Alley — hence, the selection of Wynonna Judd.

The Bachelor’s Sean Lowe will fill the slot for the hunky guy who takes his shirt off at the ready! Sean has been seen at the DWTS offices recently.

And, no season is complete without athletes — our sources tell us boxer/underwear model Victor Ortiz and Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones will try to dance their ways into our hearts.

Other names that have been tossed around are Chef Bobby Flay and Olympic gold medal gymnast Aly Raisman, but we have not been able to confirm them.

February 23, 2013 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

DWTS Season 16 – Rumor Round-Up!!!

Ok kids, we’re at about t minus 66 21 13 hours until the cast announcement, and it’s time once again to break down the various rumors we’ve heard about the cast so far – which, unfortunately, haven’t been too plentiful this season.  But hey, at least it has given our imaginations the chance to run wild and we may be in for some big, hopefully pleasant surprises on Tuesday morning :-)

I went ahead and broke the rumored names into categories: the ones that we think are legitimate possibilities (names we keep hearing, from reputable sources), the ones that are a longshot (they’ve been a rumor, but they’re more likely to say “no” than the legitimate possibilities), the ones that have said they want to do the show or have campaigned to get on the show (but probably haven’t been/won’t be asked), the random one-offs that are usually referred to by a 3rd party (and not a reputable source or the person themselves), and the “endless parade of no” – the celebs who were reportedly asked to do the show, but turned it down.

ETA: Added a new rumor, and threw in some updates on others.  Things are starting to take shape! :-)

ETA2: The rumors came flooding in today…and some of them seem pretty legit. 

Legitimate possibilities:

Sean Lowe
Aly Raisman
Victor Ortiz - confirmed
Somebody from General Hospital - right now, all we know for sure is that it’s not Kristen Alderson or Nancy Lee Grahn
Kellie Pickler
Jacoby Jonesconfirmed during Oscars telecast
Lisa Vanderpump – already following new pro Gleb on Twitter, and vice-versa
Andy Dick
D.L. Hughley

Longshots:

Colin Kaepernick
Wynonna Judd
Emily Maynard
Kourtney Kardashian
Mama June
Katie Couric
Christie Brinkley
Jordyn Wieber

Wannabes/Campaigners:

Jerry Supiran
Finola Hughes
Tiffany
Dina Lohan
Perez Hilton
Bobby Bones
Barbara Evans
Deena Cortese
Shannon Bex
Maia Campbell
Miss America Mallory Hagan
Daniella Monet

Pure Randomness:

Billy Idol
William Shatner
Miss Alabama
Arianny Celeste
Tito Ortiz
Danica McKellar
Adrienne Maloof

The Endless Parade of “No”:

Eric Idle
Lance Armstrong
Lindsay Lohan
Bobby Flay
Ann Romney
Victor Cruz
Tori Spelling

Curious as to what pros we’re going to see/not going to see this season? Be sure to keep an eye on Heidi’s Pro Watch to keep up with all the in’s, out’s, and new faces this season.  And be sure to tune into PureDWTS starting at 7 AM EST on Tuesday (2/26), as yours truly will be live blogging the cast announcement on GMA…things could get crazy, kids.  You won’t want to miss it ;-)

I Written By

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donny Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night".

Dancing with the Stars Season 16 Rumors – Another General Hospital Actor??

Ya know, it’s kinda funny.  Maybe I’m getting jaded but every season it’s like: Soap actor, check. Olympian, check. Footballer, check. Struggling musician, check. Three people from the ABC family, check.  Come on, guys – I’ve heard that Michelle Stafford from the Young and the Restless would love do do it and she’d look great with Tristan. :::sigh::: Just think of the whole universe of TV people you could have on the show if you weren’t hung up on this network CRAP.  Okay….rant over. :-)  Back to the point of this post.  Caroline Hinsey (@CarolynHinsey) is a columnist for Soap Opera Digest. A little bit ago she tweeted the following:

Carolyn Hinsey

I don’t know who the heck Alice is, but it’s not Finola Hughes, from what I gather on Twitter. Where’s Nathan? Educate us Nathan. Who are the likely contenders, if Carolyn knows what she’s talking about??

February 22, 2013 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

DWTS Season 16 Cast Rumors! Hollywood Life Reports on 3 Cast Members

Supposedly. :-)  Hollywood Life claims they know three cast members, two of which we’ve reported on in one way or another: Sean Lowe, Aly Raisman and Bobby Flay. The unidentified boxer is likely Victor Ortiz, I would guess.

A source close to the show tells HollywoodLife.com exclusively that currentBachelor Sean Lowe, celebrity chef Bobby Flay, and Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman are the first three stars to have joined the show’s cast. Not only that, but an unidentified boxer is said to be in the mix, as well!

Our insider also tells us that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been asked to flex his dancing muscles week to week, but the jury’s still out on whether his name will be announced on GMA.

Keep in mind, of course, that Hollywood Life claimed not too long ago that Derek Hough was being considered for a spot on the judging panel – a thought that made Derek laugh a good bit when he heard it. :-) I would also have to do further investigation – I do believe that they were WAY off base a couple of seasons ago. Sean and Aly I’m inclined to believe, along with Victor, since all were previously rumored here and elsewhere. You be the judge!! Thanks to Dee for bringing this one to my attention!!

ETA: Bobby was previously rumored back in Season 13!

Vogue here with ETA2: According to this new interview, Bobby will not be dancing.

February 21, 2013 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)