Court’s DWTS Las Vegas Adventure (Live Show Review & Other Miscellanery)
As many of you know, I was in Las Vegas last weekend and had the pleasure of seeing the DWTS live show at the Tropicana – which, of course, I will review for you guys, since certain other individuals *cough*JOHN*cough* haven’t managed to write the 2nd half of their review of the premiere of said show 😉 This post could get a bit wordy, as I took quite a few notes (and just have a really good memory, to boot) and I’ll throw in a few other possibly-unrelated-to-DWTS details for context, as well as some general Vegas info, since some of you have asked about my trip – so if you’re only interested in my review of the show, feel free to skip the next few paragraphs. And if you hate spoilers (i.e. you want to be COMPLETELY surprised when you see the show), I’d either just skip this post altogether or just read my overall take at the bottom – because I’m not holding back. You’ve been warned 😉 And special thanks go to Heidi, for helpin’ a girl out with some picture merges that were driving me cray-cray 😛
So why was I in Vegas in the first place, you ask? My best friend Kendra is getting married at the end of July, and she wanted a bachelorette party for the ages – so naturally, we HAD to go Vegas 🙂 There were 12 of us altogether (11 rowdy bachelorettes and 1 gay bachelor, who I must say put us all to shame with how fabulously he was dressed the entire trip ;-)), and the majority of us stayed at the Flamingo, since we were able to get a great rate on standard rooms – with 4 girls to a room, it was only $82 total for each of us for 3 nights, which is pretty awesome for a well-known hotel on the strip that isn’t a total dive. Overall, I wouldn’t say the Flamingo is a particularly special or ritzy hotel (if that’s what you’re looking for, I’d go with the Bellagio, Palazzo, or Venetian…but be prepared to shell out big $$$), but if you’re on a budget, it’s certainly more than sufficient – the rooms are clean and the decor is kitchy & cute (think 1960’s, Rat Pack, original Ocean’s Eleven – lots of dots, stripes, retro furniture, and of course, pink :-)). I’m very into the nostalgia of Vegas, so the Flamingo appealed to me in that it was originally built by infamous mobster Bugsy Siegel, and legend has it that the actual motive behind his murder was to change the management of the Flamingo. But anyway – if you’re in Vegas, I definitely recommend trying their Paradise Garden Buffet – it’s pretty affordable, as far as buffets in Vegas go, and is quite good…especially the brunch buffet. Plus the views of their courtyard and flock of live flamingoes are gorgeous 🙂 Also at the Flamingo? Donny & Marie Osmond’s live show – I didn’t see it (no time, and honestly, not much of a desire), but I did see these in the lobby:
The one on the left is Donny’s costume from his freestyle with Kym in season 9, as well as his MBT (and yes, according to the guest services director that I asked, it is his real MBT – apparently he insisted it be put in the case with his costume); the one on the right is Marie’s dress from her quickstep with Jonathan in season 5 (and one of those freaky dolls she designs – guess they had to put SOMETHING there when they found out that Donny wanted to display his MBT, although I’m not sure why they didn’t display this doll instead). I found Marie’s costume pretty unremarkable up close – for as fabulous as it looked on the show, upon further scrutiny, it’s really just a tan silk gown with some gems glued on; but Donny’s suit is very well-made and clearly took a lot of work. Interesting how different the costumes look on tv vs. in person (more on that later).
I arrived in Vegas late Thursday night, spent most of the next day bumming around the hotel & pool, and then Friday night was the official bachelorette party – we all dressed up in purple dresses (Kendra picked that as her “bachelorette color”), rented a party bus and went and saw the Thunder from Down Under show at Excalibur. For those of you unfamiliar, Thunder is a “male revue” – in other words, hunky dudes stripping down to their skivvies for the viewing pleasure of a bunch of rowdy women; pretty much the same as Chippendales, minus the bowtie & cuffs, and with the entire cast hailing from Australia. I’m not going to go into detail about it here, but let’s just say the show is not for those with delicate sensibilities – you all know I’m not a prude, but even I was taken aback by some of the things I saw in that show. 😯 After that, we did some clubbing (which, as a non-drinker and someone not fond of crowds or smoke, was not really my cup of tea), and then called it a night. Bachelorette duties fulfilled 🙂
The next day was kind of free for everyone to do what they wanted – the bulk of the group went to see Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian (which will end its 6-year run there in September), but I had another show in mind: the Dancing with the Stars: Live in Las Vegas show at the Tropicana, which just opened at the end of April. After a bit of deliberating, I sprang for the $144 VIP ticket, justifying the purchase to myself by saying “Hey, I haven’t wasted any money gambling or imbibing the entire time I’ve been here, and I could write a really awesome VIP review for Pure!” 😉 The show was at 8 pm on Saturday night, but since I could only buy the voucher for the show at the Flamingo box office, I had to go pick up my actual ticket to the show at the Tropicana box office before 7 pm. I took a cab (which is surprisingly affordable in Vegas) and got there at about 6:30. They let me pick which available table I wanted to sit at (the first two rows of VIP seating are small round tables that seat 4, right in front of the stage), and the box office gal recommended A22, so I said “Sure!”, got my ticket, and then found myself with about 45 minutes to just bum around the hotel before the doors to the theater opened at 7:30. I actually think the Tropicana may be my favorite hotel I saw in Vegas – it was just renovated last year, so everything looks very clean & new, and the decor is very reminiscent of South Beach Miami, both modern & retro…lots of white marble, tropical patterned-carpet, white leather, linen upholstery, and wicker lounge chairs. I could see it being a place where Ricky Riccardo may have stayed back in the 1950’s 🙂 I’ve been told there are some great, affordable room/show packages at the Tropicana, so if you’re contemplating catching the show while in Vegas and haven’t decided where to stay, I definitely recommend the Tropicana – it’s nice, has some tasty-looking restaurants, and it’s within walking distance of Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, the MGM Grand, & the Luxor.
The DWTS show is in the Tropicana theater, which is fairly small – it only seats about 500, so it gives the show more of an intimate feel, and I don’t really think there are any “bad” seats in it. Outside the theater, they’ve put some of the costumes from previous seasons of the show on display – I recognized 3 of them off the bat: Brandy’s paso doble costume from season 11, Cheryl’s Viennese waltz costume from season 13, and Lacey’s pink costume from the Hanson pro dance in season 12. They all have spotlights on them, so I had a bit of a hard time getting great pix, especially of Cheryl’s costume:
Just like Marie’s costume that is on display at the Flamingo, I found that many of the costumes look better from far away than they do up-close – the pants on Brandy’s costume are really no more than a basic pair of black leggings, and it looked like Lacey’s costume may have been a bit discolored due to long-term exposure to the spotlight. A notable exception: Cheryl’s white & gold Viennese waltz dress. As hideous as I find the overall design to be, the beadwork on it is just mind-blowing. Thousands of sequins. Oddly enough, I also think I saw a blackjack dealer wearing the top Kym wore for she & Joey’s foxtrot…must be a costume free-for-all over in Vegas!
There is a DWTS little souvenir/boutique next to the theater, which is pretty tiny and only has a handful of items for purchase – namely t-shirts, programs, hoodies, paddles, and lanyards. The girl working there seemed pretty bored (and to be honest, so was I) so I struck up a conversation…she turned out to be a wealth of information on the show. Apparently they have already replaced 3 dancers since the show opened – not sure who, since many of the troupe members don’t really look like their picture in the program; but I did notice later on that Artem was absent from the cast, even though he was one of the featured pros (along with Anya) in the program. Maybe he was only supposed to have a limited run on the show before returning to England for Strictly Come Dancing, maybe he was just sick, who knows – but he definitely wasn’t in the show the night I saw it. The souvenir gal also told me that Kyle’s mom attends EVERY SINGLE SHOW, which I found to be totally adorable – that is one very dedicated mama! I asked the girl which of the cast members seemed to be the nicest or most popular with fans, and she said that Joey, Carson, and Tia get the most positive feedback – I tend to agree with the first 2, but more on that later 😉
By that time, the doors to the theater had opened and I made my way to my seat – but not before dealing with not one, not two, but THREE different levels of ushers, who all insisted upon looking at my ticket and directing me to my seat. Yep, pretty sure I understood where my seat was the first two times, brah – so I was mildly annoyed, but it did seem like they’re still working out some of the kinks in the overall production of the show. My seat was at a table in the 2nd row on stage left, so I wasn’t more than probably 10 feet from the edge of the stage – so pretty close. As people filtered in and found their seats, I noticed that the crowd definitely skews a bit older – the majority of the people were women or couples in their 50’s and above, which seems consistent with the demographics of the tv show. Saw a few small children with their parents, and further back in the theater were a handful of people my age, so needless to say…I stuck out like a sore thumb, being a lone 20-something sitting in the VIP area with a bunch of people old enough to be my parents and grandparents 🙂
I felt a bit less awkward when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dark-haired, snazzily-dressed guy my age dart out from the backstage area and climb into a VIP booth with a friendly-looking 40-something lady. I immediately recognized him: it was DJ Guthrie, Lacey’s boyfriend, and the lady with whom he was sitting was none other than Kyle’s mom, Angel…just as the souvenir girl had said, she does indeed attend every show 🙂 I contemplated whether to go over and say hi or not, but ultimately decided against it, as I didn’t really know what I could say that didn’t sound creepy or dumb – “Hi DJ & Mrs. Massey! I write for a DWTS blog and I recognized you guys so I just thought I’d come over and say hi. HI!” Plus, while I would have LOVED to have gotten a picture with them, cameras and recorders are STRICTLY forbidden inside the theater (and that’s the case with most Vegas shows – they were even meaner about it at Thunder!), even before the show, because they have a professional photographer walking around taking pictures and they want you to shell out $40 for it. So unless you’ve got some snazzy spy camera, a la Jeremy Renner in Mission: Impossible, you can pretty much rule out taking any pictures of your own inside the theater. Wuh wuh WUHHH 🙁 But thankfully, Zimbio has some awesome pictures from the premiere of the show, so you can kinda get a feel for what it’s like 😉
Thankfully, at this point the usher directed 2 well-dressed, 20-something ladies to my table, so I didn’t feel like quite like the young cheese sitting alone 😛 Now I just felt like the underdressed cheese, as I was wearing jeans and a cute top, while they were dressed to the nines in cocktail dresses & heels. Sorry kids – just didn’t have it in me to don an itty-bitty dress and sky-high heels again, like I did the night before. Plus it was the only dress I brought to Vegas, and it smelled like smoke from the clubs. Note to self (and any of my lady friends planning a trip to Vegas): pack more cocktail dresses next time, cause that seems to be the uniform for most clubs and shows.
At this point, a recording of Bruno’s voice played over the sound system, and it was a somewhat-humorous warning about not using cameras or recorders, or generating flashes of any kind during the show – at one point he said something like “I see you in the back, with the iPhone! Put it away, you rascal!” So now I was once again slightly irritated, as it pretty much ruled out me making notes on my iPhone of what songs were being used or who was in what numbers for later use in this post – but by the grace of God, I happen to have a very good memory, and decided that now would be a good time to test its limits 🙂 The lights went down, and the show began…
The opening number was “Hip Hip, Chin Chin” by Club Des Belugas, which was featured on the results show back in week 4 of this season. It was sort of a samba/jazz/hip-hop/Vegas showgirl-y fusion number, which basically introduced the entire cast. There are 5 celebs in the show (Carson Kressley, Joey Fatone, Sabrina Bryan, Kyle Massey, & Tia Carrere), 4 pros (Dmitry Chaplin, Lacey Schwimmer, Anya Garnis & Ryan DiLello – and yes, those last two were introduced to the audience as “pros” and not troupe members…interesting), and ten troupe members (Iveta Lukosiute, Anya Fuchs, Devorah Pashev, Janette Manrara, Irina Boubnovskaia, Jaymz Tuaileva, Armen Way, Alexander Andreev, Rumen Atanasov, & Brent Borbon). And yes, as I mentioned before – definitely no Artem. Sabrina came flying out onto the stage on a suspended swing, and there actually ended up being a handful of times when cast members were dangling above the stage during the duration of the show – sometimes it was cool, sometimes it was comical. 😛
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
After the cast had vacated the stage after the first number, out came Carson, resplendent in an enormous blue feather headdress which he claimed to have stolen from an “angry Lithuanian” (Iveta, who feigned anger and stormed out on the stage to retrieve her headdress), and a pair of fabulously bedazzled dance shoes. No surprise, Carson is a FABULOUS emcee for the show – the jokes were nonstop. Every time he found something on the stage (a stray feather, a rhinestone, part of Lacey’s weave – I’m serious), he’d excitedly pick it up, squeal “Ooh! A souvenir!!!” and run to the edge of the stage and hand it to an audience member, exclaiming “Here, put this in your scrapbook!” He also ventured out into the audience to talk to people, and latched onto an older gentlemen named James, who was there celebrating his 47th wedding anniversary with his wife. Every so often, Carson would coyly wave and coo “Hi James! Are you having fun?” or somehow work him into another joke. James was a very good sport about it 🙂 Overall, I don’t think they could have found a better host for the show than Carson…he’s PERFECT.
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Since this post is already quite long, I guess I’ll just go through the musical numbers that followed and add some brief notes – keep in mind that this is all from memory, so I may have missed 1 or 2 songs…but overall, I feel pretty confident that I remembered everything 😉 Carson came on and said funny stuff in between some of the songs, and they also interspersed in montages of clips from the show itself (including the clip of all the female pros making fun of the male pros and their changing hairstyles from back in season 11, and blurbs of stuff that actually happened this season – the show is very much current).
2.) “You Should be Dancing” by the Bee Gees – cha-cha by Joey & Anya G.: Basically the same week 1 cha-cha he did with Kym in season 4, with a few lifts & tricks added for panache. Anya is basically a “substitute Kym” in the show, as she dances a lot with Joey. I see that Kym is going to be guest starring in the show next week, so I’m assuming she’ll temporarily take over dances like this one from Anya during her stint.
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
3.) “Shake Your Groove Thing” by Peaches & Herb – cha-cha by troupe: Pretty self-explanatory – it’s just some of the troupe members, clad in orange-y costumes, doing a cha-cha. Poor Devorah was having a wardrobe malfunction during this dance, as her costume kept riding down in the back to reveal a black g-string – she was desperately trying to pull it back up every time she turned. Proof that wardrobe malfunctions aren’t exclusive to the tv show 🙂
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
4.) “Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre)” by Gotan Project – Argentine tango by Dmitry & Lacey: A bit strange to see Lacey doing Argentine tango, since she’s only ever done 1 while on the tv show – but surprisingly effective. Also a bit strange? She wears her costume from her cha-cha with Chaz last season – which is decidedly un-tango-y. *shrug* But Dmitry sizzles and plays the part of the tall dark stranger well. NOTE: Obviously the lineup (and wardrobe) have changed, as it looks like Lacey originally did the Argentine tango with Artem at the premiere, and in her rumba dress from season 11.
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
5.) “O Fortuna” – by Carl Orff – paso doble by troupe: a very cool, dramatic paso doble, which started out with 3 of the female troupe members climbing out of a magic box like it was a clown car. Obligatory red & black costumes, and a cape solo by the men at the end.
6.) “Good Golly Miss Molly” by Little Richard – jive by Kyle & Lacey: By far, my favorite number of the night (and still one of my favorite jives of all-time on the show) and it was the one number I was REALLY hoping they’d do, considering they had the good fortune of having both Kyle & Lacey in the cast. It’s literally the exact same routine they did on the show (complete with the infamous crotch doily dress), with Kyle running through the audience and sliding onto the stage – and it’s still a show-stopper 😀 Kyle has actually gotten even better at jive, and is really picking up his knees now – and still hamming it up. At the end of it, I glanced over and saw Kyle’s mom on her feet, excitedly waving a “10” paddle…awwww 😀
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
7.) “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Benny Goodman – jive/Lindy/quickstep by troupe + Kyle, Lacey, & Sabrina: Kind of a West Side Story-esque swing-off, and they were all in 40’s-style clothing. Bits of jive, Lindy, & quickstep in it.
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
8.) “So She Dances” by Josh Groban – lyrical waltz by Ryan & Iveta: I’m a bit torn on this one. Parts of it were absolutely gorgeous, other parts…kinda made me chuckle. Iveta was suspended above the stage, flying around for parts of it, and because I was sitting so close, I could totally see the wire – which kinda made it hard to focus on her floating around, because it the wire was just so visibile. I think I may have enjoyed it more from far away.
9.) “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri – Viennese waltz by troupe: Gorgeous song, gorgeous Viennese waltz. Was especially impressed by Janette, who came onto SYTYCD as just a salsa dancer, but is now a well-rounded ballroom dancer. At the end, Carson came flying out onstage suspended in a harnass, and exclaimed that he was performing in “Cirque de So Gay”. 😛 He then proceeded to “get stuck”, and asked for Joey’s assistance…which of course got comically awkward when Carson ended up upside-down with his ass in Joey’s face…and then came the biggest comedic gem of the entire show: Joey mutters “Why do I feel like Lance Bass all of a sudden?” I LOL’d 😛
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
10.) “Dream a Little Dream of Me” by Mama Cass – foxtrot by Tia & Dmitry: Tia is probably the cast member that you see the least of in the show – she only did this number and one other, and the finale. I think I liked this routine better when she did it with Maks – this seemed a bit…sleepy. Kinda sucks, but some of the slower numbers in the show got kinda lost between the more high-energy numbers.
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
11.) “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” by Marilyn Monroe – quickstep/jazz by Sabrina & male troupe: Not really much of a quickstep, so much as it is a very jazzy, Broadway-ish number. But very cute nonetheless – Sabrina dons the famous hot pink strapless dress and a platinum blonde wig that Marilyn wore in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
12.) “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” by ? – rumba by Dmitry & Anya G.: This was the same rumba they performed on the results show a few weeks ago. And no, I have no idea who sings the song – the original version is by The Shirelles, and this is obviously an acoustic cover. The closest version I can find is the Amy Winehouse one, which I think is lovely. Dmitry is barefoot – which I no likey. Especially since Anya has shoes on. Either you both wear shoes or you both don’t wear shoes…don’t be wonky about it. 😛
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
13.) “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5 – cha-cha by Carson & Iveta: Could they really get away with NOT using this one in the show? 🙂 It’s still hilarious seeing Carson strut around the stage like a chicken/Mick Jagger, and he’s still a comically bad dancer 😛 Iveta actually makes a nice “substitute Anna” – both seem to have very similar personalities.
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
14.) “You Can Leave Your Hat On” by Joe Cocker – jazz by Tia & male troupe: This wasn’t really any particular ballroom dance, per se, and and it actually came after a little video blurb about the judges (and how cray-cray they are), so it started out with Tia and 2 of the guys from the troupe doing a lapdance-y kinda bit on the judges’ table. I actually really liked it – just wish it was longer, because Tia was just starting to come out of her shell when it segued into the next number.
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
15.) “Luck Be a Lady” by Frank Sinatra – jive/Lindy/quickstep by troupe: an appropriately Vegas-y, casino-inspired number. Like a lot of the other dances, it’s not strictly a ballroom or Latin number – it’s got quite a bit of jazz moves thrown in.
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
16.) “Beggin'” by Madcon – cha-cha/hip-hop by Kyle & Lacey: I think they may have had a hard time clearing the music rights for some of the original routines from the show, because this cha-cha looked similar to their “My First Kiss” cha-cha with a little bit of tweaking to fit the music. Seemed like a lot of hip-hoppy grooving before they launched into the actual cha-cha steps…but still, a very entertaining routine.
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
17.) “Vogue” by Madonna – Voguing number by Carson & male troupe: Funny intro to this one: Kyle was still laying on the stage after his cha-cha with Lacey when the intro music to “Vogue” started, and he got a scared look on his face and then as the guys started to descend down the staircase carrying Carson, he shook his head “Uh-uh” and scurried off the stage. Basically, the same routine Carson did for the season 13 finale, just with the Vegas troupe instead of the tv show one. Still very entertaining. 🙂
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
18.) “Jailhouse Rock” by Elvis Presley – jive by Joey & Anya G.: They segued into this one by having Anya march out onstage in a sexy cop uniform, and informing Carson & Joey that they were under arrest for the show being “too hot”. It’s a cute, fun jive, and Joey’s technique is actually quite impressive – you can tell he has worked hard to really put on a good show. Before any of you ask – no, it’s NOTHING like the “Jailhouse Rock” jive that Lil Kim & Derek did in season 8. The only thing it has in common with Kim & Derek’s routine (besides the music) is Joey’s costume – it’s basically a larger version of Derek’s. MUCH larger. 😛 Still a fun routine, though.
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
19.) “End of Time” by Beyonce – paso doble by Sabrina & Ryan: I think Sabrina was originally supposed to do this number with Artem, as he mentions in the Q&A part of the program that his favorite part of the show is “the number I do with Sabrina!”. Since Artem is apparently no longer in the show, I think they upgraded Ryan from troupe member to “pro”, and hired on a new troupe member to replace Ryan (pretty sure it’s Brent Borbon, who did the new pro contest with Afton Delgrosso back in season 8 – I know he also used to be a cast member in Le Rêve at the Wynn, so he’s obviously got some Vegas show experience). Anyway, Sabrina’s really good at paso, so it’s a great dance – just not wild about the song.
20.) “Tightrope” by Janelle Monae – contemporary/jazz/West Coast swing by Jaymz & Lacey: Admittedly, I hate this song, and I’m not a huge fan of Jaymz, for the simple reason that he can’t seem to decide whether he’s a ballroom dancer or a contemporary dancer (something he often got called out for when he was on So You Think You Can Dance), so overall I think I was left kind of “meh” by this number. It’s got a VERY short section of West Coast swing, but the bulk of it seems to be Jaymz & Lacey doing a lot of contemporary/jazz moves. It just feels more like a routine that you’d see in a SYTYCD live show than a DWTS one. Guess I’m more of a purist 😛
21.) “Push It” by Salt N Pepa – dance contest by Joey, Lacey, Kyle & audience members: At this point, the lights came up, and Joey, Lacey, & Kyle came out on stage and commanded the audience to stand up & start dancing, and they in turn picked 3 people from the audience to come up on stage for a dance contest. Joey picked the comely brunette that was sitting at my table; Kyle picked a 20-something guy who barely spoke English; and Lacey actually managed to find Janette’s brother, Alejandro, in the audience, and claimed that she was going to “see if dance skills run in the family”. Apparently they don’t, as it was the guy who barely spoke English that won the dance contest, which consisted of such titillating dance steps as the sprinkler, the cowboy, the shopping cart, etc. Kyle does the most hilarious sprinkler dance I’ve ever seen – he tries to be sexy, but he just looks mad, and his arms look like he’s doing karate. Lacey gave him a thorough ribbing about it onstage 😛
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
22.) “Can’t Touch It” by Ricki-Lee – samba/jazz by entire cast: Kind of a samba, kinda just a lot of grooving – very similar to the opening number of the season 11 finale. This time it’s Carson’s turn on the swing 😛
*source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
After the show, those of us with VIP tickets were told to sit tight for a bit, and about 15 minutes later some of the cast emerged on stage for pictures. It was a pretty wham, bam, thank you, ma’am process – they lined us up, and when it was your turn, you hopped in the middle of the group of cast members, got your picture taken, and that was it – you might have gotten a second or two to tell Dmitry he was your favorite pro, or to tell Sabrina that you were so sad when she was eliminated – but it was definitely NOT a meet ‘n’ greet, as they claim in the advertisements. The lady a few spots in front of me was trying to hug each of the cast members and have a a lengthy conversation with some of them, but she was quickly shoo’d along by the director and the security guard. So basically, I only got a grand total of maybe 30 seconds with the group, but Joey was definitely the most outwardly friendly – he asked me what brought me to Vegas, and then told me to pass along congratulations to my friend when I told him I was there for a bachelorette party. I also told Carson he was “totally fabulous” – and he said “Thank you, and so are your earrings!” (I was wearing dangly ones that night). Sabrina & Dmitry were both kinda quiet but smiled politely; Lacey seemed a bit tired and ready to call it a night. The troupe members just looked happy to be there. 🙂 At one point, the photographer was having camera issues, and they all started singing & dancing along to Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe”, which was playing over the sound system. They seem like a very fun group that gets along well – but they also seemed very tired from doing a 90 minute dance show, so I wasn’t too upset that I didn’t get time to really “meet” them. Plus I was anxious to meet up with the rest of my group at Lavo, where we had gotten complimentary bottle service (woohoo!!!).
After getting our picture taken, the VIP ticketholders were all given a voucher for a gift bag at the souvenir shop, and told that our pictures would be ready for pickup in about 20 minutes. The gift bag itself was a black tote bag with the Dancing with the Stars: Live in Las Vegas logo graphic on it – nothing particularly special, but it did come in handy on the airplane the next day, as I used it as a carry-on to hold my magazines & neck pillow. Inside the tote bag was a VIP laminate (non-functional, of course), a program, and a “10” paddle. The program was pretty slim, but did have nice graphics and cute interviews with the cast, plus it helped jog my memory when I was furiously putting notes about the show into my phone post-show, while waiting for my picture to be ready.
When I finally went to pick up my picture, I was a little miffed to see that the complimentary picture was only about 2.5″ X 3″ – so kinda puny. The nice, high-def, big 9″ X 12″ framed picture would cost me an additional $40. Thankfully, my picture ended up being a bit awkward, so I felt fine saying “No thanks” to the big picture and just sticking with the little one. The couple celebrating their anniversary sprang for the $40 picture, as they had also included in the frame a picture of them smooching by the stage before the show – so cute. Below is my pic – and no, I have no idea why I’m standing so awkwardly 😛
*from left to right: Lacey, Jaymz, Sabrina, Joey, me, Carson, Dmitry, Iveta, Brent, Anya F., Armen
Court’s overall take on the show: If you’re a fan of the tv show, I’d say it’s definitely worth seeing – hell, even if you aren’t a particularly big fan of the show, I still stay it’s pretty entertaining. There’s a good mix of old favorites from the show, as well as new routines, and the energy is great – you can tell the cast is really having a great time. I didn’t notice anything particularly offensive or non-family friendly about the show – Carson cracks a few gay jokes, but I’d venture a guess that most of them would just go right over most kids’ heads…so I’d say it’s a pretty family-friendly show, and probably popular with kids who watch Disney. It also doesn’t go too late into the night, which is nice. Cost-wise, I’d say it’s one of the more afforable shows in Vegas – tickets start at just $40, and the $50 seats are actually decently close. But unless you’ve got money burning a hole in your pocket and really, really want a picture with SOME of the cast (and from what I’ve gathered, it’s a random crap shoot which cast members come out for pictures on any given night) and will absolutely die without a commemorative tote bag, laminate, 10 paddle, AND a program (keep in mind that all of the items are available for purchase individually in the souvenir shop – programs are $20, and paddles are 2 for $5), I wouldn’t waste your money on the VIP seats, to be quite honest. As I said before, there are really no bad seats in the theater, since it’s small, but I actually think I might have had a better view of the whole stage from a bit further back…and personally, I could have probably lived without a VIP laminate, tote bag, and “10” paddle…I really just wanted the program. Photo-op was a bit of a let-down, given that you don’t really get to talk to the cast, and the picture you get is tiny. I say get tickets for one of the mid-level booths for $69 and save the rest of your money for drinks 😉
Other non-DWTS related, Vegas miscellanery:
*As part of our bachelorette package, we all took a pole dancing class sponsored by Hypnotiq (the liquer) at Excalibur. It was fun, but it tore up my upper body – I could barely lift my arms above my shoulders. That made for an interesting time during the TSA security check at the airport…
*Funniest thing I saw the whole trip: two 20-something, Abercrombie-wearing Asian tourists trying to “make it rain” in the VIP section of The Bank (nightclub at Bellagio). They kept handing stacks of $10 worth of singles (effectively “making it rain” usually necessitates a higher denomination – I would say at least $20 bills) to a rather inebriated blonde they had with them, but rather than making it rain one bill at a time (the correct way to do it), she would just toss the entire stack of bills up in the air like the Monopoly guy. This happened 3 or 4 times before security told them to cut it out, because nobody was even trying to pick up all the money. Moral of the story: $1 will get you just about nothing in Vegas. 😛
*Many of you have asked about my fabulous, double-platform, bejeweled gold heels that I was talking about on Twitter. I did indeed wear them for the bachelorette party, but they only lasted about 3 hours before my dogs were barking and I switched to a pair of foldable flats. 6 1/2″ heels + moving sidewalks between Excalibur & Luxor = scariest moments of my life. But man, they sure looked fabulous while they lasted – one of the Thunder guys even kissed my foot. Ssssh…don’t tell my boyfriend. 😉
Sounded like a blast! I hope Lance gets in on the action in vegas at one point. Wouldn’t mind seeing the tango he and lacey did again 🙂
This? Is awesome! Thanks Courtney!
Well done, Court! I’m so glad you had the chance to go. 🙂
In the pic with all the costumes, I think the one all the way at the top/highest elevation might be from season 6. My grandmother saw it and imedialy recognized it but couldn’t remeber if it was season 6 or season 9.
Last comment (i think lol) do you think lacey excels better at the vegas show or the competition w a ceelb partner? from what i heard from people/relatives that live in vegas and saw the show she really shines in the vegas show and should stick w that.
Thank you so much for the notes on each performance. I was going to try and remember everyt number Dmitry was part of to post on the page. Quick question – in the meet & greet, are you allowed to stand next to whoever you want? I have to be next to Dmitry and I’ve seen other ones where people are next to him. I’ll be posting the photos I get also and Dmitry is going to meet with us one on one which I am very excited about 😀
Thanks for the review….since I live on the East coast this will probably be my only chance to “see” it.
I read somewhere online that Artem is out with a knee injury. don’t know how serious it it though.
@Katy: Yikes! I hope he heals quick enough for SCD (which i watch on youtube because BBC America doesn’t show it sadly in the usa). If anyone should come to the American version it should be him. They can have Louis. fair trade right lol
Thanks Courtney for sharing all the details and photos of your fabulous trip. 🙂
YAY! Kyle and Lacey doing their JIVE, What fun! I love that his Mom is there at every show holding up her *10* paddle. So sweet! And Courtney, you look fabulous standing with the cast…
Do you have any videos because I’m dying to see the show!!
I have been to many soap opera events. Some, if it is more of an intimate event, a person gets more time to talk to the star. Some are as described above where it is a matter of posing for a picture, getting an autograph, and being pushed through the line. There are events coming up that charge $125.00 just for the autograph session, there is a separate charge for the show by the actors. For that price, for the autograph session, they will only get a minute. That is a ridiculous price to pay for that autograph session.
And thanks for the very detailed recap of your Las Vegas show adventure!
Thanks, Court! That was a fabulous and entertaining review. You answered all the questions I had about the show. The producers ought to pay you because you got me interested in seeing it. 😉 If Tristan gets an offer to do a stint in Vegas, I’ll be buying a ticket. 😛 You look fine in the photo, just sayin’
Thanks all for the kind words 🙂 Glad you guys have enjoyed the review! My hope is that it has allowed some of you that won’t get the chance to attend a taste of what it’s like.
@vin – I would absolutely say that Lacey shines brighter in the Vegas show than the tv show, and if it were up to me, Vegas is where she would stay. She’s basically the head female pro in the Vegas show, and her style of dance & choreo seems very well-suited to Vegas – I think she can get away with stuff there and be a bit more “free” with her dancing that she can on the tv show. However, as far as I know, the show is only running through mid-July, and depending on what happens with the all-star season, I could see both Dmitry & Lacey getting pulled back to LA for the show – and I don’t know that the Vegas show could survive without them. Seemed like a lot of the people in VIP were really excited to meet Lacey & Dmitry, so I’d assume they definitely pull in an audience.
@DMITRYDREAMTEAM – You’re going to have such a good time at the show!!! As for the picture, as far as I saw, no one really got a say in who they stood by – you just stood in the center, flanked by Joey & Carson. However, if you managed to introduce yourself very quickly as you walked up on stage (“Hi! I’m from Dmitry’s Dream Team…do you mind if I stand next to Dmitry in the picture, please?”) or if Dmitry recognized you, I don’t think it would be a huge problem. I just wouldn’t plan on having a lengthy conversation with him at the meet ‘n’ greet – as I said, it’s pretty quick. Another tip: talk to Amy Tinkham, the director, as you walk up on stage – she’s the blonde with a clipboard, just generally overseeing the photo ops. She was very friendly and chatty when I met her – might not hurt to make a request to her.
@Katy – Makes sense about Artem. Gotta be honest, though – I wasn’t all that disappointed that he wasn’t in the show. I’ve met him a few times, and I generally just get a bad vibe from him. Kinda glad that I got to see more of Dmitry & Ryan instead 😉
@Sandy – Lol, thanks Sandy 😛 Now that I look at it, I also seem to be having some boob issues in the pic…yikes! But yeah, Kyle’s mom was one of the highlights of the show for me. She is one very proud mama 🙂
@Grant – I think I mentioned it above, but it’s strictly “no cameras, no recorders” at the show. All I have is the pictures from Zimbio, and the YouTube videos of “Hip Hip, Chin Chin” & “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” that aired on the results show. However, if it’s like a lot of Vegas shows, I think there might be an official DVD recording of it at some point.
@Lois – I’m with you on the VIP packages/autograph sessions – the prices are exorbitant. I shelled out $400 last year for a meet & greet and photo op with the New Kids on the Block (my front row ticket was included in that price as well), and it was a pretty limited, 5 minute “hug each of the guys and say hi” engagement. There were no autographs (unless you shelled out the $700 for the ultimate VIP package, which was truly a one-on-one experience), and you had to share your time with 9 other girls. But I had fun, and would do it again 🙂 The DWTS meet & greet was definitely not a time for autographs, and I don’t think they even offered that as an option…but I think $144 is still pretty reasonable for a photo op, considering what I’ve seen elsewhere. The prices of the soap star fan events have always been jaw-dropping to me – especially in recent years, with the decline of the soap opera. I was considering going to a Port Chuck show (band formed by 4 of the guys from the General Hospital cast), but for the show, M&G, and autograph session, it was a hefty fee…on top of the travel fees I would have had. Didn’t want to see them that badly 😉
Forgot to add. LOL Marie has one of her dolls on the pedestal. This doll looks like she should be named “Pebbles Does Vegas”.
WowZa!!! I’m LOVING this Court. Thanks for taking us right there with you! I love the pics of the costumes you took. Too cool!!! I so want to see this show too.
@Sandy – Those dolls are no laughing matter – they scare the shit outta me! You can buy them at the souvenir shop inside the Flamingo, and I legitimately felt myself get a bit disturbed just looking at them. They remind me of Chucky from Child’s Play! lol
Court – YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU for writing this up! 🙂 I’m crazy jealous! Annnnnd, everyone is absolutely right – YOU. LOOK. MAHVELOUS. in that pic!!!!!! 😀 What a fun read….
I saw the show the end of April. Carson was not there that weekend, so Tony D. filled in for him. He did a good job (kept reminding us “don’t forget…this is Carson’s part”!), but I did miss seeing Carson. Our meet and greet photo was with the entire cast, but the celebs and pros tend to stand more toward the middle, so I would think it won’t be too difficult to stand next to who you want, if it doesn’t affect their flow of traffic 🙂 Sabrina said that Artem had a knee injury that turned into an infection behind his knee. She said it was a pretty serious thing, and he was upset that he was missing so many weeks! I had a camera with me because I knew we were going backstage, so I took a few pictures during the show, just made sure my flash was turned off. Didn’t have my good camera since I didn’t think pics of the show were allowed, so they came out just so so 🙁 We (my husband, myself, and two teen daughters) all really enjoyed the show! It’s a nice mix of dancing and filler, and it never seemed to drag. We actually stayed at the Tropicana, and the Italian restaurant called Bacios was very good.
Courtney, any idea what Ryan’s wife Ashleigh is up to? They were doing “Burn the Floor”, but that was a while ago.
@Courtney: I hope it stays in Vegas for a long long time.Shows in Vegas now (I’ve been there 3 times and am always wowed by them) great but having dwts would be a great change of pace from the “cirque de so lame” shows (i’m not a fan to be honest of those they always bore me to tears whenever they are on dwts or agt or whatever). Lacey should be back for all sta season but Dymetry not so much. Not a fan of him at all. boring, tall, and not really creative.
are great*
Thank you for the post, Courtney. Loved it. I hope they launch the show on DVD.
Court, I also loved the pic of you and the cast….loved the shoes you wore for it too.
Also, I would have been in heaven watching the Vogue performance.
LOL to the guy kissing your foot in your sparkley heels.
Awesome review! Thanks much for this post! 🙂
Wow, Court, what an amazing review: so detailed and fun!And as far as the picture of you with the cast: you are cuter than anyone & look like a celeb yourself!
@Courtney, thank you for sharing your experiences at the DWTS Las Vegas show. Your review was a pleasure to read.
What a review! Although, I’m still mad that you came to Vegas and never told me so I could take you to dinner and the show or something.
I was at the show last Saturday night, too! My DH and I drove into Vegas Sat. afternoon (part of an 8 day Sedona/Grand Canyon/Vegas vacation). All I could think was “we have to get there in time for the show!”. Arrived in Vegas at 5 pm, checked into our rooms about 6 pm, made it to the Tropicana at 7 pm. We were on the “regular” line but our seats were great, one level above the VIP seating (the $89 seats, ok, I splurged). I loved, loved, loved the show! Thank you for your wonderful description – it brought the show back to me. Oh, and if you really want to splurge someday, definitely stay at the Bellagio, a real treat and our room looked over the fountains. I have to admit though, the Flamingo’s pink neon lights were awesome at night!
what a great review 🙂 and great pics 🙂 artem was injured he hurt his knee, but yes he had only a limited run on the show as he is doing another show here in the uk soon 🙂
A great review and it made me lol at times 🙂 in your pick with the dancers i thought it was Melissa Ryecroft, you look like her in the pic 🙂 Sorry you missed seeing the amazing artem, he was injured but yes he does have come back to the uk as he is doing a tour here with robin windsor , kristina R and his girlfriend kara which im hoping to go to 🙂 but you did get to see dmitry *swoon* …
i have just commented twice because i thought it wasnt working at first lol how dumb am i lol
Very nice share and review. I must agree with Jo in that just seeing Dmitry alone would suffice and fulfill my needs.
@Donna C – Good to hear about Bacios – there were some seriously DELICIOUS smells wafting from that place, and had it not been so busy, I may have stopped in for a bite to eat. Will definitely put it on my list for my next visit to Vegas! Maybe I will make John take me, since I neglected to get together w/him this visit 😉 In my defense, John, I was only there for about 48 hours, and didn’t know how many bachelorette obligations I would have. I’ll definitely plan a longer trip next time, and pencil in some time for dinner w/you and the wifey 😉
@DW – Lol! Thanks…you flatter me 😛 I definitely felt underdressed…and both Iveta & Anya F. are drop dead GORGEOUS in person, and have fabulous bodies. Let’s just say I was having a bit of a fat day after pigging out at the buffet that morning…:-P
@Marcy – What a small world! Wish I could have said hi. So you were in the booths, then? They looked comfy! In retrospect, I kind of wish I had sat there. The VIP was cool in that it was so close, but the chairs weren’t terribly comfortable, and I had to crane my neck at times to see the whole stage.
@Lee – I was wondering about Ashleigh myself, and took a look at her Twitter – it was kinda hard to follow, but from what I gathered she either had hip surgery recently or is about to have hip surgery, and will have a 4 month recovery period where she won’t be able to dance. I guess the surgery and her PT are in Utah, but I can’t imagine she isn’t able to travel to Vegas every so often to see her hubby…unless she has extremely limited mobility. Who knows…but I wish her a safe recovery and hope she & Ryan are reunited soon! 🙂
That was such a nice review! Since I will probably never get to go – so THANK YOU! I really really enjoyed reading it.
Such an enjoyable review, Court. You made the whole Vegas trip come alive for me – geesh, my arms and shoulders are still aching from that pole dancing class.
Truly, if you’re not utilizing your writing skills in your real job every day then many of your talents are being wasted… but I guess you already knew that. 🙂
Courtney, have the End of Time and Christina P-1000 years songs been in the show from the beginning. Friend of mine commented she didn’t think they were when she saw the show about the 3rd wk, and she said she thought she would surely rememer the waltz especially ??!!!
@mimi – I’m not sure, as I wasn’t at the premiere, but it’s entirely possible that they’ve tweaked the set list for the Vegas show – especially now that Artem is out. John might remember, as he was at the premiere.
I’ve been to Vegas 3 times (all before the age of 21 lol) and everythime we went my family would go to Trattoria Reggiano at the Veneitan Hotel. I hope you went there. Its AMAZING best food in vegas by far.
Just got back from the show, I bought a VIP ticket immediately when they announced on the finale that Tristan would be there…….. then I get to the show and there’s a sign up saying he wouldn’t be there tonight! I had to buy a ticket for the show tonight because I am going out of town tomorrow (I live here). Extremely disappointed about that, but I did enjoy the show very much. I was right in the middle, first row of tables, second row of chairs. When we did the pics, everyone was on stage. I don’t remember which of you is in love with Kym, but she smiled and said hi to me 😉 And she did do her disco dance with Joey.
The director was chatty when I was waiting for my photo, she complimented me on my polka dot dress, said it could be on the show, asked if I was going out dancing afterwards, and offered to tell me where the cast was going, because they go out every night after the show. I declined because I have to work, and take a late flight tomorrow.
It was fun seeing pros and celebs so close up! And even if you’re not a fan of the show, it is still a great show to see in Vegas, the dancing is just amazing.
@Lee and Courtney,
I actually had a chance to talk with Ryan and Ashleigh after the premiere show. I had to go say hi since we both graduated from the same university. You’re right that Ashleigh just had a surgery. They weren’t sure how long it would be for her to recover from the surgery, but Ryan said that the show wants her on it as soon as she’s able to do it.
She’s also definitely not immobilized. She was walking fine when I saw her. I even saw her break out a move or two with the SYTYCD crew at the after party.
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