I threw that Season 8 in there because I found Gilles on E! News in a “European” swimsuit. Ahem. Yep, never voted for Gilles when he was on the show, but he is one hot hunk of man and he seems like a real sweetheart.

Donny and Kym on ET – Donny finds out that MJ’s kids are rooting for him. (Um, so what? They’re just KIDS! Geez. They’re kids I feel sorry for because of all the hype.)

Reality Chat Part 1 – DWTS Week 5 – Melissa Joan Hart talks to Sabrina and Rosie

Reality Chat Part 2 – DWTS Week 5 – Chuck Liddell

Today’s edition is dedicated to the Viennese Waltz and the Foxtrot. I am not a ballroom girl, I much prefer the Latin dances; however, these are week one dances and I want everyone to be prepared to know what to look for

THE GOOD
Season 4: Laila Ali; Viennese Waltz
Laila was never my favorite dancer but she was a joy to watch because she always wanted to do her best! Maks really pushed her and that’s how she got to level that she got to Laila has beautiful lines in this elegant dance and amazing foot work throughout! This is one of Mak’s best choreo pieces!

 

Season 7: Brooke Burke; Viennese Waltz
I can’t say enough good things about Brooke!  She was by far the most talented of the season 7 cast and Derek really took advantage of that with all of his choreo.  I loved that Derek showcased her beautiful lines as much as he could!  She really does look like a pro

Season 4: Joey Fatone; Foxtrot
Joey was a great surprise on the dance floor!  We know he has ‘boy-band’ dancing skills but never would I have imagined his ballroom/latin skills!  I was very impressed with his foot technique.  I find that the guys have more difficulty grasping the technique concepts but he always was light on his feet and very precise!  Kym gave him a great choreo piece here!

 

Season 7: Brooke Burke; Foxtrot
Just like her Viennese Waltz, Brooke is beautiful in the Foxtrot!  You really can’t get better than Brooke’s technique with Derek’s Choreo!

 THE BAD
Season 5: Josie Maran; Viennese Waltz
The thing with Josie is that she was on her heels the whole time!  This makes a dancer look very, very heavy in their foot work!  Another think Josie did was stop her lines at her elbow which takes away from the elegance that the dance is suppose to give off!  She looked beautiful but she didn’t dance beautifully. 

Season 6: Adam Corolla; Foxtrot
I feel like Adam tried to do his best while on the show but I also feel like he thought it was a joke.  I felt like he was always more concerned with being funny than becoming a decent dancer!  His biggest down fall in this dance is walking the steps rather than dancing the steps. 

THE INCREDIBLY HOT
Season 4: Foxtrot
Not my favorite pro dance to watch because of the style but it’s still very nicely done.

Look for the Salsa Edition tomorrow!  What dances are you predicting I show

5 days until the premier of season 9!!!! According to twitter, our pros and celebs are brushing up on their first dances so I am taking the first four dance styles (Cha, Cha, Salsa, Viennese Waltz, and Foxtrot) and finding the best, the worst, and the incredible hot from all previous seasons! After these next four editions, we should know exactly what to look for when it comes show time!

THE GOOD

Season 3: Emmitt Smith
Emmit displays a lot of qualities that make a cha, cha, cha so hot! First of all, you can tell that he is having a blast by his expressions through out the dance. He always keeps up with Cheryl and is able to dance her choreo precisely and with only one noticeable slip up which was when he slide under her.

Season 4: Laila Ali
It is so nice to see the girly side of Laila! She looks like she is have such a ball with Maks! I am always impressed when a celeb can pick up footwork/technique! It’s got to be one of the hardest aspects of the show since it is so specific! However, Laila’s hands kill me!!!! Not her extension stops mid forearm and never extends through her hands or fingers! Overall, she was fabulous!

Helio Castroneves: Season 5
Helio always cracked me up! I loved that he got so excited about his performances I will say that this cha, cha, cha wasn’t the most exciting dance but it did earn them a 30 so I feel like I should pay tribute to them along with the other 30s

Season 6: Kristi Yamaguchi
Kristi was amazing to watch all season! I wish she would have come out of her shell just a little bit more and let America see her personality! I kind of felt like she was business all the time! However, Mark was a great teacher for her and the two of them had amazing chemistry together This cha, cha, cha was precise, articulate, and a lot of fun all around!

Season 8: Shawn Johnson
Shawn is so adorable! I can’t say enough about this little lady! You could tell that she had so a blast with Mark and this dance! Mark choreographed it so suit her so well and she performed it flawlessly!

THE BAD
Season 3: Tucker Charlson
A pretty good hint that a dance is going to be a train wreck is if the celeb is sitting in a chair for a good amount of time during the opening of the dance! I think Tucker looked like he was having fun but I feel like you could tell her was uncomfortable with the steps. He was very heavy on his feet and didn’t display the technique that the Cha Cha Cha requires.

THE INCREDIBLY HOT

Season 5: Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan is a classic and this song is great for a cha, cha, cha! And how can you not love Julianne, Kim, Mark, and Maks

It’s time for another edition of THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE INCREDIBLY HOT!  All of your comments are SOOOOO helpful when I’m putting together this post and I’m kicking myself right now for not remember the hottest paso thus far!

THE GOOD
Season 8: Ty Murray; Waltz
I am well aware that Ty was never an amazing dancer but he had so much heart!  From all 8 seasons…he has the biggest heart and desire to do well   This was my favorite dance of his

THE BAD
Season 8: Steve-O; Foxtrot
Sticking with the Season 8 trend, I’ve chosen Steve-O’s fox trot for a number of reasons.  First of all, clearly he was always one (or two) steps behind Lacey which was clearly noticeable at all times.  Also, we know that he was hurt from the week before and we could see it on his face which is unfortunate because he has so much heart!  I loved all of his comments about being able to do this without getting high!  I think Lacey was a great partner for him but he just didn’t have the technique to go along with the heart

THE INCREDIBLY HOT!
Season 8: Paso Doble
I love the three ladies and Derek in this dance!  They are so precise and on point all of the time!  Derek is, hands down, the hottest dancer and Julianne, Chelsie, and Lacey have got to be three of the sexiest pros on the show! 

There are so many video’s of rehearsals being leaked and I’m so excited to see these newbie’s take on the cha cha, foxtrot, salsa, or viennese waltz in 2 weeks!  Until then…here’s another the good, the bad, and the incredible hot!

THE GOOD
Season 8: Lil Kim, Paso Doble
This is a PERFECT example of how amazing Derek choreographs to his partners!  Lil Kim picked up on all the little details in the dance including the wrist flips and the leg kicks!  Her facial expressions were on point and her costume was very fitting! 

THE BAD
 Season 7: Kim Kardashian, Mambo
I think Mark said it best when he said “Kim just needs to come out of her shell and bring it” I do feel like a lot of people expected Kim to be this sexy dancer but it all reality she didn’t have the musicality!  She knew the steps but didn’t put any of her in them which makes for a boring performance. Lastly, Kim never did the moves 100% like Mark does all the time, so it was aesthetically pleasing to watch.

THE INCREDIBLE HOT
Louis Van Amstel always has amazing choreography!

Dancechica028 is our videographer of the day! She caught this cute video of Corky and Shirley Ballas. More videos are posted on Pure Derek Hough, since they all have…Derek.

Mark and Shawn (and Derek and Corky) dance to Michael Jackson

I found some video and pictures (and a review, and a blog) about the show last night in Iowa.  It sounds like it was a lot of fun – very jealous of the attendees.

Pictures courtesy of  Star 102.5!  I pasted a few of them below (gallery – click on the pic and then click again for full size):

Kurt from Star 102.5 also contributed a blog. Read the whole thing, but my favorite part is:

Then we saw Shawn, Mark, and Derek Hough. Then, Lacey Schwimmer walks into our area wearing some workout pants and her sports bra. Very nice! Apparently, dancing creates fantasic abs. Jennifer caught me looking, but I think I get a pass considering Derek and Mark apparently refuse to wear shirts backstage.

I’ve only found one set of videos for this show thus far, thanks to Blazing1010. I’ve copied a couple of them, below, but there are a total of 13 on his/her YouTube channel.

I also posted a video of Derek and Chelsie, and a video of Derek, Mark and Lacey doing a hip hop number on Pure Derek Hough.

The Des Moines Register has a nice write up about the “Shawn Johnson and Friends” show tonight in Iowa. Here’s a short excerpt:

Johnson, who was greeted by a standing ovation, spoke to the crowd before the one-time only event began. “It’s great to be here,” she said.

Johnson shared the spotlight with dozens of her friends, including her “Dancing with the Stars” partner Mark Ballas. The evening started off with a tribute to the late Michael Jackson, with a moonwalk dance set to “Billie Jean,” followed by Johnson and Ballas performing the Cha Cha Cha to “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing).”

Season-eight competitor and actor Gilles Marini heated up the stage when he danced the salsa with his partner on the show, Cheryl Burke. Stuntman and funny guy Steve-O, along with dancer Lacey Schwimmer, performed the fox trot to Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours.”

Here’s another article: Des Moines Register with pictures.

So far, we have a rehearsal video:  http://www.kcci.com/video/20182362/

And a cute picture of Shawn Johnson and Lacey Schwimmer getting ready, courtesy of Derek:

Here’s some rehearsal video from a local TV Station:

Hee. One thing I really enjoyed about this past season was how well the entire cast seemed to get along. Most of the Stars showed up at the Ballas Hough Band shows every tuesday, they all took part in the video Derek did…the list goes on. Then there’s cute pictures like this one from Gilles, which he tweeted from Iowa where he’s taking part in “Shawn Johnson and Friends“:

If one had a dirty mind….