PureDWTS DWTS Junior Season 1 – Judges Announced on GMA
Without much fanfare or previous notice, GMA announced the DWTS Junior judges this morning – which we already knew were Val, Adam Rippon, & Mandy Moore. Video below for those who missed (I did too). Not too much of note – they of course name dropped Ginger, they mispronounced Val’s name *chuckle*, Adam steals the show by just being himself. All in all, it didn’t feel like this segment had a whole lot of pre-planning, and was thrown together on the fly. Thoughts?
Ugh Val is involved
And they decided to bring a Palin kid on, I know you can’t judge a child on who their parent is but now we’ll likely have to put up with Sarah giving interviews everywhere
This whole show sounds like it’ll be a crapfest and I totally won’t be watching hopefully this show flops and they realize they should not have done this project to begin with
You can’t judge a kid by their parents-as a parent and as a schoolteacher myself, I just find that harsh. I wouldn’t want anybody judging my kid, negatively, just b/c they didn’t like me personally-that’s the wrong approach to take towards this show. This show is about kids-let’s not forget that….
As far as the GMA announcement went, it left me shakin my head LOL We already knew who the judges were so that wasn’t new information. I was hoping to learn any kind of new insight about the show, especially since they’ve already starting taping! Instead we got friggin annoying banter between the 3 of them that had NOTHING to do with the junior show! I’m trying to keep an open mind that these 3 act differently together behind a judges table but, honestly, I’m not so sure….🤔
@christina – It’s up to you whether you tune in or not, but food for thought: DWTS Jr. may be part of more of a long-term effort by ABC to keep reinventing DWTS so it stays popular and on-the-air – I don’t know that rooting for the Junior version to fail is such a good idea, in the grand scheme of things…because it could indicate that the franchise is stagnating and it may be time to cut their losses with the regular show.
@Mary Ann – I agree – you can’t judge a kid by their parents. However, I think we said the same thing about Bristol – and she ended up being pretty bad on her own, on top of her mother seeming to insert herself into the show wherever possible. For what its worth, the Palins do have a track record of stealing focus – I hope that’s not the case with Tripp being on DWTS Junior, but that remains to be seen…
@Courtney yeah I remember when Bristol was on the show-not exactly pleasant lol but I’ve been reading some negative comments toward the kid, just b/c of who his mom is and what politics they stand for-those kind of comments I don’t agree with. However Tripp dances, he dances lol. But don’t penalize him off the bat just b/c of who his mother/grandmother is and what they stand for. All I’m saying:)
Not a fan of Bristol but her son seems like a really energetic kid and I kinda love that. My bet he is that he is a nice kid.
Yeah, like this judges panel is totally biased towards Jenna. All 3 of them have close relationships with her with Val being her fiance. It looks like DWTS Jr isn’t even trying to hide their bias. With Val being a judge for DWTS Jr., I would not at all be surprised if Maks is a judge on DWTS if Len doesn’t come back. Even though Peta (wife), Sharna (Wife’s BFF), Val (bro), and Jenna (Bro’s fiance) are back competing. Maks will be the only judge in DWTS history that would have close relationships with almost 1/2 of the dance pro cast.
@Darlene – Or the exact opposite could happen – the judges could be so desperate to prove that they aren’t biased that they’re actually harder on Jenna’s team. Guess we’ll find out which.
As for Maks – I was talking with someone on Twitter last night about him, and here’s the thing about Maks: he became completely apathetic about being a pro after being a guest judge, to the point where I’m not sure he’s ever going to be asked back as a pro again (just look at his last partnership – he and Vanessa weren’t even on speaking terms for a week). And he may have burned some bridges there, to the point where they might not even THINK about asking him back as a judge. If you think about it, they could have easily asked him to judge Juniors – and they either didn’t ask him, or they asked and he refused. I think the fact that he’s not on the juniors judging panel is telling.
I, definitely, agree that Maks has become apathetic about becoming a pro again-great word! His behavior the last two seasons? especially are a telltale sign that he, almost, can’t be bothered to be in that kind of teaching role anymore. I, also, think that if he wasn’t asked to judge the jr version, it’s b/c in relation to his brother, I think the producers skewed on the younger side with more competition experience which Val has. And I still say and I was 100% right, that this jr show was going to have one of the brothers in it somehow and hunch told me it was gonna be Val as a judge lol
I hate to say this and I’m no mind reader LOL, but my hunch tells me again that what Maks is waiting for is for Len to move on so he can have his judging spot. And to tell you the truth, I kinda think the producers will give it to him. The regular DWTS ain’t going anywhere yet-I think, in the producers eyes, if they change up the judges and put some fresh faces like Maks (who does have a decent following), the show could have some more mileage?
This is all just my opinion but I actually think the Chmerkovskiy hold on both shows now might be greater than we think🤔
I feel the same as someone above: Ugh! Val is involved as a judge. That means he will be talking more often and during each dance. It really bummed me out to hear that. It ruins the show for me.
I was really looking forward to watching JT who was my fave SYTYCD Junior. Now I will have to tape it and fast forward thru Val. Thanks to the mods for all this info!
Maks is a strange case for me. On on everything hand, when he is 100 percent invested he can be amazing. In the other hand, if he isn’t well it shows. You don’t really know what you are going to get. Looking at last season, he started off so well with Vanessa and then when it seemed like he was bored or maybe had some inkling of those whole married couple thing biting him and peta and their respective partners in the butt in the long run, he just checked out it looked like.
I agree that Maks is done being a dance pro. It is telling the only reason he was still on is so he could collect a paycheck.
I hope you are right about them being tougher on Jenna’s team, but am not gonna hold my breath. I have seen lots of producer manipulation on DWTS, so I am kinda jaded that DWTS Jr will be that much different, which is sad for the kids. I hope I am wrong.
The last time Maks was a guest judge, he was not very nice to say the least, and there were lots of comments on DWTS facebook about how Maks attitude did not make watching DWTS enjoyable. I haven’t read anything about Len not coming back yet, so I hope that doesn’t change.
We’ll do exactly as we did for Bristol – give her the benefit of the doubt and then criticize her when she turns out to be just as bad as her mother. That’s fair.
But, come on, it’s nurturing. You are very likely to reflect your parents thoughts, behavior, etc. etc etc. That’s the way it works. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as they say. But there are always exceptions. And we give the kids a chance.
Got to admit I’m kind of excited about this show and glad to see some new faces mentoring and judging. In the beginning of dwts you could somewhat take the competition seriously but as the years have gone by it’s just become entertainment. The judges and producers manipulate the audience to choose the winner they want. I see the jr. version as no different. Hopefully it will be lead with a gentle hand since they are kids.
The three judges, Mandy, Val and Adam, seem to have a solid relationship with all the adult cast so I think the judging will be fair on face value. Adam will be as flamboyant as Bruno. I’m glad Maks isn’t on the panel because he can be too contrary if the mood strikes him. Like someone said up thread, you never know who you’re going to get.
For the regular dwts I would love to see the cast and judges table shaken up. I wish Shirley were available or even Cheryl, Kym, or Karina as a judge in Carrie’s place. Len stays and the 3rd judge rotated by the newest eliminated pro. Kind of like Survivor, would be interesting.
I support Mandy Moore and Val C.as pros qualified to be judges on this special new DWTS Junior Editon. However, with only one short season as a winner doesn’t qualify Adam to judge. I do honk he was asked for his personality and outlandish points of view. Yes, he will be very entertaining.
But his partnership with Jenna gives her an unfair advantage. If this show version of the show replaces the usual time slot for DWTS, it is going to make a big nosedive in viewership that the show will disappear entirely.
Suddenly I’m back in the game with this show.
I LOVE Adam being a judge for two reasons. The first being that he’s so naturally funny and charismatic that Val won’t get to be the center of attention on the judging panel. The second is watching the ultra conservative Palin clan as they see one of their own judged by an out and proud gay man.
I’ll give Tripp the benefit of the doubt, as I did with Sadie Robertson, who I actually ended up really liking, although not her family. I have to be completely honest though and say that if I see any Palins deflecting the spotlight off of Tripp onto them or spewing inane, divisive or ridiculous things, than it will definitely negatively affect how I view Tripp, if only to hope he goes home so I don’t have to suffer through anymore Palin crap. Which would be a shame because the spotlight should be on Tripp and his partner.