The Pros & Cons of the DWTS Pros – The Kym and Lacey Edition
This is a part of the Pros and Cons of the DWTS pros Series. You can check out all the posts in this series here.
Kym Johnson:
Courtney: I adore our little Aussie bombshell! What first struck me about Kym when she first joined the cast in season 3 was her sunny disposition – I can’t recall a time when Kym wasn’t in an upbeat mood, or had anything other than gracious, kind things to say about anyone and everyone involved with the show. Seriously – this gal is a class act, no matter how inept her partner may be, or how awkward their behavior can become (I still cringe when I think of poor Kym having to stand next to a livid David Allen Grier the night he was eliminated). A class act that can dance her butt off – her routines are always top-notch. She’s 100% committed to every step – and it shows. In the course of Heidi & I doing “Who Wore it Better?”, we’ve been wowed by how Kym’s facial expressions add so much to her performances – she smolders in her tangos, she’s sassy in her cha-chas, and she’s the portrait of grace in her waltzes. Do I even need to comment on how gorgeous she is? 😀 She’s stunning with both short & long hair, be it blonde or light brown, and has a smile that lights up a room…and a set of boobs that make Heidi & I green with envy. Don’t laugh – she seriously fills out the bodices of her costumes better than any other female pro on the show! And like Edyta, her legs have no end. Just a beautiful, beautiful girl – with an adorable, honeyed Aussie accent. If I had to pick out any downsides to Kym (and this is hard for me!), I would say that some of her routines may not always be super difficult, or necessarily super creative – but then again, I think she likes to give her partners stuff they can handle & execute well, rather than flashy stuff that may impress the judges but just look terrible if they can’t be performed correctly. But beyond that, if Anna wasn’t on the show – I would so have a girl crush on Kym. Oh wait – I love both of them. 😉
John: There really is nothing bad to say about Kym. I guess I can see some people complaining that she’s too nice and too happy and too wonderful. I agree with them, and that’s why I love her so much. Her first season with Jerry Springer was really something special for me. I can’t think of another star that danced so poorly that I wanted to see more. Kym is the reason it was enjoyable to watch. Her and Jerry just lit up the floor in a playful and fun way that made me want to watch them dance despite being a technical disaster. Kym is the professional I’d like to teach me to dance, because you know she’d hold you accountable but she wouldn’t make you feel bad in the process. Heidi probably would like someone a little rougher, but I’ll take the Pollyanna like Kym any day. Add in her great looks and awesome accent and it’s no wonder she’s loved by many and hated by few.
Marianya: This woman has been a ray of sunshine the moment she introduced herself to the DWTS with Jerry Springer as her celeb partner. Wait what? Jerry Springer? When I saw that partnership I was not thinking very many good things about it… in fact, it could have been a lot worse. But Kym immediately showed her meddle and brought out the best in Jerry Springer, not just the best, but showed America another side of Jerry Springer that was only known to his family and friends. Not only that but it gave him so many more opportunities leaving his season outside of the Jerry Springer show. With every other partner thereafter, no matter their talent level, she has been nothing but positive encouragement. Though not as precise of a dancer like other females on the show, her performance factor is one of the strongest of the pros. Kym isn’t one to overly challenge her celebs as much as give them material that she knows they could execute and execute well, which is a teaching style some would appreciate if they are just looking to have fun and not necessarily compete. That’s what makes Kym stand out in the end, she knows how to make dancing fun and enjoyable and her teaching style caters exactly to that mindset best… but if you want to compete, she’ll be able to whip you into shape and you might actually like it.
Heidi: Well, John, I would like to be taught by a MALE dancer, thankyouverymuch. 🙂 Kinda leaves Kym out regardless of her roughness level or lack thereof. Anyway, I’m gonna love any girl who calls my boy Derek “beautiful boy” – she’s a kindred spirit. 🙂 Seriously, though, she’s always a joy to watch – and she makes even the most annoying partner tolerable. She inhabits every dance regardless of the talent (or lack thereof) of her partner – like Courtney said, you can see it in her face. I was really bummed out she got injured and couldn’t do the Viennese Waltz with Derek during the last tour – Aliona did great, but I really would have liked to see Kym do it. I could also listen to her talk for HOURS. She is one pro that can do the E! or ET correspondent thing and do it quite well.
Courtney: No joke – Kym’s voice is so soothing. Heidi, I too could listen to her talk for hours – that mellow, laid-back Aussie accent and her bubbly (yet somehow also calm) demeanor are the auditory equivalent of Xanax. If I had an app on my iPhone that could play sound clips of Kym (and Laurence Fishburne) talking, I would not need to be on anti-anxiety meds. 😀 And the girl is articulate, too!
Lacey Schwimmer:
Courtney: Ok, let me first start off by saying that I DON’T HATE LACEY. Quite the contrary – I think she often brings a breath of fresh air to the show with her creativity & her “rebel” side. However, Lacey is someone that I find myself getting irritated with often, and it’s usually for the same reasons I like her – her creativity & her rebellious side. Let me try to explain. I think a big part of Lacey’s appeal (especially to younger DWTS fans) is that she likes to “bend” the rules of ballroom a bit – whether it’s going barefoot or wearing boots instead of ballroom shoes, or wearing funky costumes or hairstyles, or choosing to abandon ballroom altogether and do a hip-hop freestyle (Lance’s in season 7). Now while I think change is good, and I agree that DWTS has never been and will never be a “real” ballroom competition, I do think there are certain ballroom rules to abide by – and one of those cardinal rules is wearing ballroom shoes, which Lacey often seems aversed to. Why? Because they’re worn for a reason: to accentuate the movement of the legs & hips. So when Lacey decides to forego them in order to be “different”, I don’t think it’s really fair for her to pout when she & her partner get critiqued for not having enough hip action (case in point: her rumba with Lance). Speaking of pouting – it’s another thing that she does that just gets irksome. She, like Louis, is guilty of making some pretty snippy comments in the media after Nicole won – and she wasn’t even on the show last season, so it really made her come across as rather petty. She’s pouted on other occasions as well – usually after a less-than-complimentary critique from Len. At this point, I just kinda wish she’d realize that Len is a traditionalist – so if you’re constantly trying to be “untraditional”, be prepared to get called out on it. As for her actual dancing…I’m afraid her technique pales in comparison to many of the other female pros on the show, but I think this is more a product of her being primarily a swing dancer who has happened to have done some ballroom. Her Latin is decent, but her ballroom – it truly makes me cringe sometimes. Ok, now that I’ve gotten all the stuff about Lacey that bothers me out of the way, there are quite a few things I do like about her – the most obvious being her prowess in the swing & line dances. I’ve loved her lindy hops & jitterbugs, and she’s the only pro who’s given us an authentic country 2-step routine. And she shines in the pro dances, especially the ones with a more contemporary feel – she’s surprisingly skilled in the lift department, and is up there with Chelsie as one of the best liftees on the show. A shining example of this is the pro dance she did with Dmitry to Nastasha Bedingfield’s “Soulmate”, as well as Teddy & Tyne’s dance to Maxwell this past season, which Lacey actually choreographed. I also have to give her props for working with some difficult partners – Lance was constantly touted as the “worst dancer in NSync”, and Steve-O was still struggling with drug & alcohol issues while he was on the show. She managed to make a decent success out of both, so I definitely respect that.
John: I’d like for Lacey to throw out all the rules. If they ever have a Dancing with the Stars with a variety of dance styles and no “rules” I vote for Lacey to be on the show. Plus, I guess I get a bit of a high when I see Len’s pantyhose all bunched up in a knot. I should clarify though. I like her without rules on the dance floor. I don’t really like when she goes crazy off the dance floor (ie. on Twitter). This may sound a bit contrary to my view that Derek needed to be less PC, but there’s a difference between making constructive comments and me me me comments. It’s a hard thing to do when you’re seen by 10’s of millions of people at such an early age, but it still bothers me on occasion. I actually really enjoyed Lacey with Lance Bass. That partnership seemed to work for me and created some great and memorable dances. Her other partners have been less than exciting for me and I predict that Kyle and Lacey are going to set a new low for her as far as Lacey and the chemistry with her partner. I do love when Lacey and Benji have danced together on the show. When they’re in their element it’s some of my favorite dancing to watch.
Marianya: Of all the SYTYCD imports, Lacey’s my least favorite. This is mainly because I classify her primarily as a Swing dancer, rather than a Latin dancer. Sure she’s won a title in Youth Latin Ballroom Dancing, but with her massive background in swing dancing I really don’t consider her a strong fit with the rest of the cast. That being said, she brings in a breath of fresh air that caters to the younger audience mentality of breaking traditions and expanding horizons, aka the Rebel. In reality my belief is that Lacey’s technical prowess on the dance floor is slightly lacking in the latin dances and don’t even get me started with the ballroom dances. However, when it comes to West Coast, Jitterbug, Lindy Hop, Country 2 step… etc she’s very strong… however these are all extensions of her swing dance training. That being said she has placed decently well with her partners to date… so her teaching style is strong and so is her connection to her partner. So perhaps her non-conformist style is working for her… but for me being a non-conformist can only take you so far…
Heidi: Coincidentally – or NOT – all of the dances that Lacey excels at are those that I don’t much care for. If we never have a another Jitterbug, Country 2 Step or West Coast Swing dance on the show again that would be perfectly okay by me. She does get carried away on Twitter and elsewhere with her me me me attitude, and yes that annoys me. But the worst was her attitude towards Nicole and others (pimping Maks/Erin’s showmance, trying to start Nicole/Derek showmance rumors, among other things) when on Daily 10 during last season. Worse than a genuine feeling that it was unfair to have Nicole on the show, was that I got the feeling that everything she said and did on Daily 10 was very self centered – that is, she was reporting what she thought the show and their audience wanted to hear. She could have (should have?) ruined her shot on one show, for the sake of another. I guess that’s a common thing, but I don’t care for it. All that said, I liked her with Steve-O and I particularly liked her solo with Lance during one of the team dances – that move she did where she drops to the side and Lance catches her – extremely sharp, very impressive. And not nearly as easy as she made it look. John – do NOT mention her brother’s name to me. Ick. 🙂 And finally, girl? Dye your hair back to dark brown – you have gorgeous eyes and the brown sets them off much better. 🙂
Courtney: John, I can see where you’re coming from with regards to enjoying Lacey “throwing out the rule book” on the floor, but maybe I should amend my last statement – it annoys me when Lacey breaks rules JUST FOR THE SAKE OF BREAKING RULES. Sometimes her little “rebellions” don’t add anything to the dance – I don’t think her rumba with Lance was any better because they did it barefoot, nor do I think her smooch with him at the end of their paso doble did anything to improve the overall quality of the dance. Now if she took a big risk – say, doing a waltz blindfolded (a la Erin & Maks last season) – and it worked for her and her partner, then I would say her rebelliousness paid off. And I feel I should really add that this isn’t something that just applies to Lacey – I tend to gripe on all the pros when they do silly extraneous stuff that doesn’t enhance the quality of their dancing at all. Maks’ stripping in he & Erin’s quickstep, Dmitry having Mya spend 8 bars of music dusting the judges’ table in their jitterbug, and in retrospect, Louis’ cookie consumption in he & Niecy’s Argentine tango (which I actually liked at the time, but now find to be a bit pointless) are other examples of extraneous crap that I don’t think was necessary in those routines – I believe Len would refer to it as “mucking about”. 🙂 But I do agree, Heidi, about that one move Lacey did with Lance – if it’s the same one I’m thinking of, it was during the samba smackdown, and it was she & Lance’s “secret weapon”. 🙂
John: I guess I like mucking around and Benji. Some of the mucking is crazy, but as long as Len’s still there to keep it generally in check it makes for great content on the DWTS Cheesecake Awards. Heidi, I agree with you 300000% that she needs to get rid of that blonde and go back to the brown. It’s fine that she tried, but it’s not working.
The round-up
Kym Johnson:
Courtney: The sweetest little Aussie you’ll ever meet – with great boobs!
John: Looks – 10, Accent – 10, Dancing – 10, Personality – 10
Marianya: Fun, flirty, full of sass and joy, definitely a total package when you just want to enjoy yourself… and probably more.
Heidi: Along with the boob envy, I could listen to her talk forever.
Lacey Schwimmer:
Courtney: I respect her need to be unique, but I wish she could balance it with ballroom tradition.
John: Rebel child with a lip on her.
Marianya: It isn’t bad to want to walk with the dark side… just keep a toe over the line.
Heidi: Very good at what she’s good at, but watch the ‘tude, girl.
I LOVE Kym Johnson. She’s a consummate professional. You never hear her bad mouthing the other dancers, her partners, or the producers of the show. And can we talk about her abs for a minute? I saw some stills from a recent fitness video Kym did, and she had the best body! She looked feminine while still looking strong. She is graceful, elegant, and always keeps it classy.
Lacey – well, I’ve not seen enough of Lacey to have an opinion about her.
this is a great series, and you guys are very detailed…
i don’t think lacey is all that rebellious. that’s just become her slot to fill on the show, i guess. so she has danced barefoot a few times…eh. anything else?
i thought she was great with steve-o, but i may just feel that way because i love steve-o and jackass and anything about addiction recovery (intervention is another one of my obsessions, outside of dwts) so i might have liked anyone with him. but all the dances with him were just great, including the foxtrot he messed up.
as for kim, she seems nice, i don’t really have a strong opinion.
I don’t really think Lacey is all that “different” but both she and the show try too hard sometimes to portray her as being the rebel. I really didn’t care for her during her first season. I thought she was too defensive and her attitude wasn’t great, but I think it’s improved since then. She’s not my favorite, but I am curious about how she’ll do with Kyle this season.
These two are like night and day. Love Kym!!! I can’t say enough good things about her. She is so amazing.
Lacey….she really has this way of turning off a person. Way too in your face. I like her the least from any dancer they’ve had. There are so many good dancers out there just dying to have a chance on DWTS (Damon’s girlfriend for one). Why Lacey?!!!
Another great edition!! Keep them coming!!xx
When you think about it, by going blonde Lacey is showing that she’s really not a rebel after all. I mean, there are only 5000 blondes in Hollywood.
Kym my favorite female Pro, hands down. She’s the one I have my girl crush on. She can do no wrong in my book. Like John pointed out – 10’s across the board. Unless there’s a 12 paddle in there somewhere 😀
Lacey I can take or leave. I like someone who has a little rebel in them, but she really doesn’t fit that bill. For me she’s more about being in your face and different for the sake of being different – I really don’t see her committed to the choices she makes. Oh let’s try this and see what kind of rise I can get out of others, rather than … Oh let’s try this because it’s what I’m feeling, is an expression of my art/my passion/myself.
Just wanted to chime in that I LOVE Kym. To me, she’s fun and positive without being unnecessarily cloying and bubbly. She’s one of the very best at letting her partner shine.
Lacey I can really take or leave. Sometimes the sassy edginess works for her, and sometimes it doesn’t.
Kym is great. Truly professional and never ever tries to outshine her partner, she keeps the focus on the celebrity. I think that’s part of the typecasting of Kym. The beautiful yet fairly silent partner. Unfortunately for Kym, she keeps getting the larger than life characters who have big celebrity egos to match.
She’s had Joey, Warren, Penn, Donny, now The Hoff…the pattern is clear. For me, these guys are a turn off on the dance floor. I’d rather watch an earnest guy, with his ego in check dancing than a blow hard
Lacey…the girl shits where she eats. The smartass act doesn’t impress me. She’s her own little drama queen and I think it is a Schwimmer family obsession to be the revered sister and brother act that the Houghs are. Unfortunately, that can’t happen. All the West Coast swinging in the world is not going to make up for the deficiencies she has in the Standard section, and her partners have suffered because of it
She’s a good dancer in other styles, but my favorite dances are the Standard dances and the Argentine Tango. I want to see them done well by the pro.
Oh Andie, You just said it for me on Lacey soooo much BETTER!!! (lol)
Personally ( Call me a hick 😀 ) but i LOVED the Texas Two Step in season 9! And Mark and Lacey’s as you said was the best one ( I liked Chuck and Anna’s mainly because of the song and Tom Delay’s at the finale lol ) I hope to see the Two Step and Jitterbug back on DWTS sometime, I dont really care about the West Coast Swing.
Andie!!!! LOL!! I don’t know what else to say. That pretty much sums it up. 🙂
Maybe I came on too strong about Lacey…..nah.
I think Kym is a great choreographer, the best among female pros. She, like Derek, has the ability to make her partners look brilliants even if they’re not and she must be very sweet and patient to tolerate their huge ego (I would have kicked David’s butt more than once). But I’m not thrilled at all by the way she dances, there’s nothing appealing for me there, and for her boobs, come on girls, with a little money and a good surgeon, you could have the same ones.
I love Lacey, she’s my second favorite female pro. I can’t judge her ballroom technique, as I’m not a ballroom dancer, but I love her creativity, she and Lance did some of my favorites dances of all seasons (their tango and their mambo were awesomes). And I liked her rumba barefoot, it may be not “strictly ballroom”, but ballroom rumba is not, to my opinion, real rumba as ballroom tango is not real tango.
Courtney, you wrote that she was the only one to perform an authentic country 2-step, I can tell she was also the only one to present an authentic West Coast Swing and not that crappy variant of cha cha cha Alec did with Toni. OK it was more dancing with Lacey than dancing with Lance, but except for that tumbling Lance did a great job and to give them a lower score than Alec and Tony was very unfair.
As she is the only one able to dance it, I don’t think we’ll ever see WCS again in the show and I’m sorry of it.
I don’t like Benji, a lot of WCS dancers I know worship him, I can’t see why.
Another great post! Missed the Anna and Jonathan earlier this week, but I like them.
What can I say about Kym. There is nothing negative about her. She’s awesome.
With Lacey I didn’t know her when she was introduced as the new pro in season 7 as I didn’t watch SYTYCD back then. However, I liked how unique Lance and her were and they truly had some memorable dances. I don’t have a strong opinion about her since she’s only been on a few seasons but I didn’t miss her last season. I guess as Linde put it take or leave.
So you don’t like Lacey coz she said Nicole is a dancer or something like that?
GEEEEE!
Lacey is young. She’s not as mature as Chelsie and Julianne….but that’s why she is different. She acts like anyone her age.
@Guest – There you go again, contorting my words. I didn’t say I disliked Lacey – I said I got irritated by Lacey. And her comments last season went far beyond “Nicole is a dancer” – she talked at length on The Daily 10 about how unfair she thought it was for Nicole to be on the show, complained about their routines, was constantly giving emphatic eye rolls, and when all was said & done and Nicole won – she was damn near as ungracious about the whole thing as Louis was. And she wasn’t even on the show last season! As for her “acting her age” – I don’t think being 21 gives her license to be rude & unprofessional in the media….and I’m not sure that’s really a good way to differentiate herself from the other girls her age on the show.
Her other main goal on Daily 10 was to try to start rumors about people – classy. As a person who actually works with the other pros, I would expect her to be a bit nicer to them than the average media slobs. But I guess not.
Guest, being “young” isn’t an excuse for being rude, back stabbing your fellow dancers, starting rumors, and having unprofessional behavior. She’s 21. She’s an adult. But, even if she was in her late teens, that is still not an excuse for that kind of behavior either. And I’m sorry…using Chelsie’s and Julianne’s older ages as an excuse to dismiss Lacy’s younger behavior doesn’t work because I bet Kym and Julianne never acted like that at any age.
Lacey is not young. Shawn is younger than her and has more poise and maturity. Lacey is the queen of throwing passive aggressive comments and digs at others including other pros. I do not know she make subtle insults at Julianne. Lacey ballroom dancing though is horrid. She is passable in latin but she is a swing dancer. She makes the dances about her and seems to think she is the star.