Former DWTS Pro Tristan MacManus To Dance On “Strictly Come Dancing”??
Well, Tristan MacManus fans might not be able to see him dance on Dancing With The Stars this Fall, but, you might be able to see him dance on “Strictly Come Dancing” in the UK. Just remember this news comes from the Mirror who is NOT an official authority. They are also reporting pro Artem Chigvintsev has left Strictly Come Dancing to stay in the US. To read more rumors on Strictly Come Dancing, see the link.
UPDATE: This info is TRUE! BBC Strictly Come Dancing made an announcement about it. Read HERE for more. They also made an announcement at their official site.
Dancer Artem Chigvintsev, 31, who was partnered with soap star Natalie Gumede last year, will also not be returning after deciding to stay in the US after appearing in the American version of the show.
Anya Garnis, 32, will also not return to dance with a celebrity, but will remain part of the choreography team.
Two new faces, Tristan MacManus and Joanne Clifton, will step into their dancing shoes.
Interesting. I’m just thankful Tristan will dance on a dance show. If this is true, I plan to follow “Strictly Come Dancing” online in my free time.
Thanks to Jaycee for the heads up!
SCD pro Robin Windsor sent a congratulatory tweet to Tristan as well and it’s being discussed on Tristan’s website already.
It was announced on the BBC Strictly facebook page xxx (Perhaps I should have said that before!).
Awesome. Thanks Jaycee. It looks like the made an announcement at their official site as well.
Just a point – it was a year ago today that the BBC announced that Emma Slater was joining SCD as a pro – and we know how that turned out in the end. I’m not saying it’s *not* true – I’m fairly confident it is – but just something to bear in mind. 🙂
The BBC will put ALL of the dances on the YouTube so have a look. Well Tristan is moving up rating wise. DWTS VIEWS 15 Million with a 300 Million poulation and NOT the No 1 rated show in the US. Strictly come Dancing VIEWS 11Million with a 65 Million population AND No 1 rated show EVERY week
Lea, that’s right and so true. I forgot about that. Yeah, we better take this news with some caution just in case they decide differently.
I miss him on our show! But congratulations to him, I’m sure everyone will love him in England too.
I’ll miss Tristan, but I’m happy for him.
I propose that since they get Tristan, we should get Pasha. And Jeanette and Iveta.
I am happy for Tristan, although I was hoping he’d be back for season 19. I really missed him last on DWTS. Wish you all the best, Tristan.
Apples and Oranges, Nathan. Either way, DWTS is seen by MORE PEOPLE. Anyone on the British version would give their right arm to be on the US version because there’s more overall exposure in the media. Tristan is the rare exception to the rule that most everyone wants to “crack” the US. Not to mention the pay on DWTS is a lot better. But, Kristyn Burtt is saying that Tristan wanted out of LA which makes sense to me.
Yeah I wouldn’t see this as a promotion at all, but perhaps a preference – and an understandable one. Tristan never seemed in it to “make it” but rather that he enjoyed dance and teaching, and these types of shows are among the best opportunities in the world to do so. I do adore him and believe this will be a great fit – and it will give me reason to watch SCD.
If that’s what he wants then good for him….. I am sure LA is a pain. I’m just glad they didn’t try to kick him out…. I hate when they do that.
We get Artem but lose Tristan……I don’t like that but I am wiling to bet that Tristan will do AWESOME in England as a competing pro.
They got rid of James Jordan?! Big mistake on their part. Wow that show made some major changes.
Well, Artem’s tweeted to say that the reason he’s staying in the US is to sort out his visa/citizenship – I’m not sure just yet he’s definitely going to become a competing pro on DWTS (though I wouldn’t be surprised if he did – he’s certainly got a good enough track record from SCD).
I’m looking forward to seeing what Tristan can do on SCD, too.
Another example is Brian Fortuna, who was a pro in Season 4 but was in Seasons 6 & 7 of SCD. I live in the UK, and can’t wait to see Tristan on SCD. Sad to see Artem go, though!
“I’m staying in the US to sort out my visa/citizenship.”
Translation: “I’m trying to find another woman dumb enough to enter into a green card marriage with me.”
And cue the outrage from UK Artem fans who can’t stand when anyone “talks rubbish” about him. Sorry kids – didn’t like the guy when I took a lesson with him 7 years ago, still don’t like him & his opportunistic ways now.
Artem told Afterbuzztv that he’s planning on staying in the US. I don’t think he was planning on returning to SCD.
Heh, I have to say I like him a lot, but I do understand why people don’t – and certainly with your personal experience, Courtney. But, as I say, he might still be in the troupe for all we know – let’s wait and see.
Also, apologies about the double post above – I’m not sure how that happened…
That’s great news!! I love me some Tristan.
Thanks Nathan for the headsup, I’ll be sure to check out the videos.
Courtney I love how you drop these tantalizing tidbits every now and then about personal experiences with the pros.
I have a bad feeling that if Artem is made pro and gets a reasonably young and/or attractive partner, that we might see Maks level showmance crapola.
The math here is pretty damn simple and it why I say that Derek needs to leave DWTS. You CAN’T do something you want to do if you’re already tied to something else. Artem likely WANTS to be a DWTS pro badly – he sees what Derek, Maks and Mark have and probably wants that – nothing wrong with that. Therefore, if he really wants to be on DWTS and thinks there is even a remote possibility of being a competing pro, he HAS TO tell SCD that he’s quitting. He can’t do both, not with the fall season of both shows running concurrently. It’s a calculated risk – dump SCD for a possibility on DWTS. And really, it’s probably a pretty safe level of risk. He’s already troupe and Derek straight up said to someone on the tour that he was going to tell the producers he wouldn’t be back and then they told him about a partner with a handicap. That got him re-interested in the show. But what are the odds that they will lure Derek back in again? And what are the odds that Maks will also be back?? I think low on both counts.
With both Maks and Derek possibly out the door, Artem is probably thinking he has a good shot on the higher profile, better paying DWTS. And I don’t think he’s wrong.
The thing that bothers me about this is that, like Susan2 said, Artem is likely to take the “showmance” route if ever he has the chance (like he did on SCD),whereas Tristan was a drama-free, kind, nurturing teacher. The fact that they are ditching Tristan for Artem suggests that the show is going to continue with the “tabloid sleaze” angle (as Courtney so well put it). I had so hoped TPTB would realize the bad taste left in viewers’ mouths by season 18 and revert to the m.o. of season 17.
lol Heidi, Maks will probably love being a judge on the Indian version of DWTS too much to come back here — they tend to fawn over anyone who’s foreign or “American”. Being Indian myself, the thought of having Maks judge on the same panel as Madhuri Dixit makes me cringe.
I feel sorry for Kara Tointon, who he started dating in 2010 after they won the show. He obviously doesn’t care much about her anymore.
You imply that it was the producers who fired Tristan. I’m not sure that’s the case. Both shows are owned by the same company. Maybe Tristan just wants to be in the UK.
All but one of Artem’s SCD partners were ringers. His last partner on the show, Natalie Gumede, trained as a professional dancer until she was 19 then she injured her foot and stopped. She’s about 30 or something now, and her ringerness showed.
I imagine it was Tristan’s preference to get back to the UK. I hope he gets a good partner and has a great run on the show. Artem definitely has “bad boy” vibe that Maks has so he might be seen as a replacement for him. I will miss Tristan and wish he had been given a partner he could have gone far with on the US show. Also perhaps he wasn’t going to be on season 19 anyway.
To be fair, he was with Kara until December 2013 at the earliest, so there was a good three years in the relationship – that’s if they’ve even broken up. With regards to the ringers – yes, he had good draws as Kara and Natalie were two of the strongest dancers to ever take part in the show, but you couldn’t legitimately call Holly a ringer – she wasn’t that good.
Anyway, moving away from SCD, I think Heidi’s probably right – it does look pretty likely that Artem might be a teaching pro on DWTS next season. He’s a good choreographer – though he does have a tendency to rule break (mainly with regards to not doing enough in hold – see Kara’s American Smooth for an example). DWTS is quite different to SCD though, so how his choreo fits into the show remains to be seen (and indeed, the same is true for Tristan).
I’m wondering too if newly married Tristan is thinking long term about where he and his wife want to raise any possible children they might have. The UK is a hell of a lot closer to Ireland than LA.
I’m thinking the DWTS honchos see Artem as eye candy for the ladies in much the same way as they imagine that Maks does. Not to diminish Artem’s professional attributes in any way. Artem can fill their “hunky pro for pre-menopausal women” quota.
And yes, I genuinely think they’re that shallow when they cast a pro on the show.
I watch SCD online (youtube) and Artem really can do great choreography but if they wanted him just to replace Maks, they are in for a rude awakening. He is not as tough on the celebrities as Maks is. He is more like Derek and Mark in the rehersal footage…..but after reading what Courtney said I kinda wondering if his niceness is an act though. I remember when he was on SYTYCD and I thought “Wow this guy is into himself but damn he is good”.
Sidenote, I kinda hope they consider James as a potential judge replacement for DWTS if Len leaves. Like I said before, I watch the show online and his charlseton with Denise van Outen was amazing. I really disliked her but that dance remidned me of something Derek would do.
I’ll miss Tristan but I’m happy for him. He’ll be closer to home with his new bride and I think that’s what he wanted. Got to love a man who would rather be near home and happy, making less money show-salary wise then staying and being unhappy in Hollyweird.
Then there’s Artem.
@Courtney #17 Tee hee.
“sort out my visa/citizenship” Uh oh!
Since the ex-wife has gone on record saying he used her for a visa, maybe ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) won’t consider the one they gave him valid anymore and won’t renew it since it was gained nefariously. She could be a great or not so great person but she thought he loved her, poor woman. What kind of person does that. Artem skeeves me out. Ambition at the usage of others will come back to bite you.
And, much like Maks, Artem does nothing for me at all. Some people consider other male pros on the show eye candy, not just Maks. Maks is over rated in that department, IMO.
Artem has always giving me an off feeling. After what Court posted, now I’m really wondering. I will say though that I enjoyed his dancing more at the end of the season, but, he can’t even compare to Gleb who I enjoyed so much more on the troupe and as a pro. Same with Tristan…I enjoyed him so much more than Artem too.
Good for Tristan. I don’t really follow the dancers enough to know about Artem. Thanks for the heads up.
I’m delighted for Tristan; it was always plain to me he loathed the whole Hollywood scene. I follow both shows and feel his more traditional choreography and relaxed, no-drama personality will be a better fit for SCD. Hope the Brits have the sense of houseplants and realize what a treasure he is.
Artem’s personality (such as it is) turns me off, and I don’t find him the least attractive, but I expect we’ll see him on DWTS. He’ll have no hesitation about showmancing and being their new “bad boy”.
Kind of off topic, but since it’s been mentioned that the US DWTS pros make more than their counterparts overseas and those on SCD…..
How much do the pros make on the US DWTS?
I remember it was said they earn more or receive bonuses if they make it to the semis and/or the finals but what is the base, season or annual salary for the pros? If you know? I’m also assuming those that have been on longer like Karina and Cheryl may make more than the newer ones like Sharna, but maybe not.
There didn’t used to be a base. It was dependent on how long you lasted on the show. I don’t have any recent info on how much they make and I’m sure that the top pros have all negotiated contracts that are much more lucrative than some of the newer ones. Seems like it used to be (and I’m talking pre-season 10, I think) about 70k if you made it to the finale.
Thanks PH.
I’m happy for Tristan, but I’ll miss him! Isn’t his wife a model in Australia? I’m not sure England is that much closer to her, unless I’m missing something. (#32)
Also, I though Artem said on AfterBuzz that his staying in the US was dependent on whether he was offered something on DWTS. That could just be another season in the troupe, I guess, but I agree with others that he has a good chance of being a teaching pro.
How do I watch SCD from here please?
Thanks for all the great info as always, mods! 🙂
Didn’t realize that Carrie Ann & Artem dated. I wonder how objective she can be if he does become a pro.
Meggie – The BBC put all the dances on Youtube at a pretty good resolution. With regards to watching the whole show, I’m not sure whether it’s available in the US at all, but I’m sure someone will be able to confirm?
Thanks, Lea! Do you know what day of the week it’s on?
Lea I’ve tried several times to watch the show from the BBC website and each time it’s a no go. Not available in my area. It’s incredibly frustrating.
I do watch the dances on youtube, but it’s not the same.
If anyone out there knows of a way to watch the whole show, I’d be extremely grateful.
No problem, Meggie – The performance show is on Saturdays (normally around 6:30pm GMT), and the results show is on Sundays.
You know instead of going to the Russian/Ukraine pool of ballroom dancers why don’t they try some Italian dancers?
There’s some very good, handsome Italian ballroom dancers out there.
I just read that Sergey and Melia have retired. I have a soft spot for Melia. Her technique isn’t as good as the top ladies but she has a very vivid theatrical presence and she seems like a sweetheart. I’d love to see her on the show.
Leslie #41 – Carrie Ann and Tony dated as well, and some people question her treatment of his partners – that’s occasionally fair, but more often I think she sometimes goes out of her way to show her lack of resentment against him and is too soft and over-complimentary. I don’t think anyone comes close to the harsh treatment level that Derek and Karina’s partners get, so I wouldn’t worry about Artem.
As I posted elsewhere about Artem, he skeeved me out upon first sight, so I am not thrilled about him becoming a pro but I will take it with an open mind. But Carrie-Ann has HORRIBLE taste in men, in my opinion haha.
Susan2, I’m pretty sure there are ways to watch whole episodes free, but there’s a service where you pay about $8 a month and you can watch all (or most) BBC shows:
http://www.my-expat-network.com/us
Hope it’s ok that I posted this – I don’t mean to be advertizing for them – it’s just a good way to access Strictly if you’re ok with a subscription service.
OMG! Carrie Ann dated Tony!???! Agreed, Fig! Terrible taste in men!
Artem…meh…. I wish they would bring back Gleb, if there is no Tristan. I will sure watch SCD now! 🙂
Artem and Maks are kind of the same …meh for me. Overrated.
The Daily Mail website has an article about the shakeup on SCD. It doesn’t mention Tristan but does say the show wanted to bring in some new pro blood. I hope this happens on DWTS to be honest. Time to have some interesting new pros. I am assuming Derek won’t be back and he never seems self important at all but I wouldn’t mind Val, Tony and Maks taking a break from the “fam” on the show.
I can only imagine the hook-up and canoodling that goes on on the show. They should do a reality about behind the scenes of DWTS or a tell-all book.
I am happy for Tristan, but will miss him. It was nice having an Irish accent and he was so genuine. DWTS proved this last season they are looking for the ratings.
I would rather see Gleb become a pro for Season 19 and hoping for some real changes.
Tony needs a break, Maks had his day in glory and do not care for Artem although dancing got better at the end of season.
Good luck Tristan! You will be missed here.
Ok, chiming in late on several topics that have cropped up…
*On the topic of pay for the pros: last I heard (and bear in mind, this was 4.5 years ago), the pay for entry-level (read: new) pros was somewhere in the neighborhood of $6K/week. The bf & his partner were invited out to LA to interview for pro spots back in ’09, and that was the figure they threw out. The caveat? Pros on contract are basically indentured servants for the duration of their 3-year contract – TPTB can do whatever they want with them. They might end up on the show, they might get sent to Vegas, they might get put on the cruise ship – but they basically have to drop everything when DWTS comes calling, which negates the possibility of competing as a pro, or even doing pro-am with students. I’m sure the long-time pros have negotiated fatter paychecks and far less restrictive contracts, but for the newbs that don’t have much clout? They’re kinda stuck.
*On why I don’t care for Artem: took a group lesson with him back in ’07 on my college ballroom team, and was put off by the fact that he chose to teach the whole lesson shirtless (unnecessary), was a bit too handsy with some of the female students, tried to renege on the contract we had agreed upon which stipulated his pay and travel expenses, and seemed far more interested in showing off his own moves that actually teaching the group. Just came across arrogant and smarmy. In addition, the bf & his partner used to compete against Artem & Giselle (Artem’s ex-wife) wayyyy back in the day, and said Artem always came across as cold towards Giselle, while it was painfully obvious that she was over-the-moon-in-love with him. BF also mentioned that Giselle’s family is rather affluent, and Artem seemed to reap the benefits of that as well. I’m finding it REEEALLLLY hard to believe he wasn’t using her in more ways than one…
*On the topic of visas/green cards: My dad married a Brazilian mail order bride (true story, couldn’t make this sh*t up if I wanted to), and it’s sort of illustrated for me some of the intricacies of immigration law and “green card marriages”. My dad had been dating my stepmom for a year or two, and her tourist visa was about to expire – he literally went down to the courthouse on the last day before her visa expired and married her, with a skeptical justice of the peace presiding. Sure enough, a few months later, immigration came knocking at their door, and they went through some extensive questioning to prove that their marriage wasn’t fraudulent. They passed (they had actually been dating and had been planning on marrying – just not quite that soon), but they did get grilled. For a good example of the interrogation you have to undergo if immigration thinks your marriage is fraudulent, go watch The Proposal with Sandra Bullock & Ryan Reynolds. Hilarious movie, and actually pretty accurate 😛 But anywho – from what I understand, in order for an immigrant in a green card marriage to acquire permanent resident status, they must remain married to a legal citizen for at least two years. After that, the immigrant will still be considered a legal citizen even if the couple divorces. I don’t think Artem & Giselle lasted that long – if I remember correctly, they were only legally married for about 9 months, and weren’t even speaking for the last few months of their marriage. Wuh wuh wuhhhh…sorry Artem, no green card for you. And since he really didn’t have permanent employment here in the States (which would have granted him a temporary work visa), he probably had to skedaddle or get deported. Not sure how Britain’s immigration laws work, but if he was hired as a full-time pro on Strictly, he probably had a work visa. It’d be a pretty risky bet to bail on that British work visa and put all his eggs in one basket in the States, unless he already kinda knew he was going to get offered a permanent spot on DWTS…
Thanks for the input, Courtney! I love reading yours and the other mods’ comments. That Artem creature sounds gross to me.
I think I articulated my comment about Tristan poorly — regardless of whether or not TPTB sent him packing and brought in Artem instead, it makes me sad that this is the direction the show is turning permanently (or so it would seem). I remember someone on here saying that they liked how, after experimenting with lots of gimmicks during S9, the cut the crap and returned to dancing for S10, and I was hoping that would be the tale for season 19 as well. With that said, PH, you’re probably spot-on that Tristan prefers the UK scene to LA, which I applaud.
“That Artem creature” Yep, doesn’t sound human to me either. 🙂
Court, I love your stories. Brazilian mail order bride…..gasp, I can only imagine what Mama Spence had to say?
Sounds like ABC just needs to get the The Creature’s paperwork for his visa completed and then they wait for ICE to approve it. Would die, in a good way, if ICE said thanks but no. But they have bigger fish to fry so I guess we’ll get stuck with it. Of course they only gave Gleb, who is way better, one season. So we’ll see what happens.
I’ll definitely be looking for Tristan on SCD. I miss his down-to-earth soul from his packages. That first season with Nancy Grace, priceless.
As much as I like him, what Courtney says about Artem rings true – particularly the “far more interested in showing off his own moves”, which manifested itself on SCD with less than full regard for the rules of the specific dance style if he wanted to do something different (generally less in hold than he should, particularly in his final year).
WRT to his British visa, if anyone’s interested, my understanding (and it may be all completely wrong) is that the non-EU pros are on short term visas – they used to have to leave the country just before the show started for a night to ensure they could compete for the full thing, and I presume they still do. I imagine that if he came back to SCD it wouldn’t be too much of a problem on that front – but I’m not an expert. (The EU pros don’t have that problem, of course).
Okay, I adore Giselle Peacock, so reading Courtney’s recollection of observing Artem’s treatment of her sent me into a fine fury.
That dude is toast!
I lived in India briefly in the late 90’s. My husband and I were married there. I had to get back to the states for a family crisis while my husband stayed in India waiting for his Visa.
Once he got here, we had 2 separate interview with immigration. Even though ours is a love marriage you still get nervous and squirmy talking to immigration people!
I look for Artem to find an American woman, preferably somewhat famous to be his next conquest. There’s nothing wrong with ambition, but when you combine it with opportunistic using of people, it pisses me off.
I am so very happy for Tristan! I have been watching Strictly for the past 3 seasons now and he is definitely going to add some new flare to the show! Oh how I hope he gets a young, fit partner for him to show off his skills with. The show already has their pro who gets the older women (Robin Windsor, Anton Du Beke and sometimes Brendan Cole) so I think Tristan might luck out and get a young partner who has potential. 🙂
Of course now Artem is gonna be a pro next season on the US version.. blah. I don’t care for him really but whatever. Guess I’m more excited for Strictly to start now instead of DWTS 😀
@Ashley L – Mama Spence has one of the best senses of humor and one of the most positive outlooks on life of anyone that you’ll ever meet 😛 She was not too pleased to hear about my father’s remarriage, but over time, she has taken on a pretty “whatever, it’s actually kind of funny” attitude about the whole thing – especially since my stepmother is f*cking nuts and drives my father crazy on a regular basis. 🙂
@Susan2 – Immigration sure doesn’t mess around when it comes to assessing marriages that it deems to be “potentially fraudulent” – they were especially suspicious about my father’s pretty shoddy Portuguese, and questioned how he was even able to communicate with my stepmother when she didn’t speak a lick of English and his Portuguese was so dicey (even I kinda wondered about that one). But somehow, they were able to convince immigration that they were legit. Glad to hear you and your hubby were too!!! 😛
Maybe it was the talk about Giselle and visas, but I seem to recall that Henry tried out for SYTYCD about 4 years ago with Giselle, and got straight through to Vegas, but had to forfeit his spot due to issues with his student visa. Kinda wonder how his path on DWTS might have changed, had he actually been able to compete on SYTYCD and had gotten hired on as a pro on DWTS that way.
@Courtney #61
Hahahaha! Mama Spence certainly seems like she has a great sense of humor. I hope she’s available for season 19 with her wise (enheimer) input for my eager ears. 🙂