PureDWTS Season 24, Week 1 – Power Rankings
And so begins another season ๐ Admittedly, I found it hard to psych myself up for this season – I wasn’t really looking forward to it, after the 3-ring manipulation circus of last season, and didn’t really feel super-invested in any of the couples until last night.ย While the talent this season seems almost unfairly stacked in favor of the female celebs, unfortunately for them, I think the guys may have actually ended up more enjoyable and memorable – perhaps the female pros see the writing on the wall, and know they’ve gotta compensate for a lack of experience by having their partners be really, really entertaining?
Generally, aside from maybe 3-4 dances last night, this felt like a pretty tame premiere – the first hour was kind of a bear to get through, as the energy really slipped before picking up around the 9 PM hour. Other observations? The opening number was cool and not something we had really seen yet, but the preponderance of Maks & Val was eyeroll-inducing – they’re really trying to drive the point home that these two are the “stars” this season, huh? I feel like we only saw quick snippets of the female pros, with those two idiots mugging shamelessly in between. The sexism of this show is blood-boiling, at times. Glad to see that the judges were kinda stingy with the scores for the first night, as this tends to stem a lot of potential b*tching from couples down the line who are given cushy scores for weeks before the judges get real and drop the hammer. Getting really tired of them reminding us in one breath that Heather danced backup for Beyonce, while in another launching into this big apology tour about how “different” ballroom is from what Heather does. The cognitive dissonance…it hurts.
Just as a refresher for the regulars and a quick explanation for the newbs, the power rankings are a ranking of who I think is the least likely to get eliminated next week (#1) to who is the most likely (#12). It takes into account how well they danced, how memorable they were, how big I think their voting fanbase is going to be, how big their pro’s fanbase is, how likeable they are, etc. Is it NOT a ranking of how well they danced or how high they scored, so if you’re here to piously tell me that “so-and-so should be higher than so-and-so because they got a better score”, prepare to be called out. Shall we begin? ๐
1.) Simone & Sasha – Perhaps I had built this one up a bit too much in my head, but I was actually left wanting a bit more from this dance – seemed like Simone might have had a few jitters to work out, and as I had been worried he would do, Sasha seemed to go a bit safe with his choreography. I’m also not all that thrilled with tango as a week 1 dance, so there’s that too, but while the dance was good (and definitely one of the better performances last night), it just felt like a bit of a cop-out from a couple that seems to have so much potential to really blow everyone away. But working in their favor, already Simone seems to be more outgoing and talkative than Laurie was (which may have more to do with the fact that Simone isn’t getting completely drowned out by her own pro enjoying the sound of his own voice too much to shut up and let her speak); and Sasha has always been good about making sure his partners have the spotlight, and tends to make himself less conspicuous as a result. Personality-wise, I think they’re going to charm a lot of viewers.ย Additionally, Simone’s movement quality seems more fluid that Laurie’s, so she doesn’t seem as likely to suffer from the choppy, staccato “gymnastic-style” movements I found myself so irked by in Laurie.ย They’ve got the tools they need, and they do seem to mesh well together, personality-wise – I just want to see them up their game a bit and give us something more polished and exciting next week.ย But a solid week 1 effort ๐
2.) Rashad & Emma – I would actually give MVP of the evening to these two, with David & Lindsay as a close runner-up – I thought Rashad’s dance was the strongest in terms of both execution and entertainment value last night. He seemed the most at ease of all the male celebs out on the floor – very little in the way of nerves, and I definitely think that’s going to be a boon for him in the coming weeks as other contestants still struggle to work through their own. I think what impressed me the most, though, about Rashad’s movement quality, is that he has very good control – he can stop on a dime, his feet aren’t sliding all over the place, and he’s got some really nice arm lines.ย Which is why I was scratching my head at Len claiming Rashad went off-time, because I actually think he stayed in the pocket better than anyone else last night. I daresay Emma’s got a lot to work with this season, and I think she’s like a kid in a candy store – she almost doesn’t quite know what to do with all that potential ๐ My only caution might be that Rashad may be a bit too “cool” – he’s so at ease and confident that it could come across a tad cocky and detached.ย I’m interested to see how he is able to channel a sillier dance, like the jive.ย But overall, I’m thinking he may have the best shot of the male celebs of making it into the finale.
3.) David & Lindsay – Biggest pleasant surprise of the night for me – while I found myself really appreciating David’s upbeat attitude and willingness to embrace the experience in his rehearsal videos, I admittedly had the bar set pretty low for him in terms of actual dance skill.ย I got a definite “affable drunk uncle at a wedding” vibe from him.ย But MAN – he impressed the hell out of me last night, doing a dance that’s kind of a b*tch to do anyway, let alone in week one.ย He stayed on time, his frame looked great, he looked like he was having fun – and Lindsay, god bless her, took a hokey song and a tough dance and actually gave him legitimate quickstep choreography that was still really fun to watch. This girl is doing EVERYTHING right these days – she is right up there with Sharna on my list of pros that is overdue for an MBT, with how talented they are as teachers and choreographers. David seems like he’s willing to work hard and has a good rapport with Lindsay, and I would actually go so far as to say he’s a bit more open to the whole experience than Calvin was initially – I think the latter took a few weeks to really warm to the competition and hit a good stride, so David may already be ahead of him in that respect.ย I am interested to see how David handles a Latin dance – I think that will be the real test of his potential this season.ย But man – I think these two could surprise the hell out of a lot of folks, and possibly slide into the finals.
4.) Normani & Val – Val must have set some sort of new record for time wasted NOT doing the assigned dance – that intro of the two of them dancing separately on the stage seemed to go on FOREVER before they actually got into hold and started doing “quickstep” – and I use the quotes because it times it actually felt more tango-y, plus there was such a lack of body contact that I’m not sure what dance it resembled. I’m glad Len called Val out for both shortcomings – the coddling needs to stop, and Val needs to get serious about actually getting down to the nitty gritty of these dances instead of hiding behind empty, time-wasting choreography. On the plus side, Normani actually seems to have more natural skill than Laurie, and seems to be more of a performer. But here’s the biggest issue I’m seeing with these two: both seem to want to be the “star” of the partnership, and seem less inclined to work as a team.ย Hence the lack of body contact, and so much time spent NOT in hold – plus they both seemed to be trying to outdo one another when talking with Erin: Normani’s kinda basic comment about “literally passing out” had me rolling my eyes (if you “literally” passed out, then why doesn’t there seem to be footage?), as did Val’s “I’m-joking-but-not-really-because-I’m-truly-this-insecure” gripe about his scoring average going down – dude strikes me as the type that probably tries to edit his own Wikipedia page. Dear Lort, just make them both SHUT UP, because their mouths did them no favors last night. There’s talent here, and potential – but both need to shut it, work together, and focus in order for it to go anywhere.
5.) Charo & Keo – Probably the 2nd biggest pleasant surprise of the night for me, after David – Charo actually handled her salsa far better than I had thought she would. Granted, they gave her a style that probably suits her natural skill set the best, so I’m not sure subsequent dances are going to fit her quite this well, but for week 1, this was a solid effort. As I mentioned to someone on Twitter that was questioning why I had been doubtful of her skills headed into the competition, historical data from the past 23 seasons tells us that contestants over the age of 60 typically seem to struggle with simply remembering choreography, and moving more than a few baby steps in any direction. Additionally, history tells us that Keo’s partners in particular seem unusually prone to forgetting their choreography ๐ So to my surprise, Charo actually seemed to remember her entire routine, and moved to a surprising degree – plus I was entertained the entire time! The woman needs subtitles more often than not, and I sometimes wonder what exactly she’s on to make her act so zany, but I’ll be damned if I wasn’t riveted the whole time her rehearsal package was playing, the whole time she was dancing, and the whole time she was chatting with/issuing death threats to the judges ๐ And for what its worth, Keo actually seems to be handling her pretty well – which is a feat.ย But I do think the schtick will wear thin before long, and I doubt we see her make it past week 5, at the latest.ย But I’m gonna enjoy the antics while they last ๐
6.) Bonner & Sharna – If you’re only here to talk about “crotch-grab-gate”, leave – Sharna’s already addressed it, and the whole thing got ridiculously sensationalized on Twitter last night. It is the LEAST interesting thing to me about this couple, and it bores me to hear stupid people blather on about it. But anyway – I think we found our shipper bait for the season.ย You can definitely tell that production is angling for a showmance for these two, from the romance novel cover-worthy feel of their first meeting, to the constant reminders of the both of them being single, to the sexed-up staging of their dance – all an attempt to pander to the shippers, which will probably guarantee they make it to at least week 8 regardless of how good (or not good) of a dancer Bonner ends up being.ย And I’ll say this: there’s definite potential in him, but he’s not a natural in the same way that James was.ย Sharna is probably going to have to work a bit harder with him in order to get the same result, but he does seem ready and willing to work. Hips need some loosening, and it looks like he may have forgotten a bit of his choreography – both fixable, given enough effort.ย I actually think he’s got a pretty good stage presence, and found his dance more entertaining than Nick’s, even if Nick’s was technically stronger.ย He had a bit of a Matthew McConaughey in Magic Mike vibe last night, but I’m actually more curious to see him doing the ballroom dances – I think it may fit his more soft-spoken, southern gent demeanor a bit better.
7.) Nancy & Artem – To quote my colleague Heidi, “Nancy & Artem’s entire dance felt about as long as the time Normani & Val spent NOT doing quickstep!” This dance did seem unusually short, especially following Normani & Val, and while it was quite lovely, I kinda hate that it got stuck with a pretty crummy running order position – plus it was wedged between two far more memorable dances. While I am a tad worried that Nancy may have faded into the woodwork (like Erika), one thing that I thing bodes well for her is her graciousness – I loved how she just seemed so happy and grateful to be there, and fully embraced the experience. Quick story: Mama Spence sat next to her on a plane to Myrtle Beach about 15ish years ago, and said that she could not have been nicer or more down-to-earth – “a real class act”. And I definitely got that vibe from her last night ๐ Artem’s definitely got a lot of potential to work with – just gorgeous arm lines, and a very fluid quality of movement from her skating. Posture could use a bit of work – she’s not slouching, per se, but I just think she needs to shape a bit more through her torso. I give Artem credit for giving her a legitimate Viennese waltz, and also just letting her shine in the interview portion – he didn’t try to overshadow her like certain other pros.ย I would caution them both to try and be a bit more energetic and dynamic in the coming weeks, just so they don’t fade into the background among bigger personalities.
8.) Nick & Peta – For what its worth, I actually think Nick looked like more of a natural mover last night than Bonner – from a technical aspect, I actually think Nick carried off his cha-cha just a skosh more believably.ย Where Bonner has him beat, though, is in performance quality – because Nick’s left me feeling a bit strange and disconnected, when all’s said and done. Could have been nerves on his part, but he did seem to get a tad frantic at times, flinging his arms out haphazardly or launching himself into a turn a bit too forcefully. Peta also struck me as being kinda low-energy and checked out, and I wouldn’t say this was her strongest piece of choreography – even though many of her cha-cha’s have the same general look and steps, this one seemed particularly dumbed-down. To Nick’s credit, though, I actually kinda liked that he came across as kinda getting the big picture in his rehearsal package – he seems to understand that the male celebs this season are a tad screwed, because the female celebs are stacked with talent. Also appreciated that he wasn’t afraid to call out Heather’s massive level of dance experience to Heather’s partner’s baby mama’s face ๐ I think there’s definitely some potential in him, if Peta has the energy to harness it and nurture it – but I think they need to work on their connection, and I think Nick needs to resist the urge to play into the “bad boy” stereotype he’s been cast to fulfill.
9.) Heather & Maks – Riddle me this: how is it possible that someone can give probably the most technically-correct dance of the evening, yet leave me feeling completely apathetic about their performance? Because that’s exactly how I felt about this one – just NUMB. It was the dance equivalent of saltine crackers, plain white rice, toast with nothing on it, take your pick – it was nutritionally complete, but lacked any flavor whatsoever.ย I agree with whichever judge said that they “didn’t feel like they really knew Heather any better” after watching that dance – my guess is that, being the professional dancer that she is, she probably treated the dance like a paid gig: she came, she learned, she performed, she collected the check. She didn’t become overly emotionally invested in the dance, or really “make it her own”.ย And I think that’s what her biggest struggle is going to be – she may be technically near-perfect, but has completely divorced herself of any emotional ties to her performance.ย A novice like David or Rashad may be able to really tune into the emotion of a performance in a way that Heather has kinda broken herself of; additionally, I’m getting the impression that this is another season where Maks is really only there to collect a paycheck and promote his own interests, and isn’t likely to really bend over backwards get Heather vulnerable or really challenge her. I find it hilarious that Julianne felt the need to drive home the “ZOMG ballroom is SOOOOO DIFFERENT THAN OTHER TYPES OF DANCE!!!” nonsense, because it just felt like a desperate ploy to save the asses of the higher-ups once more. I think these two are going to have to seriously evaluate their strategy, because performances like this aren’t going to get them to the finals.
10.) Mr. T & Kym – I was entertained by this “cha-cha” (and that’s a VERY loose definition of cha-cha, because I only saw maybe 3 cha-cha steps total), but content-wise, even Chris had Mr. T beat. Given that Kym is usually known to be pretty good about giving her partners content while still making them look good, I have to reason that perhaps T is really just that poor at remembering choreography that Kym had to resort to long moments of T just striking various strong-man poses and hope that he did them on-time (he didn’t, bless him). And it unfortunately makes me pretty nervous, given that cha-cha is probably one of the easier dances he’s gonna have thrown his way, and he still kinda flopped. I will give him credit for his commitment, though – he may have been doing those poses completely off-time, but he was doing them with conviction, and if he goofed during the cha-cha portions, he just kept going, rather than stopping awkwardly. I think he’s going to make it through next week safely, just based on the fact that he’s a nostalgic favorite, but I doubt T is gonna have the juice to last much further in the competition than week 3 or 4, tops – which sucks, because he is pretty entertaining, and I was excited to have Kym back.ย Oh well – such is the nature of the beast we call DWTS…
11.) Erika & Gleb – Actual text I got from Deep Throat after the show: “I had totally forgotten about Erika until I walked right past her just now.” Was Erika bad? No. Was Erika great? No. Was Erika memorable? Not at all, at least for me & Deep Throat, and that’s the biggest problem one can have on this show. I think part of the problem lies in what I have commonly referred to as “singer choreography” – as a singer, Erika is used to doing simpler, lower-impact choreography in order to allow her adequate breath control while performing.ย Because of this, I think she’s likely used to moving pretty small – and the kinda-compact, kinda-repetitive, and (if we’re being honest) kinda-cheap choreography Gleb gave her didn’t seem to help her this week.ย She handled it all pretty well (although I will agree with the judges that she seemed a bit wobbly from time to time), and she’s got a good foundation of skills to build on – but man, she HAS to stand out from the crowd.ย The women this season are just too stacked in terms of talent for her to be blending in – I would caution Gleb not to fall into the same trap he did last season in kinda recycling the same flash-and-trash choreography week after week, and I would maybe have Erika tone down the “I’m rich, I’m fabulous, it’s expensive to be me” act, as it seems to have the potential to put off some viewers. Thankfully, I think Chris self-destructed a bit this week, and likely prevented Erika from getting the boot – but I would not be at all shocked to see her in jeopardy next week.
12.) Chris & Witney – Poor Chris – I think he unfortunately may have Lolo Jones’d this one. The dance, while not technically great, was actually pretty entertaining – the character was on-point, the humor was there, and overall I found it fun to watch, even if his timing was pretty iffy and he was pretty stiff when actually doing the few cha-cha steps Witney gave him. But I think where he really had the biggest misstep was afterwards, during his chat with Erin backstage.ย Oof – he came across as tense and awkward, and seemed to just further shoot himself in the foot with some of the stuff he was saying.ย I think Erin TRIED to make him feel better (a la Mischa Barton in season 22), but I think she even felt uncomfortable and not 100% sure what to say. I think this was just an unfortunate situation where putting one’s foot in one’s mouth made a marginal situation much worse than it really needed to be. Not that I think things would be a whole lot different if Chris hadn’t been awkward backstage – I doubt he & Witney are gonna last more than a week or two into the season, and I found myself face-palming a bit at Witney’s choreo and general inability to console an upset partner. Seems like Chris’ fanbase is iffy (he’s been out of the spotlight for awhile) and his demeanor too awkward to really save these two next week.
So those are my thoughts after the first night…what are yours? Share your rankings with us in the comments!
Good job, Court! One of my favorite features always on this site! I always look so forward to these. And here are my rankings…
1. Simone and Sasha โ I have no words. They were just stunning and beautiful out there. She may end up being my favorite gymnast on this show.
2. Rashad and Emma โ I just loved them. His footwork was off the hook. I loved his flair and coolness. I agree with Julianne, he has the magic to go all the way. Way fun and full of charisma and style. His smile is addicting too. Hubby watched this dance too and he is full out for Rashad this season.
3. Heather and Maks โ Except for her needing to loosen up a little, I liked this dance. I thought Maks even stepped up his choreography a little. I loved Heatherโs grace too for what Julianne mentioned.
4. Lindsay and David โ Geez, I wasnโt expecting him to be that good. What a great quickstep…and full of shine, style, and fun. I loved Lindsayโs SHOES too!
5. Nancy and Artem โ I’m so use to Artem’s partners being kind of blah. Whoa,,,not this time. She was just stunning out there. Just beautiful and I loved her smile!! She was a dream just like she is on the ice.
6. Sharna and Bonner โ Goodness! I just loved them. Their chemistry was just off the hook. I couldnโt take my eyes off of them for a second and the whole dance! WELL DONE! They made a statement tonight.
7. Gleb and Erika โ I will say it like this….RED HOT RED HOT RED HOT!! I loved them, the costumes, and the production!! I really liked the clever Egyptian type moves together at the end. I loved all the jewels. They were just relaxed and having a lot of fun.
8. Peta and Nick- He was much better than I thought he would be. There is room for improvement and it felt rushed, but, great first dance.
9. Val and Normani โ That was a quickstep? It didnโt look like it at all and they missed some steps in places. But, it was full of pizazz and personality. I loved her dress.
10. Charo โ My, what a fun season this is going to be. She is so funny and just had a ball out there. I love her joy and craziness. I hope she keeps making moves on Tom and Bruno too. lol
11. Mr. T and Kym โ Aww, I love Mr. T. I love how Kym utilized his boss-like presence for the dance. She knew just what to do as always.
12. Chris โ I agree with Sasha…heโs โthe manโ. I loved Chrisโ fun and goofy humor and I loved his head beats the most. They cracked me up. I agreed with Julianne too. He just needs to keep being a goofy dancer and himself in every dance.
I think I had set expectations so low given my annoyance at some of the casting and partnerships this season that I found myself pleasantly surprised. Here are my rankings.
1) Simone and Sasha: I’m with you Courtney on liking it but wanting more. Especially seeing what some of the female pros came up with choreography wise. However, it was a well-executed and good dance. What Simone has over the other ringers (Normani, Heather) is a connection and likability. She’s got a great personality, and she’s partnered with one of the most likable pros on the show. That is definitely to her advantage.
2) Rashad and Emma: This is one pairing that met expectations. It was nice to see what Emma can do with someone with a good amount of natural skill, and Rashad just lit up the floor. Definitely a contender.
3) David and Lindsay: I had a feeling David would surprise people as far as likability goes. Cubs fans like myself know how endearing he can be. I had no idea that he could pull that off dance-wise though. Much credit to Lindsay. She’s a versatile partner who can pull out greatness from celebs of many talent levels. I’m so excited to see what’s next for these two.
4) Bonner and Sharna: Did not catch hand gate live. Watched it for the first time this morning. Was left saying “that’s it?!?!?” after all the tweets I’d read about. Just a complete non-scandal. He seems to be a guy with some potential who fits in with the voting demographics of this show, so i anticipate we’ll see him for a while.
5) Normani and Val: Ugh. I hated all the “messing about” to use a Len phrase. This dance seemed like a massive waste of her talent. I agree Courtney that it seems like egos might be a problem in this partnership.
6) Nancy and Artem: The Nancy/Tonya thing was a bit before my time (I had just turned one when it happened) so I didn’t know much about Nancy. But I really liked her. She seemed to be so appreciative of the opportunity but not quite as frenetic as I remember Maureen being. Afraid she might be a victim to all the ringers we have this season, but I really like her. Artem also seems like a great partner for her.
7) Charo and Keo: This was one of Keo’s better moments for me. It was a great dance that suited Charo well, which are words I’ve hardly (if ever) uttered about Keo. I’m a little dubious about her in weeks to come, but this was a really good performance.
8) Nick and Peta: This is another case where I think my low expectations were a good thing. I came in not expecting much from Nick because of the history of bachelors on this show and the bad things I’d heard about him from his time on various Bachelor(ette) programs. However, I thought he had a good attitude and a perfectly respectable week 1 performance. Again not sure if he’s going to be a victim of all the ringers, but he has a potential like Peta said to be the best bachelor that’s competed on DWTS.
9) Heather and Maks: I put them so low because I don’t think they did enough to separate themselves from the pack dance/score wise. Because I don’t really think they’re going to kill it in the votes, I put them pretty low. I don’t think there’s a chance the producers will send them packing week 1, but if they continue to be middle of the pack score wise then a Sabrina-esque elimination could be in their future. FWIW, I think Sabrina and Mark had a lot more going for them in the likability department than Heather and Maks do.
10) Erika and Gleb: Fine but forgettable. I agree the choreography wasn’t stellar. I don’t expect her to be around long.
11) Mr. T and Kym: He’s a big personality and seems like a sweetheart, but a dancer he is not. Despite his big personality, he’s another early out for me.
But….
12) Chris and Witney: I think all of the other ratings are kind of inconsequential at this point because it seems like almost a foregone conclusion that Chris and Witney are the first out. Bad dance made worse by the awkward interview afterwards. All of those awkward pauses and clear uncomfortable vibes didn’t help at all. I am pretty positive he’s a goner.
As always, I look forward to and enjoy reading your power rankings, Courtney,
I just wanted to comment on Bonner’s and Sharna’s dance and his dancing skills. I really do think he has the
dancing skills that could take him far into the competition (see around the two minute mark of their Facebook Live chat video on 3/12/17 and Sharna’s comment during an Access Hollywood Live interview that he has “amazing rhythm and coordination.”) It was clear from the opening number that he was nervous and overwhelmed by the situation. I also don’t think it helped that they included graphic video of the accident causing his injury. Unlike James, Noah and JR, Bonner was conscious the entire time after his injury, so he had a lot more feelings and memories to deal with when seeing the video. In addition, the song was awfully fast and not a great dance song. Finally, I think the distractions at the beginning (the smoke and snafu with the hat) threw off his rhythm and concentration.
My rankings are the complete opposite of what I expected so this was very very interesting. 1)Simone and Sasha 2)David and Lindsay 3)rashad and emma 4)Nancy and artem 5)Erika and gleb 6)sharna and Bonner 7)charo and keo 8)Heather and maks 9)nick and sharna 10)normani and Val 11)mr t and kym (love them though ๐ ) and last but not least since he was a hoot 12)chris and witney
Never tried to post on here before so here it goes
I’ve watched a number of premieres but last night was the biggest snooze fest I’ve ever witnessed
Only two people impressed me Bonner and Simone
I was eager for Mr T if he loosens up I can’t wait to see what he does next but I think both he and Kym have enough of fan base to get beyond week one
Val and his partner as soon as they started I’m like that’s not a freaking quickstep so glad they got called out on that
Everyone else I’ve already forgotten about that’s how much of a snooze fest the night felt like
@allyson yup lol
I’m a newbie here so I’m sorry if this is a dumb question, but who/what is Deep Throat haha?
Just a few things I wanted to add: agree 100 percent on the ego being the issue there with Val and normani. That opening omg. That was a turn off for me from the start. It made what was a solid dance just a blur of quickstep with that long intro. It felt like the intro to a subpar movie. Side note: wouldn’t be shocked if Val has his average update daily for him lol. Also kinda found the hoopla over “fourth harmony” joke that nick made to be hysterical. Those fans want blood lol
1. David- As Iโve said, this is the most excited Iโve ever been about a contestant, so even if he fell on his face heโs be number 1. I was pleasantly surprised how well he did. Heโs well-known for being an underdog and super hard worker, and I think he could be the wildcard this season. I love the choreo and this partnership has the potential to be my favorite ever
2. Rashad- Emma looks so happy and IMO this should have closed out the show. He was a showstopper. They had excellent chemistry, I was engaged the whole dance, and I think he could have a chance to win it all.
3. Simone- I love her and Sasha and I did enjoy the dance. I think Iโm just so sick of the โtechno tangoโ that I didnโt love it as much as I wanted to. Iโm excited for them going forward, though.
4. Nancy- I was surprised by her connection with Artem- they seemed to really gel. I loved the dance, but she was doing something weird with her eyes. Iโll be curious about Latin.
5. Heather- This is so high because I really enjoyed the choreo, which is unusual for me when it comes to Maks. Her spins were beautiful. I feel nothing for her, though.
6. Nick- I was surprised how much I liked this. Heโs probably the most talented Bachelor weโve had, and I ended up liking him so much more than I thought I would. I noticed the low energy thing too, but I actually thought Peta just looked exhausted, which I get.
7. Normani- I like her, I didnโt like the dance. Even when it got into hold it felt rushed and weird. She was first, thoughWhatโs going to annoy me this season is her fans. They are already bashing everyone from David to Len. Val is Val.
8. Charo- So much fun and I enjoyed her and Keo. Not sure how sheโll do with a more subdued dance, though
9. Bonner- Like I noted last night, Iโm in the minority in that I hated this dance. I felt nothing watching Bonner, and this fauxmance TPTB have started will turn me off fast. Iโm not writing him off yet, though, bc I have faith in Sharna and he does have potential.
10. Erika- I liked her better than I thought, but this dance was a letdown. Glebโs choreo bombed hard IMO, and it was just a strange dance that got lost in the shuffle.
11. Mr. T- Worse than I thought, but I loved him and his enthusiasm. Kym did the best she could, and at least she looked amazing.
12. Chris- I think Witney probably went the best route she could, but it was a trainwreck. I was uncomfortable the whole time. Iโll be shocked if he doesnโt go.
Thought last night felt not as rushed nor long as most premiers and liked that, on the whole, the troupe was diminished from the routines. Agree largely with Courtney, so here are my first impressions based on approximate running order:
Normani – Sheโs a dynamo but not enough quickstepping nor body contact. Looking forward to her Latin dances.
Chris – Not sure the SNL spoof or his personality translated well. Neither he nor Witney looked happy all night.
Charo – Granted sheโs not 20, but was expecting more content from her given her admitted familiarity with cha cha as well as a few other relevant dance styles.
Nancy – Was not a fan of Nancyโs skating or personality back in the day but was pleasantly surprised by her lovely dance and partnership with Artem (his new lady is doing wonders for his personality) last night. Definitely needs to lose the Norma Desmond lost fans in the dark look however.
Bonner – Not enough hip, fluidity or content. Ballroom may suit him better. Forced chemistry and showmance.
Heather SheโsNotaThisSortofDancer – She (shockingly /s) danced it well but I agree a bit on her disconnect. Generic but decent choreography by Maksโ standard (also sensing some disinvestment from him). And, oh yeah, sure Julianne ProducerTalkingPoints, all newbie Ballroom dancers spot just like that. /s
Nick – Liked him better than I thought. Redundant cha cha choreo and staging by Peta. Agree she showed up in dance but seemed off otherwise.
David – Charming and maybe a scouch better dance than expected. Donโt think Latin will be his forte though. Clever execution by Lindsay.
Erica – Not sure if sheโs schticking or not but found her offputting and underperforming. More a striptease than salsa.
Rashad – Great to see Emma with a contender and theyโve the best team chemistry this season by far.
Mr T – It wasnโt a cha cha but he was committed and it suited him to a T.
Simone – Kinda wanted more or different (over the techno tangos). Still one of the better matched teams that I am really looking forward to this season.
I’m amazed. People can say what they want but lets be real, gymnasts dont have dance experience. They’re not dancers or even performers. The floor is the one and only one same practiced routine that even comes close.
Their amazingness comes from their elite athletic ability.
Gymnasts always done well, but only Shawn was the only obe who won way back in season 8 BARELY. Before Laurie.
There is something special about Laurie and Simone. And its starts with how amazingly beautiful they are and an even more amazing charming, cute, funny and so sweet personalities.
There is strong competition this season. Its amazing how Simone(a gymnast) shows up Normani and Heather. Both who are dancers. Even others.
I’m extremely impressed and for me I hope Simone wins. I think it would be great for 2 gymnasts to win back to back and I think its good for the show.
My opinion.
I’m just going to talk about people who stood out for me
Nick – I was pleasantly surprised and I don’t know if it’s just me but at times he looked a bit like Ryan Reynolds? and I liked how he called out Heather being a professional dancer in front of Peta because I’m sure every celeb and most pros were thinking it.
Rashad – I LOVED him! He has this natural star quality about him! It kind of reminded me and seems to be embracing the experience and genuinely wants to learn how to dance. I love that he has Emma as his partner.
Simone – She is so adorable. Her personality reminds me of Laurie but unlike Laurie, I think we’ll see more of Simone’s personality just because of difference in partnering. I’m really hoping Sasha brings it with choreo this season.
David – I was surprised. We haven’t had an MLB player before so I didn’t have any expectations. I think his partnership with Lindsey is fun and I think, like Rashad, he really is embracing this experience. I’m excited for this couple
Heather – her character on Glee reminds me of her actual persona a bit, she’s doesn’t have a very dynamic personality that stands out and I think that’s going to be her detriment in not being able to connect to the audience. Also, I feel like Julianne was told by producers to say that whole “ballroom is different than what you’re trained in” line
ALSO, not to be mean but when Allison came back after having a child, did they give this much attention to her like they did Maks and Peta last night? Also, I found myself rolling my eyes when they said “welcome back” to Maks during their interview with Erin, when he was literally on last season? I also feel like Maks only agrees to come back when he has partners with potential (after he said he was done with the show before he won with Meryl)
I did the math (yay math!) Normani and Val spent a total of about 35 seconds before getting down to actually quickstepping. No big deal, right? 35 seconds is short in normal time. However the entire dance took 1:12 or 72 seconds. When you divide 35/72 you get (rounded) 48.6%. they wasted ALMOST HALF of the dance with the beginning.
My Power Rankings:
1. Rashad & Emma – He was my winner pick before the show aired and is still my winner pick now. I think he set a great impression last night and is an excellent candidate for those who don’t like all the female ringers on this season.
2. Simone & Sasha – I’m surprised she did so well for a Week 1 Tango and I liked it about as much as I could considering it’s one of my least favorite styles. Conventional wisdom based on the last several seasons says she’ll win because she got the highest score the first night but I think this may end up being the season to break the streak. A small part of me is concerned some people will assume she’s safe and not vote as much as they would otherwise.
3. David & Lindsay – I think this is a very well-matched pair and one that is going to go far this season. He has a strong fanbase and did all the right things last night for someone who came into this as a non-dancer. I think the scores were kind of high but it was still a decent first dance.
4. Normani & Val – They started off the show with a bang and I think her fans are going to get them a lot of votes. I agree with those saying that this dance needed a lot more content but what little we did get was good IMO.
5. Bonner & Sharna – I’m finding this guy really boring so far and I’m not interested in the showmance whatsoever but the demo seems to love him so like it or not he’s probably gonna be around awhile.
6. Heather & Maks – I really liked this dance and thought it was underscored but I still feel weird about having a professional dancer as a contestant (which I’m guessing was probably the main reason why it got the scores it did). I think she may suffer in votes so we’ll see how invested in this couple TPTB are.
7. Charo & Keo – The overall reaction to Charo seemed to be pretty divided but I think she’ll get enough support to make it for at least this week. She was the standout of the first hour for me and I loved that dance. She and Keo seem to have a great partnership so far.
8. Nick & Peta – I think he’s coming across pretty well so far and his dance was okay but kind of frantic. It seems a lot of Bachelor Nation dislikes him but so far he’s different on this show so we’ll see how the general public responds to this partnership.
9. Nancy & Artem – FAVORITE DANCE OF THE NIGHT but they went very early and they’re so quiet so I fear they may get lost in the shuffle at some point, though I’m sure they’re fine for next week.
10. Mr. T & Kym – I love their partnership and his personality and I’m sure he’s getting enough votes to stay but at some point his scores are going to be too far behind the rest and they’ll get cut. Hopefully not for a couple weeks though.
11. Erika & Gleb – I don’t like the slut-shaming I’ve seen directed towards her and she’ll probably be stronger in ballroom than Latin but I think she’s okay for next week, even though the dance had a lot of repetitive cheoregraphy in it.
12. Chris & Witney – Props to him for getting out there and doing his best but the whole segment was just awkward and I’d be shocked to see anyone else leave on Monday (unless we get a surprise double elimination).
My top 3 are Simone/Sasha, Rashad/Emma and David/Lindsey. David made me smile and I was surprised by his dance. I think he’s going to be like Bill Engvall, someone everyone thinks will be out early and will actually make it quite far. I’m so happy for Sasha and Emma to be given partners like this and have a very good shot of winning. It’s a good possibility that we could see them both in the finals.
I give Chris credit for doing the show, but the dance wasn’t good by any means. Erika loves Erika and Erika can do no wrong because she’s rich. I didn’t find anything cute or entertaining about Charo. I was somewhat embarrassed watching her with the judges.
Nancy’s dance was beautiful for week one. And it’s nice to see Artem with someone who has potential.
Normani/Val are 2 over inflated egos each trying to outdo the other. I’m hoping they’re gone before mid season. Heather/Maks I can’t enjoy because they are 2 pros. I don’t want to see 2 pros dancing, and I don’t want to hear “ballroom is so different” every week to justify her being there.
I don’t want to see a Bonner/Sharna showman. Bonner will be the good ole country boy and Sharna has another partner with the near death experience. He’ll be around for awhile because there are so many others that will go first, but I don’t see them even making the quarter finals.
Mr. T, why is he there? Like Charo, not entertaining and the act is old. And then there’s Nick. While he wasn’t bad, there’s something there that I don’t like. I was concerned TPTB were really going to push a Maks/Val/Peta finals, but after last night, I don’t see it happening, thankfully.
Bottom 3 should be Chris, Mr. T and Charo/Erika with Chris leaving.
I feel that Heather has these expectations put on her because she is a dancer. I like to look at is if she was just a singer or actor and think, “If she were a singer/actor, would this be a good performance?” To me, I thing her dance was good. Could have gone without the first part because I do where it took a while to get dancing, but she is good at dancing. I have read news and gossip, and I feel like people are being mean to Heather because people don’t particularly like Maks. Please don’t judge her based on her partner.
One more tiny tidbit:
I feel like they scored way to high on just the first dance. Like, I was amazed at the 8. Usually it come in the third week. I feel as though the judges are becoming more lenient.
I just wonder why Simone had no criticism whatsoever. That Tango was one of the more boring re-tread dances of the night and the footwork wasn’t all that, is it wrong to want to see heel leads at least? I’m resigned to knowing the final dancer of week 1 will probably hoist the mirrorball, not because she isn’t a good dancer, but because the judges have set the stage to believe she’s better than she is.
Who did I like? Rashid, David, Nancy. Rashid is a wonderful natural mover and shame on Len for calling out technique when he didn’t bother with Simone. David is just likable and he has a fun inventive choreographer. Heather is a beautiful dancer, and the more we see it, the more she’ll be taken to task for knowing much more than she has revealed. Normani will be a finalist because of all the hype, but I didn’t like that QS. The choreography is just terrible.
Just to add, I think Nancy and Artem have a lot to work with, now that she’s over the first week jitters and tentativeness. I hated that she got 2nd running order spot, that’s where DWTS dancers go to die.
About Normani and Val, I agree that they need to learn how to work as a team, but, your choice of words to criticize other points is just mean lol. It’s more like you don’t enjoy their personalities. I’ve been following them on Social Media, so, it all makes sense to me adn I find them a really funny, talented and hard working duo. Val wanted Normani to have seconds to shine alone before they started the quickstep, what was observed by one of the judges as a positive move, but, unfortunately it didn’t please everybody. In an interview, Val also said he wanted to help Normani shows who she is as a dancer while on the show. However, if it’s not good for her, both of them will have to make better decisions in the future, if she continues.Plus, Normani said the “passing out” wasn’t in a literal way. She just got tired to the point where she needed to lie down on the floor everytime they rehearsed the quickstep.
Top: Simone/Sasha, Rashad/Emma, Normani/Val – I think all three proved to be solid, natural performers who are very capable of winning. Super happy to see Sasha and Emma get real contenders here.
Surprises: David/Lindsay and Nick/Peta – Lindsay kills it every time taking somebody who nobody sees coming and really putting on a solid technical performance. She also has a great track record with quickstep. And David has the perfect personality for the show. Nick was really surprising. I really don’t like him personally and my mother even said there’s something about him that she finds unlikable, but he was able to really move out there. For a bachelor doing Latin, I’m pretty pleased with the quality of his movement.
Solid: Heather/Maks, Nancy/Artem, Charro/Keo – Heather was perfectly good but not super memorable at the end of the night. I think she may get drowned out by bigger personalities. Very pleased with the Nancy/Artem pairing. They compliment each other well and I think the best thing Artem could do is take a page out of his Strictly days and focus on the ballroom dancing. Happy to see her so happy as well because I know she was saddled with the ice queen persona back in the day. Charro actually also had great quality of movement and did an actual salsa, unlike a lot of the “salsa” dances that are on the show. She definitely was a bit underscored in comparison to others. But her personality may go from funny to annoying really quickly if she doesn’t tone it down just a bit.
Questions: Erika/Gleb and Bonner/Sharna – Erika did well, but I think she has the perfect storm of issues that could make her an early boot: she wasn’t super memorable at the end of the night, bad running order, relied a little too heavily on the sexbomb character, and her package focused so much on money and being rich. She’s actually a pretty down to earth girl on her show and funny, so I hope she survives and gets to show that side of her personality. On Bonner, I feel like I watched a totally different performance than most. I thought he was super sloppy, stiff in the face (when you could see it) and went off time a lot. I love Sharna, but his quality of movement there was rough. He’s handsome though and not the worst.
Bottom: Mr T/Kim and Chris/Witney – Mr T was barely moving, but Chris was off-putting in his general demeanor. There’s something interesting about comedians where there is the constant expectation for them to be funny and to almost be their characters. When you find out that they are real people, there’s almost this disconnect. That’s what I was getting with him. He just wasn’t joyful and laughing at himself like you would expect. If his personality isn’t working AND he’s a bad dancer, that’s an easy boot.
Well then, Angie, if you find it so “mean”, you don’t have to read it. Problem solved.
@Hailey – Oh, people expect Heather to be a good dancer BECAUSE SHE’S A DANCER??? MY GOD!!! THE HUMANITY!!! ๐ฏ
And if you really think people are judging Heather solely based on Maks, you’re not exactly emotionally intelligent.
I know that YouTube views have nothing to do with votes, but i’m still surprised that Simone doesn’t have a lot more views for her first dance the way Laurie did, given she’s so popular.
And the “elite athletic ability” is what makes her a ringer, OHL, along with the nice big fanbase from having just completed the Olympics.
First of all, thanks to Courtney for her thoughtful and insightful analysis. I always devour her rankings!! Makes Tuesday morning more tolerable.
My rankings:
1.) Rashad/ Emma: He was so smooth and secure in his footing.
2.) Simone/ Sasha: I didn’t love the dance but she is solid.
3.) Dave/ Lindsay: Totally endearing and just plain entertaining
4.) Nancy/ Artem: Since she’s a figure skater, I really think the waltz suited her and it’s so nice to see Artem happy.
5.) Charo/ Keo: She has always been zany but I think she can be underestimated because of her age and zaniness but she is uber talented. No she’s not going to win the MBT and she’ll probably be out in a few weeks but she was solid last night. Also, I think Keo is a perfect partner for her. I don’t think the other males have as much patience that Keo has to deal with Ms Cuchi Cuchi (other than Tony)! We’ll see how she does with the more serious dances…
6.) Bonner/ Sharna: He’s definitely not James Hinchcliffe and I don’t think he ever will be but he does have lots of potential and a terrific teacher.
7.) Normani/ Val: She’s very talented but the dance was a bit flat. I also wish Val WOULD SHUT UP!! Just say something like “I’m proud of her” and leave it at that!! Just shut up already!
8.) Nick/ Peta: I’m comparing him to Nyle for some reason and I like Nyle better. I guess Nick has potential. He wasn’t terrible. And Peta looked outstanding last night and she gave it her all. Hip hip hooray for the sexy new momma! Sure wish I could move and look like that 2 months post-baby!
9.) Heather/ Maks: I agree that she seemed disconnected. She was just blah. Not terrible but nothing special either. I’d rather see Charo!
10.) Mr T/ Kym: He seemed a bit nervous and probably felt out of his element but it was a cute routine and I’m happy to see him again and I just love Kym!
11.) Erika/ Gleb: I wasn’t feeling this routine at all. She’s going to get lost in the shuffle in my opinion. I don’t know a thing about her but I just didn’t care for the routine…
12.) Chris/ Witney: Poor Chris. I feel bad for him. He did try. I suppose he’s the first one going home and yes Len’s comments were unnecessarily mean. Talk about kicking someone when they’re down. Sheesh….
Come into this season, I was thinking Simone might win but now I think Rashad might but it’s only Week 1 and so much can happen in the next 9 weeks. I’m thinking either Rashad or Simone wins. I’m happy with either of them….
Is Normanis video stuck because it has been at a 19k for hours and has 5k likes and a lot of comments? It should have a lot more views. She still ahead of the pack though.
That’s a good point, Jazz.
Um, Hailey, OF COURSE there were expectations on her because she is a dancer! She’s not “just a singer or actor” – SHE IS A DANCER. And, therefore, she will be judged as a dancer. That’s how it should be.
And yes, she’s good at dancing….because SHE’S a DANCER!
Why is this so hard?
Angie, she used the word “literally”…like, literally. So yes, she meant literally. Either that or she doesn’t know the true meaning of the word.
Do you do rankings based on how well couples danced anywhere else, like twitter? I’d love to see those as well
I actually thought Heather’s dance was terribly bad technically. I thought she danced it well, but there was some sort of horrible disconnect for me which I think came from her lacking any sort of emotion.
The movement was as to be expected from someone who not so long ago was a working dancer, but she seemed to be rather stone-faced through it all, which seemed a bit off-putting. To me, it wasn’t an arrogance. It was more like she just decided to not show any emotions at all.
That actually could end up hurting her against others this season, because there are a lot of big personalities this year in the competition. While she is certainly the best technical dancing celebrity now, if she can’t convey emotion, she has little chance of winning over the audience.
I’m surprised how high people have put Charo. I thought she came across more annoying than entertaining especially when her dance had finished although she did dance quite well. If it’s not Chris who gets eliminated first I bet it’ll be her. Mr T was entertaining but not annoying at all, he was very respectable and someone you could root for despite not being able to dance. I hope he stays longer than Chris and Charo. I don’t think Erika is in trouble yet, but give it a couple more weeks and she’ll be on the block if she keeps up the “I’m rich and better than everyone else” attitude. It’s hardly a vote winner.
I wonder what the chances are of Normani winning the season based primarily on her Fifth Harmony fanbase? I know it sounds ridiculous but these fans aren’t like the YouTube ones. They are known for being one of the most rabid and loyal fandoms out there right now and seem to have been doing a lot of voting (saw lots of tweets used from the post-online voting links for Normani). I guess time will tell if they get bored or keep it up as the weeks go by.
I’m fine with the people who have dancing experience. If the audience had to suffer through a season of 5-7’s, with an occasional 8, they would lose viewership. I think they raise the bar enough to challenge other couples. I think most people know who the bottom five are so we wait a month or so to get to the real competition and great dancing. I would really like to see a 1,2 for Emma and Sasha. The freestyles will be amazing.
@Rachel ..the reason why Laurie’s dance had more views than Simone’s is because Laurie had Val. & we know Val is the most popular pro on DWTS after Derek.
Plus, IMO Simone’s dance wasn’t as fun & entertaining as Laurie’s dance either..it was very boring. I blame the dance style though.. a Tango as a week-1 dance is not a good choice. Plus Sasha’s choreography is so bland. Sasha plays it too safe always with his choreography.
@Julia.. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SAYING THAT. Normani’s 5H fans aren’t as Bethany/Janel/ Hayes’s fans who were more busy RTing their tweets or get them trending. 5H fans are crazy loyal, they are so organized.. they have organized their voting way for Normani after every show. Plus Normani is also encouraging them to vote more than get her trending by RTing voting details constantly.
Normani is SLAYING everywhere.. her Youtube vid has the most views too. She will slay everyone’s life & win. Sorry if i sound too cocky.. but 5H fans+Normani fans +VAL fans.. can nobody beat that!!
Have fun, ya’ll!!
Without a doubt in my mind Normani and Val will win. Probably by a landslide.
She wanted him and their partnership is already so strong.
Val is one of the best and most popular pros. Normani is amazing and has a sweet personality.
The number 1 factor is her fans. They are insanely commited to her. Like seriously insane. I think there will be voting records. I also read that the ratings sky rocketed during their dance.
Normani s24 champ. Val back to back and gets his 3rd.
I loved Rashad! He has great charisma and that was the best dance of the night for me.
Nancy and Artem really impressed me – I didn’t think I would like that partnership but that was a beautiful waltz.
As others have mentioned, Val and Normani wasted too much time before getting into the Quickstep. Val annoys me to no end, so can’t see myself ever voting for them. Same with Heather and Maks.
I enjoyed the evening and looking forward to next week now that everyone got the first night jitters out of the way. Unfortunately, I think Chris will be the one going home.
Having millions of followers on Social Media doesn’t really mean those people are voting. Look at Hayes Grier, Cody Simpson & Bethany Mota! Bethany got 4th place even with 7 MILLION followers on YouTube! Her followers were pissed that she stopped posting as many videos during her DWTS run & didn’t vote. Social Medial following means NOTHING!
I’ve only watched Simone and Rashad’s dances from week one. Based on that alone, I seriously think Rashad could BEAT Simone! His Cha-cha was AWESOME!!! MUCH LIKE Amber Riley’s week 1 Cha Cha in S17 and she ended up with the MBT!
@Kelly – I was thinking the same thing! Rashad was fantastic and so likeable. I’m so happy for Emma.
Dear Lord, you Harmonizers are reaching entirely new levels of delusion. “I also read that the ratings sky rocketed during their dance” – where’d ya read that? Another Harmonizer’s Twitter account? Sources, please. #AlternativeFacts
Yeah, that whole “winning by a landslide” thing – good luck proving that. And voting records? HA. Feel free to hold out for an MBT for Normani & Val, but I don’t think they have this in the bag AT ALL – and I’ve been blogging this show for 8 years now. I think I probably have a better feel for these things than the average viewer.
@Lilian – I’m just gonna caution you that your tone may not sit well with some – the Harmonizers aren’t exactly making a lot of friends amongst the rest of the DWTS fandom. Also, I feel like you basically just parroted what I said about Simone’s dance in the power rankings, and are trying to pass it off like it’s this new revelation.
And seriously, I’m putting a moratorium on talk about YouTube viewers. They do not equal votes, and they are not an indicator of who is going to win. You guys are misleading people and I don’t appreciate it.
More and more I feel like a stock character on the show is the contestant with a rabid fanbase, and almost always they don’t win. People have mentioned Hayes and Bethany. But I also thought of Zendaya and all the Twitter votes she won, Antonio Brown and how Steelers fans were going to blow everyone out of the water, etc.
Obviously having a rabid fanbase isn’t a bad thing, but it isn’t near the advantage people perceive it to be. Especially if said rabid fanbases take for granted that their star is going to go all the way.
@Laura – EXACTLY. And I still say you’re better off winning over the general viewing audience of DWTS and earning their votes, than you are coming in with your own “rabid fanbase” – the general viewing audience will always trump the niche fanbase. And looking at demographics, I’d say the contestants most likely to win over the general viewing audience are Simone, Bonner, Rashad, Nancy, and David – all are athletes in sports that appeal to the conservative-leaning viewing audience.
The Harmonizers don’t know the story of the DWTS journeys of Bill Engvall or Cloris Leachman. And they couldn’t even dance! Power of the regular voters…..
@Kelly No way was Rashads cha cha as memorable as Amber Riley’s ICONIC week 1 cha cha. With rashad you could see when he was thinking of his moves or you could see him counting, Derek’s chores was impeccable and Amber performed effortlessly and with much more charisma. I feel like Rashads dance was mostly just hype because the song which was very upbeat and Bruno Mars who everyone loves. Amber captured the audience as soon she hit her starting pose. Nope. I don’t see Rashad winning he’s too cocky.
…says the cocky Normani fan.
Thanks Court! Here are my rankings based on my faves to least faves:
1. Rashad & Emma: YES YES YES. This is my team. Love them together. The dance was executed well and hes such a charmer. Great personality too! Cant wait to see more. So happy for Em too!
2. Nancy & Artem: I didnt know what to think about this two coming into this but that was gorgeous. I hope they dont fade later on. Artem seems super happy too. Interested to see how she does in latin though
3. David & Lindsay: And the queen kills it again. Why is this girl so brilliant? I dont think any other girl pro would have made this oldie look that good. Loved them and his daugther was so cute in the package
4. Simone & Sasha: This was a good dance and I loved the choreography but I wish the staging was different cause like everyone else, Im over the techno tangos. Cant wait to see more from them though.
5. Heather & Maks: Im actually upset that I really liked this lol. I loved the choreography which I cant even believe I’m saying because I am the number one hater of Maks choreo lol. There was a lot in hold which I appreciated as I dont think dwts pros in general choreograph enough in hold for waltz and v.waltz. Her turns were beautiful but duh shes a dancer although she was doing something weird with her neck. Like most people, I didnt feel her but she did look gorgoeus in that dress. This will never translate to votes but I liked the dance.
6. Charo & Keo: Well, I quite liked this. Keo did well with the choreo which I did not expect as I expected him to ‘Chaka Kahn’ it if you know what I mean lol. I smiled the entire way through. But yea she needs to tone down herself lol
7. Nick & Peta: Well that was a surprise and he really does come across as likeable. Interested to see more from them. Loving Peta’s slightly fuller body and her costume too. Hopefully the days of her James Maslow season costuming season is over.
8. Normani & Val: Girl looked gorgeous in that dress but I wasnt a huge fan of the dance. It seemed a bit hectic. I know she’ll kill the latin dances though.
9. Mr T & Kym: First, I want to have Kym’s body when I’m 40 thanks. Loved the costumes. And I just found it funny/cute how Mr T tried so hard but he was still off time for most of the dance and the noises he was making. I really like them and I hope he makes to at least week 3.
10. Bonner & Sharna: Welp, I didnt like this. I thought he looked awkward/stiff the entire time and went off time at some points. Im thinking he will be better at ballroom. Guessing this is another season that passes Sharna by. Sucks cause I love her and want her to win. Also the showmance thing is turning me off real fast. Shar please dont let them do that to you.
11. Erika & Gleb: I thought the dance was very forgettable and I didnt get the concept. I am a really huge fan of Gleb from Strictly & DWTS Russia but he isnt giving me much these days. Cant connect to Erika too. Hope she gets an elegant dance soon
12. Chris & Witney: Bless him but that was pretty bad. Even the parts that were meant to be funny, i just found awkward. I loved that lift though LOL. At this point, Witney needs another good season or she will just be a one hit wonder pro.
Yeah Rabid fans tend to be like the Feel the Bern kids, lots of hype, big rallies but they don’t vote. I’m not going to flog the dead horse about the Bonner Sharna mishap but has anyone seen the show “Flesh and Bone” where a bonafide ballet dancer is prostituted by the artistic director just so the company remains viable? I get that vibe with the whole sex thing on this show, not just Sharna and Gleb this season but forever, as soon as the showrunners tapped into this strategy they’ve hung on to it like a dog with a bone, even way back in earlier seasons Maks and Wila, Karina and Mario Lopez, it’s just such a tired formula. I am just so disappointed that there seems to be a designated dance whore every season. When I think about how James Hinchcliffe was so fabulous last season it’s just hard to watch Sharna now. It’s like when Val did so well with Zendaya and the next minute he’s having virtual sex with Janel Parrish. Or Gleb last season with his partner. It’s pathetically unseemly.
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess most rabid harmonizers are twenty and younger (at least I would hope so)! All I’ll say is that if I was ever as condescending, arrogant and know-it-all as some of them, I apologize to all those I offended! LOL! ?
Usually it takes a few weeks for some of the “shippers” and/or fandoms to annoy me; this is a record. One week and they are getting on my last nerve!
Most harmonizers range from like really young like 8 to the oldest harmonizers I’ve met was 32. So from 5-35. We have a very young demographic. The average harmonizer is in their late teens young adults.
Idk understand how we are annoying you guys we haven’t really done anything mean. If y’all think this annoying yall have seen the least of it. We just wanna share our opinion with others that are not harmonizers so we could see other points of view. I like this show and we are obsessed so what we are in the internet.
Oh god…a combo Val/Normani fan and equally obnoxious. Um, Val might be the most popular after Derek when Maks ain’t around. But with big bro present, Val fades. Too bad neither is a choreographer though…lucky they have the producers working on their behalf to make them both popular AND successful.
LOL…look at DWTSMUM’s post. Read it. Now, I will tell you I’ve seen almost the exact same post every season from some rabid fan certain their favorite was going to win…and they almost never do.
Doesn’t a fan base matter less as the celebrity pool gets smaller and the main demo swings their votes for certain celebrities? I think Nancy and Artem are a much better match than Heather and Maks who look a bit awkward together IMO, but one has the Glee cult for now.
I thought Nancy’s dance was the prettiest and Rashad’s the most entertaining. Would say Rashad and Emma are my favorites this season. I liked Simone too, but I do agree Sasha is going to have to force himself to think outside the box a little more. It’s still early and I think he will. I think Heather and Artem are so much more compatible than Heather and Maks who just looked like two professional dancers going through their steps.
I didn’t care for Bonner’s dance at all, and I wasn’t as wowed by David as a lot of others were, but I love his spirit. I get no chemistry whatsoever from Nick and Peta, but I think the bachelor audience is still invested in seeing him and his bachelorette pick so unfortunately I don’t think he’s going anywhere. I did love Charo simply just think the show needs a little laughter in such a heavy season. I hope she has some staying power.
Jazz, Jazz, Jazz – I’m a little bit irked that I have to explain why exactly the rest of the DWTS fandom is getting annoyed with the Harmonizers, but given that you just told us that you guys skew young, I’ll go ahead and explain in detail – ONCE.
Think of this site as a hotel that gets busy during tourist season (aka when the show is in season twice a year). Most of us here at Pure have been coming here for YEARS – we know how the hotel operates, we have our favorite staff members, and we like the general hotel atmosphere. We are the old guard – the retirees that have been vacationing here season after season, because we’re fans of the show. But each season, we also have to share the hotel with the more transient guests – the ones that only come for one season and then probably won’t return. For the most part, they’re pretty peaceful, and we enjoy interacting with them and sharing the hotel with them is not a problem. However, from time to time, we have to deal with noisy or obnoxious guests that disrupt the general peace of the hotel – that’s what the Harmonizers are. You waltz in, insult the show, act like you’re too good to be here, brag about how great your contestant is and how he/she is going to blow everyone else out of the water, you have to counter any other opinion that isn’t one that says “Normani is great and is going to win!” (much like you just did to Kelly, after she shared her opinion about Rashad), and you just generally sh*t on anyone else and act like you’re somehow doing the show a favor by tuning in. The general arrogance with which the Harmonizers conduct themselves is astounding – just today, Harmonizers have come here to grandstand about how Normani is going to win & set show records, and also try to claim that you guys as a fanbase are responsible for the increase in viewership. You are the proverbial obnoxious spring breakers that are loud, disruptive, and destructive, and you tend to run off regulars who are just sick of listening to you clog up the comments sections with your constant grandstanding. And then you leave at the end of the season, and we’re left trying to clean up the hotel for the next season and lure back some of the regulars that you ran off. And then when we tell you you’re being obnoxious, you act like you’re the victim and haven’t done anything wrong. And no, Jazz, you don’t want to “just share your opinion” – you want to silence any that don’t agree with you, and you do it by accusing everyone of “being mean” or just being dismissive and telling people they’re wrong. And the whole “if y’all think this is annoying y’all haven’t seen the least of it” thing? The fact that you’re threatening us just tells me that I have you pegged as a fanbase – you’re aggressive, disrespectful, and arrogant. And I hate to break it to you, but the last few fanbases that have been the same way – the Steelers Nation, the PLL fans, the Zendaya fans – NONE of their favorites have actually gone on to win DWTS. Food for thought.
I decided not to watch this season as there were only a couple of people I was interested in, Simone and Rashad. So I’m extremely happy that my favorites are at the front of the pack and have had a mostly favorable response.
I have had a chance to watch their dances and thought they were both good (especially for week 1). The only other dance I watched was Nancy and Artem because I loved Artem when he was on SCD. Again, happy that they had a pretty good first dance. Nancy has lovely lines.
Thank you to the mods for the insight and critiques.
My favourites by a mile were Rashad and David. The charisma that Rashad had, he was just GREAT. Plus I am really excited to see the full range of Emmas choreographic ability, and everything she can do with a fully capable, age appropriate partner. Her season with Bill will always be a standout for me. I hope he fills the fun loving goofy void filled by James and Calvin last season.
And, speaking of Bill Engvall vibes, David just has me so excited I hope he stays til halfway point or Longer. Love Lindsay, and he has the added bonus of being able to move, so he’s entertaining as hell, whilst capable to boot.
It’s so funny, I was so mad about how unfairly stacked the odds were in the male pros favour this season, when I thought all the performances by the ladies were forgettable tbh.
Simone.. I’m really sad because I really like her, adore Sasha and quite enjoyed their dance. But my main issue is, I feel like her storyline this season will practically mirror Lauries? (Except on a positive not we may get to actually hear her speak and get a sense of the girls personality..)
Is it wrong that I feel like any other season I might have warmed to Bonner/Sharna faster.. but I feel like he could never measure up toher partnership with James? (Still FUMING they lost) like if she didn’t win with Hinch… anyway hoping they surprise me but the showmance thing is just going to grind my gears, I know it. And James was such a loveable goof *sadface*
Ugh… 5H fans, do they intend to ruin this site, and twitter for us for the entire season? Just have your favourites, enjoy them and support them but less of the “out for blood” Satanic Worshipping thing would be nice.
Also Val and his averages SMH.
@Courtney I nicely disagree with you. One thing harmonizers are not is cocky. Fifth harmony have always been the underdogs of every single thing they did. We do not take any of our opportunities for granted. From being the underdogs of the X factor who no one thought we would even make it far to voting our asses off and getting to them finals. And then after the competition they placed 3rd and we fought for them to get a record deal. And then fought for an album that kept getting delayed. Everything they have received is thanks to the dedication of the harmonizers. Girl groups have a extremely hard in this world of sexism. The fact that 5H is the only successful group in a very long time is with the help of the fanbase.We are not no regular fanbase. Voting is our bread and butter. We already have experience voting in reality shows like the X factor and have won them +50 music awards from VMAs to AMAs and they have won over Beyonce Adele Rihanna and the greatest musicians of the moment. Once again we are the underdogs of this competition and will prove our power. We are different breed of fans not your regular Zendaya stans or whatever. She was given opportunities due to her own effort, but the reason they have made it is because of us. So sorry if you have that perception I will be as nice as possible and not bother yall. We are crazy what can we say. ?
….And here I was worried us Cubs fans would be the divisive fanbase. I love the enthusiasm of fanbases, don’t get me wrong, but when Normani fans start moving over to the Cubs social media/websites for the sole purpose of telling people how much better Normani was than David Ross, I start rolling my eyes really hard.
I understand that a lot of voters don’t use social media, but I know personally in the past when fanbases start just bashing everyone it turns me off from ever voting for that person. I like Normani, but that feeling is rapidly going away with every derogatory comment about the other dancers and judges. It will be interesting how that plays out throughout the season.
Courtney, thank you so much for your “on-point” analogy! I was trying to write a response without coming across as nasty! Supporting your favorite is fine, but lecturing people on why your girl “has this in the bag”, and insulting everyone else is no way to win friends! As I said earlier. I sure hope when I was that young. I wasn’t as full of myself and condescending as some of these harmonizers!
Part of watching this show has turned into predicting what people here will say about Val and Maks. Couldn’t stop thinking about the eyes that can’t possibly stop rolling with the ammount of crap Val and Maks are capable of putting into a single episode. I’ve mentioned before how much I hate Maks’ style, it’s just annoying and tiresome now, but they just found yet another annoying thing to add to his catalogue: the baby. It’ll all be about the baby now. I’m already tired.
Val is the same, the time wasting is as tiresome as Maks’ is, and the line about “bringing my average down” is just sad. The two time winner, top 5 biggest star the show has right now (which is sad for the show) needs to talk about his average? Is he really writing those scores down and is aware of them? Does he have a book like Normani’s grandmother? And the fainting? Please…it’s already started. Apparently Val is in Japan, I asume with Normani and Fourth Harmony, get ready for next week to be about how tired and little rehearsed they are.
As for the celebrities…..Heather and her “I’m a pro, but not really” storyline needs to stop (it won’t). And it’s episode 1. I think all 4 judges, Heather, Maks, Erin and Tom mentioned the subject. That’s 7 people talking about one single thing that it’s so obvious, it doesn’t need to be talked about. But like the baby, it’ll be all we hear. And like the original post says, I didn’t feel a thing with her dance either. Unfortunately I consider some dances to be boring in general, no matter how beautiful or well done they can be, this is one of them. For a girl with her talents and a premiere episode, a Jive or ChaCha, would’ve been much more fun to see. Annoying, still, because it’s Maks, but common. It’s the premiere, cool it on the boring dances. Like Nancy and Artem, who will remember that? And going second? Nobody will care.
Normani was ok, she can dance, she’ll go far, next. Can’t imagine how tired those who run this site will be when this season is over thanks to her fans.
As for the rest…Nick was ok, he can do stuff, won’t be dragged around, he seems competitive, won’t last until the end, but at least won’t be boring. Charo was impressive. Yes they gave her a salsa, she can handle it, but at her age, she did A LOT on that stage. Rashad was the most impressive, I’m beyond excited for Emma, she finally got a good one. Won’t win, but at least we can see her do much more than before. Bonner was a disappointment, I thought he would be better than this, still it’s week 1. Erika needs to step it up in the personality department. She’s clearly a girl who won’t take the show’s bullshit and won’t surrender to the pressure, the camera, Erin’s interview, or a storyline, but she should at least a little bit. Otherwise she’s out. She’s far from the most popular housewife or star on this show, she can do this, but she should try harder.
Nice to have the show back.
Jazz, you are one of the more cocky fangroups that we’ve had follow someone on this show in a long time. Sorry, but you all have earned that title in a huge way.
Yeah, we’ve heard all this crap before. Spare us.
That’s called childish insecurity on the part of Normani fans, Chayse. Kinda sad.
@Chayse – Actually, I’ve found the Cubs fans I’ve interacted with so far (within the context of DWTS) to be pretty friendly and more focused on just rooting for David (like James’ fans did for him last season), as opposed to dragging any of the other contestants – that’s where I’m really having a hard time with the Harmonizers: not only do they lavish OTT praise on Normani, but they seem to actively seek out and antagonize other contestants and their fans. And that’s one thing I don’t think I’ll ever understand – fans that intentionally slide into their enemies’ dens and poke the lions. I may not be a Val fan, but I certainly don’t go seeking out Val fans/message boards/websites and make a point of going there and antagonizing them. And in the same vein, they don’t seem to understand that it’s possible to see something you don’t agree with on the internet and just move on with your life without saying anything – some of them come storming in here acting as if we’ve somehow provoked them and it’s their god-given right to retaliate. Hell, it’s the reason I’m now private on Twitter – just got tired of tweeting out some general observation and getting 20+ Val fans with their claws out clogging my @ replies at the same time.
And I’m in much the same boat you are with regards to Normani herself: I don’t really know much about her and she seems fine, and the only thing she’s done that kinda made me roll my eyes was the “I literally passed out” comment. But I’ll be damned if her fans aren’t turning me off her completely.
I’ve been visiting this site for years and have always enjoyed reading the comments from week to week. On occasion, I make a post. I just wanted to say, Courtney, your analogy comparing this place to a hotel is totally SPOT ON.
I’m also laughing about the fans not being cocky comment. Go back and read post 35 about how Normani is slaying and she “will slay everyone’s life & win!”
Now, I know the slang definition of “slay” but this just sounds ridiculous. (It’s even more funny if you think about the actual definition of slay. So apparently she’s going to kill everyone else.. of course she’ll win, she’s the only one alive anymore!) I can’t take comments like that seriously.
It is totally okay to have favorites and support them. It’s totally okay to post about your favorites. But have something constructive to post that adds to conversation. Why are they your favorite? Why do you think they were the best? Don’t just make statements – support them!
What this monday’s theme? Television theme song?
A good fanbase will only get you so far. It’ll keep you safe for the first few weeks but once you get to the halfway point, you need more than that. The general audience will stop splitting votes around that time and throw all their votes to one person, meaning the margins get a lot bigger to overcome and celebrities with online fanbases get swallowed up. No one ever wins this show unless they win over the general audience. If you ask me the best sort of fanbase you can have on this show is an older skewing fanbase, because they are more likely to watch the show anyway and actually call in and vote.
That’s why Bachelor Nation are so successful in getting their boys to the latter stages of the competition despite them being awful dancers most of the time. David Ross for me is a massive wildcard, not only does he have all of Chicago and most baseball fans behind him, he’s a generally likeable guy who will attract lots of votes from the general audience who watch DWTS every season. He has the best of both worlds in terms of votes and for me will go a very long way this season, potentially all the way to the final.
David Ross reminds me of a Ty Murray. He was a pleasant surprise. Not a great dancer out of the box, but nobody expected him to do a credible QS so early. He can improve, and he will.I do worry about his latin ability, but we’ll see. For working the fanbase, David is like a Hines Ward. Hines was able to incorporate the Steelers colors in many of his dances, and made sure legends of the game were in the audience, and already David is doing a very similar thing. He got some players Skyped in from Spring Training, and he was just as proud wearing the CUBS colors and a sparkly uniform, just as Ward loved waving the Terrible Towel. David has the greatest fanbase, a team that hasn’t won in 105 years but suddenly wins this year? That’s top 3 right there. Ross has some tougher competition, I think from the women, but if he can sustain being top 3 each week, he’s got a shot. I think if he drops below top 3 scores it will be uphill. He may wind up top 4 or 5 like Ty did. It will all depend on if he can dance both latin and ballroom with similar ease. Rashid is definitely a better dancer, but he’s a free agent, those guys without an organization behind them have it more difficult.
Just when I thought I’ve seen it all….I ventured over to YouTube and read comments (and rewatched all the dances cuz I’ve hurt my ankle on top of what already is going on with my life) and I really was a worred about bachelor nation but the harmonizers are scary. They are under every video talking about her and how She is going to slay and win. Side note, I kinda love the cubs fans. I commented on something in Facebook on how I loved their dance and those fans are super friendly.
Wow. To claim someone’s success is entirely because of you, their fanbase? That is some massive ego right there.
Good luck to the Pure mods this season.
My faves were Rashad, David and Nancy. I also liked Simone. I hope Bonner can pick it up a bit next week. I’m ready to lose Chris and Charo. I’m over her already and he’s just…not good.
And DWTSMUM chooses to deliberately miss the point and start behaving like a child. That’s ok, you can just go on comment moderation. Harmonizers are really doing a great job of convincing us they’re not obnoxious…
@DWTSMUM Okay, I’ll take a crack at this. ๐
“Without a doubt in my mind Normani and Val will win. Probably by a landslide.
She wanted him and their partnership is already so strong.
Val is one of the best and most popular pros. Normani is amazing and has a sweet personality.
The number 1 factor is her fans. They are insanely commited to her. Like seriously insane. I think there will be voting records. I also read that the ratings sky rocketed during their dance.
Normani s24 champ. Val back to back and gets his 3rd.”
Putting your post here, for my reference, and will go piece by piece and explain how *I* took your post.
“Without a doubt in my mind Normani and Val will win. Probably by a landslide.”
— I’m glad that you have this opinion, but it comes off to me as pretty rude. And, it’s a bit of exaggeration, I think, to make the claim that she will win by a landslide.
“She wanted him and their partnership is already so strong.
Val is one of the best and most popular pros. Normani is amazing and has a sweet personality.”
–It’s fine that she wanted him as a partner and I’m glad she has a sweet personality, but so far, I’ve not seen it, and in my opinion, Val isn’t nearly the choreographer than quite a few of the other pros that are on this season are.
“The number 1 factor is her fans. They are insanely commited to her. Like seriously insane. I think there will be voting records. I also read that the ratings sky rocketed during their dance.
Normani s24 champ. Val back to back and gets his 3rd.”
–Yes, it’s the fans. But so far, they seem like many other very young fan base. We’ve seen it here before, and we already know how things are going to go. There won’t be voting records, every single fan base that’s gone through here and said things like what you’ve said have been proven wrong. It’s not an unlimited voting show. ๐ And the Nielsen ratings have proven that the ratings didn’t sky rocket during their dance. And in order for Normani to be crowned champion of season 24, she has to get past a LOT of people. Yes, by her skill level, she is NEAR the top, but it’s not just how well she dances that determines if someone stays or is eliminated, or if they win or lose. As an overall partnership, as someone who has watched every single episode of DWTS since season 3, taking EVERYTHING into consideration, I don’t feel that Normani and Val are in the lead.
You don’t sound respectful of everyone else that watches this show, of any of the other contestants or the other pros. You aren’t respecting anyone who doesn’t have the same opinion as you, and that attitude is NOT going to show Normani well to people who don’t know who she is.
Everyone that is here wants to support the dancers. Everyone deserves to be shown respect, especially if they want to be respected in return. And believe it or not, Courtney KNOWS what she’s talking about in these posts.
Omg are you serious? When I first saw Nirman I thought she was going to be another Sabrina Bryan shock exit because I thought she had no fans or at least ones that would vote. I didn’t even know her or that group. I’m honestly incredibly shocked at how many fans and how crazy they are. They’re literally everywhere. I was counting her out but guess not she’s a contender. Wow
Good Riddens’, DWTSMUM! And that’s all I have to say. ๐
Lori, I haven’t seen this sweet personality from Normani either. Also, her dance with Val Monday night wasn’t even a quickstep and all she does is move in these slinky snake ways. She’s going to have to step it up big time for me to ever think she’s a dancer.
I can hardly wait for Princess Heidi’s excellent “numbers” post! As she says, numbers don’t lie. I had thought that I would enjoy Normani despite Val but I guess that won’t be the case. But there are several other stars (and pros) that I’m interested in. When the time comes, I might just jump on a campaign to defeat the Harmonizers like the one that got Bill E. past Leah R.
I don’t think we will ever know anything about Normani’s personality. Val doesn’t like to let his partners get a word in. I watched Laurie all last season and can’t remember anything about her.
JD: “Wow. To claim someoneโs success is entirely because of you, their fanbase? That is some massive ego right there.”
Flabbergasting, ain’t it? Yikes, with fans that imply their obsessees are lazy and untalented, who needs detractors?! And if 3rd place was the best said fanmass* could ensure, it’s a good thing Normani lines up so well with the main voting demo of this show, right? ๐
*”Harmonizers,” eh? That’s an oxymoronic name from what I’m seeing, emphasis on the “moron.”
p.s. Thinking back, in season 12, I remember Hines fans/Steelers supporters being very amiable and humble much like the man himself, yet 10 seasons later, they came off as very cocky and entitled in their promotion of Antonio. And I need not remind that each player had a different placement outcome in DWTS. One could conclude that inspired behavior is not a characteristic of the association so much the individual that is inspiring it. If fans are a reflection/representative of their subject, the Harponizers are not doing/gaining Normani any favors.
PJ #1, you got me laughing so hard!
Every dance was fun to watch but my top ranking goes to David!
David’s skill and frame were great surprises! His joyful dance was most memorable of the night for me. Glad Lindsay did not get them lost in the sea of techno tango lasers and fog machine clouds.
Thanks so much for these posts, Courtney, they’re really informative.
My personal faves were:
1. RaSHAD! Wow! He (& Emma) really lit up the place. What fun.
2. David & Lindsay. Really enjoyed that, the hit of the night until Rashad came out.
3. Nancy & Artem. That was lovely. And yes, it played to her strengths. It was good to see both of them enjoying it.
4. Simone & Sasha. I expected more personality from them, which isn’t exactly fair for someone doing her first partner dancing of any kind ever, but she can draw every eye in a gymnastics arena.
Agree that Chris is likely first out; that looked like it hurt.
I do wish that the producers gave more info about each contestant, especially when info is highlighted for one but not another with the same or similar history/condition. Eg: Bonner’s not the only one who’s broken his neck, Chris did too, and Nancy’s got herniated disks in her spine; we’ve heard that Heather’s a pro dancer, but we haven’t heard about Normani’s competitive dance experience (listed on her facebook page, right up front.) I know, I know, this is heavily produced but still wish it was less so.
Gee, Lexi, I’m sure you’re not a Harmonizer in faux shocked fan clothing.
Thank you Courtney the post
I don’t have all the couple since I only watch them on youtube and read puredwts blog live report
My list:
1. Rashad and Emma
First of all, I am so freaking happy that Emma got good partner, I love both of them together. I think this routine is very energetic and entertaining. I haven’t been able to stop watching them
2. Simone and Sasha
Although kinda irk me a bit on how they already have Tango on 1st week but I do love Simone here, as likeable as Laurie was, I actually love Simone. Something about her just makes me smile
3. Nancy and Artem
It just scream elegance to me. Kinda like a Princess and Prince dancing together and yes I do agree Nancy need to focus her eyes a bit. But I really love her dance
4. Heather and Maks
I watch this dance mainly because I do love Heather from her Glee Days. This is beautiful dance however I don’t feel any emotion on it. I think she should work on that because technically she got everything in her hands (she a pro dancer after all)
5. Nick and Peta
Oh boy am I surprised with Nick! That’s all
6. Bonner and Sharna
I don’t get all the hype with their chemistry. I don’t believe any of it. Maybe they have chemistry outside the ballroom? Because if people told me there is some romance going on between these two, I won’t believe it. If people said there is some romance between Sharna and James, now that I believe because for me their chemistry way more sparkling (its that even makes sense?) than Bonner and Sharna
Hello Court and everyone! I hope you all are doing great! Its always insightful to read your critiques!!
On a season with so much talent, I think I was left wanting a bit more from the show in general. It still is good to have probably 6-7 contenders threatening the ringers, so I guess it’s going to be fun!
Favorites of the night:
Nancy and Artem – More than their dance, loved their pairing! I have been rooting for her since she was cast, but after seeing her attitude I am sure she would have made a few fans. Needs to work on her dancing for sure but I really want to see her make the finals because she values the experience!
Technically perfect:
Heather and Maks – I agree with you Court, I think they performed it with perfection but absence of emotion didn’t make it any memorable. I do think people should give Heather a chance and its a big responsibility on Maks to make her shine with choreography that the show hasn’t seen yet, which is a tad likely to be the disappointing part in the story!
Simone and Sasha – I really really hope that we get to see them rocket through the roof because if not, Sasha might lose out a big opportunity to both make a mark and a mirrorball here.
Surprises of the night:
David and Lindsay – I love the choreographers here more than the celebs. Lindsay is a STAR, because this performance surprised me in the same way Alek’s first performance did. I do think David may lose a bit of steam in high energy dances but if she is able to push David up to half-way point of this season, they both should be proud because I dont think anyone was expecting them to do this good.
Rashad and Emma – Rashad was easy on the eye. Really excited to see him do Ballroom this week and we will get a clear picture of whether he’s the one to beat or not.
Head-scratcher of the night:
Normani and Val – While I think Normani showed great potential and this was a good “half” quickstep after all the time wasting, I agree that there was too much camera hogging and a little attitude. I do think she will surprise us in the coming weeks and suit dances like Rumba and ATango with sensuality. And apart from the time wasting, Val’s quicksteps are repetitively bumpy and bouncy. I liked that it was quick but the bounce is prolly one of the reasons for lack of body contact.
Embarrassments of the night:
Chris and Witney – There was a point when he danced like he was being electrocuted. Enough said. ๐
Oh my, I think this might be the most annoying set of fans for one person since Zendaya’s for me. Have fun mods! Too bad they don’t realize Normani would have an even better chance of winning if she GAINED fans she didn’t already have before the show (a la Kellie Pickler, Bindi etc) instead of turning the general public off from her and Val.
Well, actually, maybe I don’t mind if they never realize it…. ๐
And I agree, I have never understood why fans can’t just praise the celeb they love without tearing other celebs and their fans down. Or why anyone feels the need seek out trouble on other celeb websites to ‘support’ their own celeb….almost disturbing! I barely have time to watch DWTS and also keep up with this site which I love, let alone go seek out sites of all of the other celebrities opposing who I like just to get their fans upset. So much negativity! Fandom should be about support and positivity.
Anyway, I really loved Rashad. Liked Simone, Nancy and David. Wanted more from Bonner, hope we will see more, I have faith he has growth in him. Wanted more from Heather also, really expected more there, they have the most prep time for the week one dance! And it wasn’t just Maks choreo, she herself was lacking wow factor too. Even if I’m not rooting for her, I at least want to see some memorable things from her. Agree with whoever said they were still sad about James not winning last season.
Glad we have the pros like Emma, Sasha, Lindsay etc whose attitudes and partnerships will hopefully be super positive (esp since we have no Derek or Mark) and outshine any C bros/producer drama. Peta did seem super-off too, hope she’s managing okay.
Thanks for the post Courtney and to all the mods for all you do and dealing with some of the craziness that involves. Here’s my rankings based on who impressed me most.
1. Rashad and Emma – Loved this dance and at least for this week it was more
creative than Sasha’s
2. Simone and Sasha – Maybe Sasha stayed with
the tried and true techno tango because it is safe but
yeah I was looking for more and different. NEXT WEEK?
3. Nancy and Artem – Simply lovely well executed gorgeous lines and with the
“princess at the ball” emotion I want when I watch a
Viennese Waltz
4. Lindsay and David โ WOW He was good a tad stiff but I think that was just
him trying to keep frame and keep up with the
footwork. Must say Lindsay gets better every season
REGARDLESS of who she is given.
5. Sharna and Bonner – I liked this dance and not just for the obvious
chemistry. I do hope TPTB cool it with that If it
happens great just don’t throw it in our face. Yeah I
know fat chance but one can dream right? LOL
Dance wise it was pretty good the boy can dance
6. Peta and Nick- I’m so not into Bachelor so I admit I wasn’t expecting
much but I liked the dance and he is a lot better and more
personable than I expected
7. Gleb and Erika โ Good dance Sexy but not raunchy but I agree the expensive
thing could wear thin after awhile.
8. Heather and Maks- Technically there was nothing wrong with it, but it
lacked anything else. No emotion no connection really.
This should be dream partnership but I get the feeling
they may not be getting along. And love him or hate him
Maks is NOT an easy person to work with
9. Val and Normani โ First off I kind of like Normani but then I’ve like all
of Val’s PARTNERS it’s him and his choreography that are
usually the problem. Not sure what dance style that was
maybe a jive quickstep mashup. I suspect they’ll be
better on the Latin dances.
10. Charo and Keo- This is a good partnership for him as Keo is patient
and can help strike a balance between her humor and
her more serious talents. He worked a lot of salsa in
there. Charo will be around for awhile.
11. Mr. T and Kym- Oh my not much content but I’d like to see him and
Kym stay around awhile.
12. Chris and Witney- Dance wise YIPES but the guy cracks me up.
I only watched David on YT and haven’t seen the other dances but I sure am getting a kick out of this site. Nothing seems to change with DWTS. Outrageously rude fanatics somehow associated with a C brother or partner, trying to tear down other pairs and promote the agenda. Personally, David and LIndsay are such a joy to watch and I hope they go far- it is so refreshing to watch a novice put himself out there, work hard, trust his partner, try to progress every week, and remind us all of the sheer enjoyment of trying something new and DANCING!. He has the perfect partner to teach him and nurture him. David and Lindsay make me smile, and I don’t care much about anything else on this show….except seeing Derek and Julianne dance in a couple weeks. Thanks pureDWTS.
Heh…I’m one of the old-timers, having found this site while I was recovering from kidney cancer surgery during S14. So yeah, I’ve been here 5 years ๐
Jazz’s opinion was that her girl killed it! I thought Rashad killed it!! He’s a footballer, not a hip-hop pop singer, with some sort of dance background like Normani. Val has YET to be challenged on this show as they keep giving him ringer after ringer and this season big bro Maks got the ringiest ringer ever in HeMo. Simone Biles isn’t even as big of a ringer as Heather Morris who IS a professional back-up dancer for Beyonce…
And yeah, Rashad was just as good as Amber Riley in wK 1! THAT’S my opinion. Others seem to agree. We shall see. IF Normani wins, we’ll know it’s because of TPTB’s manipulations which, TBH, especially after LAST season is just such a BIG turn-off.
I just saw the show yesterday and here are my thoughts (maybe not all couples):
Normani and Val: She can clearly dance. Definitely too much messing around and no body contact. I have to say I’m very surprised by how many fans this group has. Really, I’ve heard some of their most popular songs and don’t think they are that great so I was really surprised to read this thread and the fan’s intense comments. At the moment I don’t think she will win, but I think she will go far. And I really hope that Val steps up the choreo.
Nancy and Artem: Beautiful and I love her and her excitement. Hope she can stay for a while.
Charo and Keo: OMG I could not stop laughing! And the dancing wasn’t terrible. Also Keo looks happy to be with her. I really hope she has a couple more weeks because I want to continue laughing on Monday nights!
Heather and Maks: Very beautiful but honestly, did anyone expect anything else from her? I’m not a fan of having a professional dancer on the show and I don’t think she will win. But the truth is that the dancing is beautiful. Let’s see how she can deal with latin (Remember how bad Allison’s samba was? I don’t think all dancers “get” the latin style).
Chris and Whitney: Oh God. I think they will be eliminated on Monday. And he really does not seem like he is having fun anyways.
David and Lindsey: This girl came back as a pro and shut the mouth of everyone who dismissed her after her first season (me included) big time! She keeps doing everything right and great choreo. This was definitely, for me, the biggest surprise of the night.
Rashad and Emma: They were definitelly my favs of the night! Can’t wait to see what they bring in every week.
Simone and Sasha: My second favorites. She will be great and I hope Sasha’s choreo keeps getting better and better.
Boner and Sharna: Did not love this dance and I don’t think he danced great. But I do see potential.
Awww Im starting to warm up to Val! I thought he was such a conceited asshole when he was doing interviews because he always made the subject about himself. But Ive been watching videos of them in Japan with Fifth Harmony and he seems so shy and cute. They were singing happy birthday to him in the airport today and he was getting all red and sweaty. He didn’t even talk. Maybe he doesn’t feel comfortable yet because he never shuts up when he is in DWTS so Idk maybe the weather in Japan or Normani is changing him. Hopefully he acts like this back on Monday.
:::rolls eyes::: Nothing like a fangirl to see exactly what she wants to see.