PureDWTS Season 22, Week 1 – Power Rankings
Well, I’m gonna go out on a limb and predict that this season of DWTS will be won by…a dude. 😛 Yeah, that could be one of six individuals (but more realistically, probably 4), but after tonight, I daresay the bulk of this season’s talent rests with the men – don’t get me wrong, there are a few ladies with skills…but I think the men this season are closer to being the full package of skill, charm, and work ethic that it takes to win that MBT.
That being said – while the major narrative that TPTB seemed to want to push tonight was current NFL player vs. current NFL player, I found myself feeling a bit let-down with our two current football players; could have been the huge preseason hype surrounding them, but I was left feeling surprisingly “meh” by what I actually saw. Instead, I found my eye drawn to two other men that far eclipsed our NFL duo in terms of making a good impression. As for the ladies – there’s some with real charm, and some with skill, and some that TPTB seem to have a vested interest in keeping around (cue side eye…), but when I’m left thinking about who really stood out in my mind tonight – I’m remembering a lot more guys than gals.
Other observations? The intro was cute, but seemed a little bit hodgepodge and not terribly cohesive; maybe I was just spoiled by how catchy & fun last season’s was. I also tip my hat to Erin tonight, as I think she was just what some of the contestants needed after a rough go of it with the judges – she was kind and gentle with those that maybe didn’t come out with such glowing reviews & scores.
Just a refresher, for those of you just joining us this season: the power rankings are a measure of how likely or unlikely I think a contestant is to get eliminated – it takes into account scores, fanbase, personality, memorability, and whatever other factors I find that seem to influence voting behavior. It is NOT a ranking of “who danced the best”, so if you’re hear to complain that “so-and-so should be higher than such-and-such because they got a much higher score!” – you’re outta your element, Donnie. Now that we’ve got that outta the way…
1.) Wanya & Lindsay – The good vibes I got from these two weren’t just a fleeting thing at the cast announcement – they carried right over into their first dance 🙂 Of all the contestants tonight, I feel like Wanya best represented the “full package”: he SLAYED his dance, both in terms of skill and performance quality; he came across as enthusiastic and excited to be there; he didn’t come across as cocky, and was even a bit self-deprecating; and he and his partner seem to have a very, very good rapport. As we were watching him cha-cha, Mama Spence even remarked that the way he moved reminded her of Alfonso, and I added that he didn’t seem to suffer from some of the more off-putting personality traits that Alfonso had (namely, being a tad arrogant and uptight) and gave off more of the fun, carefree vibe that made Warren Sapp so appealing. And then one of my Twitter followers added that Wanya reminded them of Kyle Massey, due to his youthful, energetic presence. So right there, I think we have a triple threat – Alfonso’s skill, Warren’s personality, and Kyle’s energy. Skill-wise, I was actually quite impressed both by how clean his feet were and by how he extended his arms – like just about everyone, there is still room for improvement, but Lindsay really has a lot of potential to work with. And if that was Lindsay’s choreography – watch out, Sharna. There may be a new sheriff in town. Overall? These two impressed the hell outta me, and got all of my votes tonight.
2.) Nyle & Peta – Y’know, I’ll admit: I ALMOST got teary-eyed during Nyle & Peta’s first meeting, even though I knew beforehand how precious it was going to be. But I didn’t – and y’know why? Because Nyle just looks like he’s having so much fun that I can’t possibly help but feel elated for him 🙂 And Peta? She earned my respect when she partnered Tommy, but she’s entered a whole new level now that she’s managing to pull moves like that out of Nyle when he can’t hear the music AT ALL. He’s pretty spry and on-time, and definitely has some natural skill – I would maybe caution Peta not to throw too much into a routine, simply because the fact that Nyle relies so heavily on a visual lead seems to result in him maybe bumping into her more than she may have intended, since he’s always trying to keep his eye on her. But man – a ton of potential here, too. I’m excited to see how he fares with a slower dance – particularly a contemporary, because I have a feeling he’s going to ROCK at lifts. Another couple that has the full package, and could go far further than initially predicted…
3.) Ginger & Val – Hmmmm. Ok, Ginger was good – she has some definite stage presence, stayed on-time, was fun to watch, and does have some natural talent. And really, she does seem like a sweet, fun, easygoing girl – she doesn’t smack of arrogance like Tamar, or come across desperate like Danica, or a bit of a mean girl like Janel. But the gushing about how she reminds Carrie Ann of Bindi? Just kinda drives the point home that if anyone is going to get pimped this season, it’s likely to be Val’s partner – again. And what better way than to draw comparisons between her and last season’s champion, arguably the most universally-loved in DWTS history? Nevermind the fact that her jive seemed to take FOREVER to actually start (during which time, she just posed energetically), and then when it did get going, the choreography was so stop-and-go that we didn’t really get a whole lot of hardcore jive in it. Val let her down in that respect – judging from what we saw from her tonight, she could have EASILY handled something more challenging. Also not loving that they’re already playing up the fact Ginger is going to be traveling so much (keep in mind that she’s not the only one doing that this season – to my knowledge, Wanya, Kim, & Marla are also rehearsing somewhere other than L.A.), as if to give her a free pass in viewers’ minds should she have an off-week. I don’t have a problem with Ginger, but I do have a problem with some of the funny business that surrounded her tonight. But I’ve got a feeling if there’s one female celeb TPTB want to ensure makes the finale – it’s going to be Ginger.
4.) Von & Witney – Given the aforementioned NFL hype surrounding the preseason, I was actually expecting Antonio to be more impressive and Von to be a bit more…pokey, I guess? But interestingly enough, I actually found myself a skosh more entertained by Von tonight, both in terms of skill and just overall entertainment value. I think maybe the foxtrot just suited his movement style better than the quickstep suited Antonio, but Von seemed to actually glide rather organically through the dance, and actually had some really nice arm lines that left me saying “Ok, didn’t expect that – but I ain’t mad at it, either!” I think he’s probably going to struggle with his feet all season, because he’s such a big guy, but overall he seemed to have a bit more finesse than Antonio tonight. As for Witney – she’s gonna have her hands full with that crazy-ass height difference, but for what it’s worth, there’s something almost comically endearing about it; however, I would caution her on falling back too much on hip-hop infused sections of dance to fill time – Len can and will tire of it quickly. I’m guessing Von will probably be better suited to the ballroom dances than the Latin ones, and the reverse will be true for Antonio – so I’m fulling expecting the tables to turn next week and for Antonio to be the one getting praised a bit more on Latin night.
5.) Antonio & Sharna – I’ll admit off-the-bat that I’ve so far been unable to get a good “read” on Antonio – mainly, I’m unsure whether he’s actually just really shy and soft-spoken, or he’s kinda arrogant and aloof. Could be a bit of both, maybe? For that reason, I think he didn’t carry off the quickstep as well as Von did his foxtrot – he had the energy, but I felt like he was constantly just slightly hesitating to really go for it full-bore. Also felt like his feet could have been a bit cleaner and he could have been a tad stronger through his frame – I think he’s probably got more natural potential to work with than Von, but I think Von may be a bit more of a willing pupil…I think a bit of ego might come with that natural skill that Antonio possesses. As for Sharna – I don’t think this was her best piece of choreography. The last really good quickstep I think we saw out of her was the one she did for Charlie 2 years ago, and then she never got to do one with Tavis or Noah and the one she did for Nick was a tad weird, too. I’m just really feeling unsure of this couple right now, more than any other – had high hopes, and felt a bit let-down tonight. But that could very easily change next week when they have a Latin dance, and since I think TPTB are going to milk to Von vs. Antonio storyline for all its worth this season, I doubt he’s going anywhere soon.
6.) Kim & Sasha – I think Kim’s big strength this season is going to be just really SELLING the dance she’s doing – and she did that perfectly last night. Loved the expressions, the sass – and the fact that she looked like she was having a ton of fun. Sure, she’s got room for improvement – I’d like to see some clean-up on some of her footwork & extensions; but overall, that was a solid first effort. I actually got some really good, Gladys-&-Tristan-esque vibes from these two – they just seem to have personalities that mesh really well together. Fun fact: while Kim doesn’t have much previous dance experience, her husband, Chris, is actually kind of a big deal on Broadway – big tap dancer that’s done Dreamgirls & Kiss Me Kate. Would be kinda cool to see him maybe help out in rehearsals if Kim gets to do a jazz number. Overall, happy with what I’ve seen so far, looking forward to seeing more.
7.) Paige & Mark – Of all the ladies tonight, I think Paige actually handled her dance the best. The problem? She got saddled in possibly the worst running order position, has a dubious voting fanbase, and is probably not on TPTB’s radar as someone not really worth actively pimping (like Ginger). Yes, Paige has a lot of skill and comes across as very likeable – the problem is, almost all of this season’s cast is likeable, several of them also have dance experience, AND they likely have more mainstream/reliable fanbases than Paige does. She has an asset in Mark – he’s probably the only male pro that can even come close to choreographing to his partner’s strengths as well as Derek always did with his partners – but I still worry that she’s got an uphill climb when it comes to getting the votes she needs. I think she’s probably going to excel at choreography, so it’s worth it for Mark to kinda go balls-to-the-walls and really churn out some memorable stuff; but I do think she maybe needs to clean up her lines a little bit and be careful not to throw away her arms. I would love to be wrong and see Paige last till the late stages of this season – but after the treatment she got tonight, I’m very, very skeptical.
8.) Marla & Tony – Pleasant surprise of the evening for me – not only is Marla actually a pretty natural, fluid mover (and actually did a full-speed quickstep, which I don’t think we’ve seen out of any of Tony’s partners since Melissa), but she’s gorgeous, in great shape, and has the most soothing, zen presence. And I was also pretty happy that they seemed to focus on Donald rather minimally, and Marla did a great job of being complimentary towards him without shifting all the focus to him. It sounds weird, but I think that’s the best strategy she can have – being complimentary in order to possibly pick up votes from his fans, while not being so complimentary that it’s off-putting to non-Donald fans. For what it’s worth, Tony seems absolutely THRILLED to have her as a partner – I haven’t seen that man giggle like that since he had Melissa in All-Stars 😛 Interested to see how she fares with Latin, but I think she could last longer than anticipated.
9.) Jodie & Keo – Uggghhh…I had finally, ALMOST psyched myself up to give Keo another chance to prove he isn’t a total slouch as a teacher, if given a “willing” partner; and then tonight happened. Sorry, Keo apologists, but I think you and I are gonna butt heads this season, because Keo really let Jodie down tonight in terms of choreography. Like Val, he didn’t really utilize his partner’s skill set 100%, and also gave her some very stutter-y, stop-and-go choreography that left her looking very jerky & stilted at times. Don’t get me wrong, Jodie looked really, really good at some points – some of her extensions were absolutely gorgeous, and I did see some good musicality from her. But man, if that wasn’t some kindergarten-ass tango – and it just looked boring and childish, even though Jodie handled it as well as one probably could, given that there weren’t very many impressive moves for her to do. Get thee to an outside choreographer, Keo. And like Paige, I worry that Jodie may be a bit disposable to TPTB – unless your name is Ginger, I get the feeling that they probably don’t care too much about the ladies this season and aren’t likely to intervene if somebody ain’t getting the votes. And judging from how many people in my timeline had completely forgotten about Jodie by the end of the show, I’d say her getting stuck in 4th in the running order did not bode well for her. Jodie/Keo fans, I hope you guys voted hard tonight, and are prepared to do so for the rest of the season, because this may not be as much of a breeze as you initially thought…
10.) Doug & Karina – Of the three NFL players this season, I unfortunately feel like Doug is kind of the “throwaway” one – the one TPTB probably aren’t going to lift a finger to ensure he sticks around. Which sucks, because I think he came across as the most charming of the three, and probably the most down-to-earth and relatable. Sure, he’s got some issues with timing, musicality, extension, and coordination – but I’ll be damned if he wasn’t giving it 100% and sticking with it even if he forgot his choreography. And he was better than Geraldo – that’s all I can really ask of anyone this week. I think he & Karina have a good rapport and seem to work well together, which is a plus; I’m just worried that he’s going to get lost in the shuffle of the two other NFL players getting pitted against one another as the “main event” each week. In any other season, I’d say he’d make it to at least the midpoint; but this season, I’m not so sure. Hoping that paso doble suits him better than foxtrot, but I’m unfortunately skeptical.
11.) Mischa & Artem – I have a bit of a soft spot for Mischa, as she reminds me A LOT of my cousin Ashley – someone that has also struggled with substance abuse, and is trying to get her life back on track. In that respect, I’m also reminded of Andy Dick – who I often worried would get so beaten down by his judges’ critiques that it would drive him back into self-destructive behavior. I was honestly a tad appalled at how callous the judges were with Mischa – sure, her tango wasn’t great, she isn’t a natural mover (which she & Artem freely admit), but I do think she really went out there and gave it a good shot, and she was far better than Geraldo (and probably stayed on-time better than Doug as well). And I do give a lot of credit to Artem as well, because I feel like he had a lot less to work with than both Keo and Val and somehow was able to craft a routine that made a lot more sense both staging-wise and for his celeb’s strengths & weaknesses. Mischa was nervous, and I think that affected her more than anything else – so I’m hoping that the beating she got from the judges doesn’t drive her further into anxiety next week. Not saying she deserved a better score – I just think the judges could have been a bit more tactful in choosing their words. I was thankful that Erin was kind to her when she was getting her scores, because Mischa looked to be on the verge of tears. I doubt she’s going to last a whole lot longer this season, but I hope she at least has a good experience the rest of the time that she’s here.
12.) Geraldo & Edyta – Erm. To be clear, I wasn’t expecting Geraldo to be good, by any means – I guess I just wasn’t expecting him to be that BAD 8-( Seemed like he forgot the bulk of his choreography, and the little bit that he did do was either off-time or so vague and simplistic that I found myself asking “Is he actually dancing, or just stretching?” He reminded me of Gary Busey, except LESS entertaining. Edyta looked great dancing around him, though! 🙂 Kinda wonder if he might have fared better if he had danced with those weird glasses of his on – then he could have at least claimed his routine was inspired by Weekend at Bernie’s, which could have forgiven some of his vague flailing. I think the writing’s unfortunately on the wall here – was nice having Edyta back for two whole episodes, but considering that Geraldo didn’t really make much of an impression personality-wise, good or bad, and we have no idea how many voting fans Edyta has after being gone 12 seasons…I’m not sure they’re going to be able to overcome a score that bad. I think there’s an outside chance that he might be able to overtake Mischa, but I think she might have enough sympathy votes to keep her safe another week.
So that wraps up night 1 for me – what are your thoughts? Who are your favorites so far? Who could be in trouble?
