PureDWTS Season 25, Week -2: What’s Gettin’ Court’s Goat Today??? Jake T. Austin, Canadian Voting, Married Couples on DWTS
Given that we’re roughly 2 weeks out from the premiere, let’s just think of this as week negative 2 😛 Came up with this post to cobble together odds and ends that maybe weren’t quite enough to warrant their own post, but I wanted to share nonetheless – this may or may not become a regular feature, depending on just how often I’m finding my goat gotten by this show 😛 ONWARD!!!
So first up on the list of things gettin’ my goat: Jake T. Austin. If you’re anything like me, you may have to rack your brain a bit before you realize that he was Jenna’s celeb partner and the first celeb out on season 23. If nothing else, you may remember his wildly unremarkable dancing, and the infamous pube dress from the “Go Diego Go!” cha-cha:
Seems to me that ol’ Jakey is suffering from a severe case of BITFD: butthurt in the first degree, when it comes to his DWTS experience. First there was this bit of shade on Instagram:
The Cliff’s Notes version: Just Jared Jr. posted a picture of Jenna and said they were glad she would be back on DWTS this season; someone responded with “noooooooo”; and none other than Jake T. Austin himself liked it. Really, bro? You’re THAT bitter about your DWTS pro partner? That you only danced with twice, and looked pained both times, when she was at least trying to sell the routine? Jenna may have a problem with out-dancing her partners, and she may need to work on making her choreo for her celeb partners a bit less ambitious, but I never once got the impression that she wasn’t on his side – she seemed genuinely supportive when he was disappointed with his scores, and did not seem nearly as unpleasant to him as his response to this picture would have you believe. WTF, bro.
And the nonsense didn’t stop there: perhaps in a desperate bid to maintain Instagram relevance, Jake decided to hijack the comments section of a picture of Gleb hinting at his partner on the DancingABC Instagram, and make claims about the show “being rigged” and “fan votes not counting”…JustJared summarized it pretty well:
Jake T. Austin competed on season 23 of Dancing With The Stars with Jenna Johnson, but after only two performances, was voted off the show.
Now, on one of the shows’ recent Instagram posts, the actor is claiming that if fan votes really counted, he wouldn’t have been the first voted off.
“Fan votes don’t count,” he typed. “This show is about ratings. The network and producers decide who advances and who goes home. They tell fans to vote to make them feel like they are a part of something they actually have no control over.”
Not sure if you know this, but a major symptom of BITFD is talking out of one’s ass 😛 One: fan votes DO count, and if they ever tossed them out and were found out, both the show and the network would be in a heap of trouble, with definite fines, likely sanctions, and possible jail time for the specific individuals responsible. There are laws that prevent shows that offer a cash prize from directly manipulating the outcome of the game. READ: they cannot just “throw out the votes”. However, the show can subtly manipulate viewers into voting a certain way – so giving one contestant an unsavory edit while making another look like a saint is totally okay, and may or may not sway the viewers into voting a certain way. But most of you are intelligent enough to know that – methinks somebody is just suffering from such a severe cast of BITFD that he is simply incapable of entertaining the notion that neither his dancing nor his personality were all that great. Please return to your assigned seat in the land of Instagram mediocrity, sir.
So what else is getting my goat? The fact that suddenly, Canadians are not only allowed, but welcomed to vote this season:
Now normally, I’d be just kinda “cool, fine, whatever” to something like this, but given that such a big deal was made about international voting during season 23, when Hinch (a Canadian) was on, and suddenly the VPN method of voting that some of the international fans had successfully used to vote for YEARS was not working, I have to kinda go “Really, guys? NOW you do this?” They practically went out of their way a year ago to keep international fans from voting (and one publication was screen-shotting my Twitter account like a jealous ex-gf, and accusing me of starting a “cheating scandal” by sharing the VPN method) and now it’s all like “Canadian fans! You can totes vote now!!! Come thru and support Drew!!!” Now I’m not actually sure who’s responsible for it (some people seem to think it’s the show/ABC that get to make the call on whether int’l votes count; I’ve heard others say it’s actually the Canadian affiliate that shows DWTS that has to pay some fee in order to get the votes to count), but dude, as a staunch Team Stop & Go fan, I’m PISSED. If it was this easy to flip a switch and say “Canadian votes count!”, then why didn’t they do it a year ago? Because Property Brothers is a Canadian production and bigger potential money-maker? I’ll say this: I think the momentum to win was in Hinch’s favor for at least 3/4 of his season, and only shifted in Laurie’s favor during the last two weeks, after that maudlin “let’s exploit Laurie’s grief over her grandmother dying!” package that the producers ought to still be ashamed of. Had Hinch gotten those Canadian votes (and from the number of Canadians I had tweeting me last year asking for help voting, there was a substantial number), I think it’s possible that we would have gotten a different outcome in season 23. But I guess we’ll never know for sure…
And the third and final thing getting my goat this week: the fact that we have another married couple competing on the same season, and the show appears to be milking it for all its worth. Seems like almost every interview I’ve seen with Nick/Peta and Vanessa/Maks so far has centered mainly around the “OMG! YOU’RE A MARRIED COUPLE COMPETING AGAINST EACH OTHER WITH PROS THAT ARE ALSO MARRIED!!!” First thing’s first: we’ve already had a married couple competing on the show – season 21’s Carlos & Alexa PenaVega – and most of us found the whole schtick annoying back then. So to rehash it now – and add in the eye-roll inducing married pro angle – just feels…dumb. Not fresh, exciting, or unique. Just more of the same. It’s not even that it particularly gets my goat – it just BORES me because they seem to be trying to play it off as something “never before seen!” when in reality, it’s just wrapping the same turd in different colors of wrapping paper. Still a turd, guys. 😛
I so agree with everything here.
1. The only reason I even remember Jake T. Austin was on DWTS was because of the pube dress. Dude can STFU with the unfounded conspiracy theories and petulance.
2. The Canadian VPN voting rules seem about as consistent as Carrie Ann’s lift policing.
3. I feel like if you are a Nick, Vanessa, Maks, or Peta fan (which I’m not) this should also piss you off. Nick and Vanessa seem to be getting completely defined by their marriage. The occasional 98 Degrees reference but mostly the marriage. Maks and Peta also seem to be only getting defined by that (although we saw shades of that last year with Maks and Heather and the baby connection). This happened with Carlos and Alexa too, and by the time we started getting to know them it was too late IMO. This is a cheap gimmick.
Sick of the married vs married already hoping none of them last long
Hopefully this season doesn’t mess with anyone’s blood pressure to much
You are speaking it, Court. I couldn’t agree more on everything. I was especially annoyed with Jake and his comments. He can’t face the fact that he wasn’t all that and didn’t relate to the audience.
@Laura – You hit the nail on the head about the married couples. I feel like poor Vanessa in particular is not getting much recognition except for being “Nick’s wife” within the context of this show – I haven’t really heard it mentioned that Vanessa is actually a former MTV VJ and former Miss Teen USA, in addition to other acting/modeling gigs. It always seems to start with “Nick Lachey from 98 Degrees – and his wife, Vanessa!” And I think that could actually hurt Vanessa’s chances on the show, because she’s a bit of a non-event right now as a result – plus there’s the fact that Maks seems entirely disinterested in their partnership (his body language in the interview I linked to was telling) and is probably going to half-ass this season again.
To my knowledge – there IS NO cash prize for winning DWTS (nor is there a prize for coming in anywhere behind first place) – so the argument about how the show or individuals who fudged the votes in any way would get into trouble ‘because cash’ is invalid. Everyone on the show, pro, troupe, and celeb alike, gets paid according to their individual contract, agreed upon before the start of the season. Those contracts, likely, are based on the actual amount of work (rehearsal time and per performance) done by the individuals. So, yes, the finalists ‘get more money’ than those kicked off before the end, but it is NOT prize money. And also, think about the fact that NO ONE ever talks about their contract with the show, neither during or long after. We have NO CLUE what each contract contains. You hear about the bowls of a specific color of M&M required in the dressing room of a rock band, or hear the required “the beautiful” in every introduction of Georgina Chapman as a judge on Project Runway – I suspect that there are various aspects of DWTS that are negotiated upfront in both the pro contracts and those of the celebs – for example, the rumored promised win for Maks’ return in Meryl and Charlie’s season, or the extreme contortions TPTB went through in order for Rumer and Val to win, and and to have her parents featured on camera every week… I’m sure that sort of thing could be a part of any contract, along with the agreement to keep the terms secret. As Shirley Ballas has said “DWTS is not a real competition, it is a reality show.” And the ‘reality’ of reality shows comes in the name only, especially when the prize for winning is only a glittery mirror ball, and bragging rights.
preach !!!!! you can’t change the past unfortunately…
Courtney, I definitely think Vanessa could be hurt the most by this. In that way, I don’t think this situation is quite the same as Carlos and Alexa because I don’t think one was more widely known in that situation. Carlos maybe and he did get eliminated a bit after Alexa, but given the coverage so far I think the finishes may be farther apart this season. It actually reminds me of the situation that almost came to be with Jewel and Ty Murray. If Jewel hadn’t gotten hurt, I think Ty doesn’t make it as far as he does because his edit would’ve been way heavy handed with the Jewel’s husband angle.
So what exactly are you saying, Laurie? That you agree with Jake, and the whole thing is rigged?
I have heard differently than you have about whether the money given is considered “prize money” or “payment for time spent”. I’ve been told by people in-the-know that if there is some sort of skill involved in the competition, and there’s money involved (particularly if only the winner of the competition gets extra compensation), they’re covered by the same statutes as shows like Jeopardy! – in that production cannot directly alter the outcome of the show. Sure, they can try and influence voters to vote a certain way – which you actually kind of proved in your explanation, because the examples you gave were seasons where the manipulation was RAMPANT. Why bother even trying to manipulate voters if you can just rig the outcome from the get-go?
Yeah, telling me to “think about the contracts” is not likely to make your point stronger. I can’t think of any reality show where an actual copy of a contestant’s contract has leaked in its entirety – so while you’re trying to make it seem like DWTS contracts are notoriously hush-hush, I would argue that most reality show contracts are hush-hush…and really, the only inkling we have to what’s in them is when a former contestant (usually a disgruntled one) tries to claim that such-and-such provision was written in, and that the show is rigged, yadda yadda yadda. And there’s no proof – just them making outrageous claims. There’s been plenty of disgruntled DWTS contestants in the past that have expressed disbelief over the results of their particular season – Kirstie Alley comes to mind – and none of them are saying anything. Kirstie in particular is pretty outspoken, and if there was some shady business in her contract, I’m sure she would have no qualms sharing it.
Yes, reality tv shows are notoriously manipulated – but I don’t really see the incentive for DWTS to manipulate it to the degree that you’re claiming they do. There’s been seasons where they’ve manipulated all season long in favor of one contestant, and that contestant didn’t win – shit, look at last season, which was basically The Normani Show, and the uproar when she came in 3rd place. Do you think that was actually the desired outcome??? If they wanted Normani to win, and have as much control over the outcome as you claim they do, then Normani would have won – PERIOD.
I googled to be sure and we did get to know some of the details of Bindi Irwin’s contract during her season because of the whole issue of the court not having paperwork declaring that her father was dead and they needed that because if he was alive then he would need to waive his rights to Bindi’s money from the show just like her mom did. The details that came out mentioned that there is a base salary that presumably everyone is paid (I’m sure higher profile celebs get higher bases to start with, but I’m saying everyone starts with a base) and then there is a weekly salary that goes up every week. So while that is different from a competition where someone doesn’t get paid anything unless they win (such as Jeopardy! which my dad competed on and thankfully won a couple of games to pay for his and my mom’s trip to CA for the filming), I think it’s still basically prize money because you get paid more and more based on how well you do, and so there would obviously be rules governing that and if Jake Austin had any actual proof about his claims then he could take ABC to court to get the money he thinks he is owed because they kept him from advancing. But he has no proof, hence the social media shade instead of a lawsuit. 🙂
Man I just love when court goes on a rampage especially when I agree with everything you had to say! Firstly, I’m not sure why jake t Austin is being a sore loser, it’s been a year now. Seems like he’s still hurt a year later from being voted off first. Secondly, is letting Canadians vote already a sign that producers are going to push drew for the win or to the finals? I’m really hoping not, I want to see couples improve and become fan favorites each week, each dance, and watch their partnership with their awesome pros become a great friendship and team. I hate when we have certain celebs pinpointed to be likeable through their packages before the dance and others you can tell they find every complaint or frustration throughout the week to show instead of all the good and hard work that also went into the week. As a team stop and go fan and a very big Sharna fan, I will forever be hurt for that team not getting the Canadian votes, because they would have 100% won. Sharna should be a mirrorball champ and it’s sad that she is still in the list of pros who have never won. She has deserved it more than once, but with hinch I thought it was a lock and she had that season for sure. Hinch had every momentum to win, just like you said. Now lastly, the married couple has not fully gotten on my nerves yet, I hope they keep it fun and entertaining, no drama!! We’ll see how it goes though I just don’t want to see them trying to pin the family against each other. Again, thanks for sharing your thought court! These are my favorite things to read, because you’re honest and usually we agree 🙂
I agree with you on 2 of your 3 points.
Jake is just proving that he is an immature kid with an inflated opinion of himself.
Canadian voters should not be voting.
I think the married couple vs married couple is kind of fun. Of course, I might get tired of it before the season is over.
I think the Canadian voting thing had to be due to the last 2-3 years CTV which was only airing the fall season at that point pushed it to Sunday nights here in canada and was not airing the spring season. CTV had the rights to the voice/gotham and lucifer which aired in those 8PM slots monday night on CTV and CTV Two and DWTS aired sundays at 8PM right before the new live show mondays. This season ctv has dropped the rights to DWTS and citytv picked them up to air it at the same time as the show is aired in the US which makes me think Rogers Communications probably negotiated it in their package to the Canadian rights of DTWS.
I think Vanessa is there mainly to support her husband and to plug the Master Junior Chef while she’s at it, and I also think Maks just wants the money so it doesn’t matter whether he goes farther, or Peta. The rivalry is just hype to get people watching. I think it’s a given that Nick will get much farther. The part that will likely irritate me is the amount of energy that will spent on this whole charade.
Not sure why Jake is still at it, but I do recall Jenna get a heap of criticism during that season for the way she handled things so I’d say it was 50/50 until now that is. Time to let it go.
As for Canada, I can’t vouch for Jeff’s details lol, but I do recall people saying the voting had to do with rights so it would make sense. I, for one, am delighted because I love Drew and Emma.
I liked Vanessa personality wise better than nick to be honest. Not saying nick isn’t likeable and funny but she is much more quick on her feet in my opinion. As for Jake, well he needs to get over it lol. A bit weird he chooses that pic though.
I don’t agree with Jake that the show is completely rigged and viewer votes don’t count. But, we don’t know what went on behind the scenes and personally I think if he was paired with Witney or Lindsey he’d go past week 1 and not be the first one eliminated.
Who knows…maybe Jenna didn’t want to be a pro and TPTB kinda pressured her to or she had a bunch of other projects she wanted to pursue rather than be in he demanding role as a prof.
I don’t think she did any favors for Jake and it just reminded me of early days of Val where he outshined his celeb. If anything, Jenna didn’t do him any favors. I remember being quite pissed off at Jenna and her lack of professionalism. Her whole dance was always about her. Shes like a female version of Val. puke.
It’s their first and last experience they’ll ever get…don’t make it about you (cough Jenna cough)!
@Rose1 & EmnEm – Regardless of whether or not Jenna handled things poorly that season or not, here’s what she’s not doing: lurking on Instagram, looking for opportunities to badmouth her former partner or the show. She’s moved on with her life, and he’s the one still bitter a year later. Who’s coming out as the winner here? 🙂
True, she definitely did move on with her life and multiple projects, but tbh I would be bitter as a bug if I was Jake as well. It was his only chance to ever be on the show. Not blaming her entirely, but I do feel for him. Maybe this was his chance to launch back into a new career path. Who knows…
In regards to Maks, I couldn’t agree more. I really do like Vanessa. She seems fun and entertaining and eager to learn. I hope she doesn’t get the Amber treatment and Maks doesn’t throw the comp to Peta. I could just see Maks wanting PetA to win with her new revenge bod and beating all the other female pros…her or Val (insert major eye roll).
For me, Vanessa is more interesting and doesn’t seem as aloof as Nick. Hate to say it, but boy was I happy no bachelor was cast this season, especially as Peta’s partner…until I saw Nick. Lol
@EmnEm – I’m not saying Jake has no right to be bitter. I’m saying “Maybe don’t fly your bitter flag on social media for all to see, because odds are, it’s only gonna make you look bad – not the object of your bitterness.”
The only contracts that I’ve ever gotten word of from reality shows is various contracts from the Bachelor, but only for how long they’re essentially under contract to the franchise after their season airs and the ins and outs of the contracts of Paradise after this past season.
But any time you have a show that airs live, you can’t really blatantly manipulate the show to reach a desired outcome without serious repercussions.
I’ve seen a couple shows get really close to that line, like for instance Big Brother, but they still don’t really cross it. On that show, they can manipulate the structure of the competitions to favor the skills and body types of certain contestants, but they can’t outright rig it to ensure that they win. Sometimes the person they want to win a competition doesn’t.
You can manipulate packages, the pre-taped stuff, and the conditions/structure of the competition to suit a narrative, but when the show goes live, even the best-laid plans can go wrong.
Maks is already helping Peta and Nick with rehearsals.I have a feeling this is going to turn into one team with four participants.
Laurie is picking nits. The fact is that the celebs AND Pros get paid according to how long they stay on the show and the word “bonus” has been thrown around for the winners. The amount of money you get goes up as the season goes on. When money is involved in that way, there has to be pretty strict rules.
The whole “the votes don’t count” is just sour grapes from disgruntled fans and contestants. The show goes out of it’s way to manipulate it so the person they would like to win, wins – from editing of packages, badgering of celebs to get them to get mad, to the old spy cam to catch people like Kym and Robert, to the hyping of fake romances – but the votes have to be counted. If the votes DIDN’T have to be counted, they wouldn’t need to manipulate like they do, Derek wouldn’t have won SIX times, Normani/Janel/Zendaya would have won, Donald Driver WOULDN’T have won…the list goes on. People never seem to make that connection.
I can’t see any reason why the producers would want to push Drew for the win. I think the Canadian voting thing is likely due to Canada – simply because I can’t see a motive for Drew winning.
Not so, Justin. There are a million and one ways to manipulate a live show to encourage the outcome you want. Who gets camera time before their dances, who gets to talk to Erin, who gets their pick of music, who gets a dance style that will benefit them, what the judges say or don’t say to the contestants and pros, what the producers get Erin to ask them….I’m sure there’s more, but that’s quite a lot. Most viewers don’t even realize it’s happening until someone points it out…but hell, if a favored couple gets a 45 second dance and a less favored couple only gets 35 or 40 seconds, you are influencing the possible outcome.
Very possible, Kristin. Since the Fam seem to count mirrorball as “fam” MBTs when their group gets one, perhaps they figured Nick had the best shot and they’re all going to work on getting the MBT for Peta. Would not surprise me.
Great rank Courtney and totally agree.
I also have noticed that Vanessa isn’t getting the attention that her husband is, and I am already filling up to my ears in the “husband & wife vs. husband & wife thing, and the show hasn’t even started yet!!!
As far as the show being rigged, I also agree to “why would the producers go to all the trouble” to bend over backwards with their manipulations (judges included).
It’s like PHeidi said seasons ago (when the subject of rigging votes came up) that the producers wouldn’t dare take the chance of rigging the show (with the votes) and jeopardize destroying it along with the legalities they would have to face. So, TPTB & judges use their manipulation techniques to try and get the same result.
Do other incarnations, say, ” Strictly” allow the international voting? Persinally, I’m against international voting period.
Keo will never win a mirror ball if they keep giving him the old women it’s not fair they need to switch it up.
Agree with Courtney..a turd is a turd. Married or not.
It’s a ridiculous fallacy that Keo keeps getting “old women” – unless of course you’re 12, Audrey, and think everyone over 21 is “old”.
I agree with this rant. I read up thread that Jenna may have not wanted to be a pro when paired with Jake. Seriously? That girl was/is so desperate to be a pro every one of her colleagues commented on how much she wanted it. I think Jake is frustrated in other areas of his career and dwts is an outlet for that frustration. That said, I do think dwts skirts the line between downright controling an outcome and manipulating it by using every trick at their disposal. Legally they have to stay on the side of manipulation.
As far as the couples go, they are going to milk any and every angle they can to increase interest in the show. Nothing is off limits. I personally haven’t paid attention to the couples angle because I’m not interested in any of them.
As far as the unfortunate Canadian voting debacle (Hinch was my fav), like everything else it’s all about money. Pay for the franchise and you get to vote. It’s a reminder to we viewers that it’s not about what we want or good entertainment, it’s about the almighty dollar.
Lastly, didn’t Keo get Jodie Sweetin? 35 is old? Then Maks, Artem, Sharna, Val, Peta, Mark, and all the other pros north of 30 should get their AARP cards stat! ????
I can just picture Maks and Peta helping eachother out with their partners’ dance routines on the sly, while Nick and Vanessa compare dance steps at home ????????????????????-I find the whole situation to be annoying and in a way, unfair, to the other dance couples in the competition. I’m over them already before they’ve even started TBH
As far as that Jake T guy is concerned, I just don’t get his motive for opening his mouth now-why bother? What is he trying to prove and who cares at this point? He needs to get over himself and get on with his life….
And the news re. Canadian voters being able to now vote just blows me away!! To think that two seasons ago, had those voters been able to vote for Hinch and Sharna, that could’ve made all the difference in the outcome of that season’s winner and HE could’ve won that mirrorball after all. That just boggles my mind!! Why change the rules now? I agree-is it b/c it’s Drew from PB? So what? Why does he deserve more of a fair chance than others before him? ????
And so it begins….
Thank you Courtney for the post. I had not heard of the Canadian voting changes. Definitely frustrating. That said is Drew that well known in Canada? I am thinking of him relative to Hinch who I think of as a national hero for Canada.
@Jeff that has to be a local CTV affiliate thing. Here in Winnipeg we’ve had both seasons live on Monday nights on CTV. And already have my PVR set for this season.
Either way I still think the Canadian’s can’t vote thing was totally to stop us from giving Hinch the win. Wonder what will happen if/when they get another high profile Canuck??
It strikes me as odd that people love to say that keo always gets the older celebrity. Jodie sweetie and charolette come to mind off the bat she I think of his past celeb partners.
Thanks for the post, it’s like you read my mind!
I’ve been enjoying Vanessa’s clips that’ve appeared online so far and like how she works with what she’s been given – Maks seems super checked out already. It’s too bad Vanessa’s name keeps coming after her husband’s and is usually followed by “(his wife)”. I think she’d be great DWTS hostess if Erin needed a sub.
So agree Canadian votes now? I love Emma but before this came out I thought they were pimping Drew ( tons of media attention photos on IG and Twitter) Now I know they are. I don’t like married couples competing Votes are usually split which doesn’t make any sense at all and Look for a lot of drama putting both in jeopardy at the same time as they did Carlos and Alexa and who knows what else they will do to get drama
I really am enjoying this, Court. Could you make this a regular thing? You are venting for me and it’s good to know I am not the only one annoyed with this stuff.
I’m not a Jenna fan by any means, but she really did the best she could with him. It sounds like he only signed to DWTS for the exposure and paycheck and was somewhat peeved that he might actually have to put forth some actual effort.
The Canadians are now able to vote thing is bizarre. It’s an example of one of the things that drive me nuts about the show, the blaring inconsistencies from season to season.
If I was a celeb who got assigned Maks as a partner, I’d be pissed! He’s not the same Maks he used to be back in his days with Mel B or Kirstie Alley. He’s there for the paycheck and exposure period. He doesn’t even PRETEND to be there for anything other than that. Poor Vanessa.
I don’t see any benefit to them actually pimping Drew, though. Is there a reason why they might, other than the fact that the Property Brothers are VERY popular across a couple demographics?? Drew might actually be one of the bigger names on this season, besides Nick Lachey and Debbie Gibson.
[…] & Emma: Given that they were the first couple announced, and voting rules have basically been changed to allow Canadians to vote for Drew, I think this is probably one of the more buzzworthy couples this season – plus, […]
Thank you, Courtney, for expressing how some (many?) of us feel!! Yes, the inconsistency regarding Canadians voting…inexcusable. Unfortunately, Hinch paid the price. 🙁 I commend you on your absolutely superb writing style! Well done! 🙂