PureDWTS Season 29, Week 1 – Power Rankings
As I find myself saying more and more often in this god forsaken year – this episode of Black Mirror sucks π
Granted, my bar for this season of DWTS was set lower than ever; I was expecting a certain degree of shenanigans that inevitably comes with COVID-19 precautions. The lack of audience meant the couples seemed to just get swallowed up by the stage (and lighting), and the walls constructed on both sides of the dance floor to obscure the lack of audience seemed to evoke a sort of post-apocalyptic robot obelisk. Then there was the dystopian (and highly unnerving, at times) pre-recorded applause, booing, and cheering noises that were piped in, often at the wrong time (and wayyyy too loud). The intro of the celebs at the beginning of the show seemed to be some sort of bastardized version of the “choose your player” screen at the beginning of video games, with each character pulsing awkwardly in some sort of characteristic movement – or a preview of the 2020 version of The Sims, who knows. While I enjoyed the intro of the pros walking to the stage one by one and striking a pose, they all seemed to look a bit sad – I like to think it was because they missed Tom. I certainly did.
I just can’t with Tyra, guys. I know it was her first night, but sis was just trying wayyyy too hard, and it came across disingenuous and awkward at times; I just found myself going “We let go of the ease and aplomb of Tom and Erin FOR THIS???” And this is DWTS, not the Met Gala – so the ginormous “look at meeeeeee!” ballgown made me roll my eyes, as did the costume change. I can’t recall Tom or Erin ever changing costumes during the show, or wearing anything that was so over-the-top as to shift focus from the contestants. Nor did they feel the need to stunt in a Ferrari…
…as I had kind of expected based on the fact that we had to get through 15 couples in two hours, the dances were quite truncated, as were the judges’ comments; seems as though plenty of time was left for Tyra to ask awkward questions of the couples afterwards, though. Carrie Ann is Carrie Ann, just blonder now (but don’t think that she won’t still call out lifts because she’s blonde, guys!!!); could be just me, but did anyone else think Bruno seemed even less coherent than in previous seasons? Could also be bad sound, but at times I found myself rewinding to re-listen to what he said because it just sounded like nonsense to me. Derek was the bright spot on the judges’ panel, as we had expected – four seasons judging on World of Dance have left him with the ability to give concise, constructive, and relevant feedback after a dance, and not fall into the Len Goodman trap of getting too wrapped up in playing the part of the conservative, grumpy grandpa figure to actually give helpful advice. I found myself nodding along with most of what Derek said, and was thankful to have him as a stabilizing force on the panel…and also to troll Carrie Ann’s perpetually-ridiculous lift policing π
But at the end of the night, all dumpster fire jokes aside, I found myself with one dominant emotion: hope. The world may be collapsing into ruin around us, but at the end of those two hours I found myself happy that 15 celebrities, 15 pros, 3 judges, and 1 iffy host still managed to put on a good show. I don’t think any couple phoned it in or deliberately sucked – each one seemed to be trying their best out there, even if they weren’t terribly confident in themselves. I was left feeling just a bit more optimistic about the rest of this year, which is a precious feeling these days. And while I’m no longer on Twitter, I remember tweeting sometime in June (I think) a list of items DWTS needed to do in order to “atone” for sins of previous seasons: one was to ensure that Keo and Brandon got partners (check), one was to bring back Artem (check), one was to hire Britt as a pro (check), and one was to hold Len accountable for some of the racist stuff he’s gotten away with saying on the show (check-ish…I’ll settle for replacing him altogether). Aside from the absolute travesty of losing Tom & Erin – the show actually made good on most of my list. Bravo.
So yeah, some of you have noticed I’m no longer on Twitter; I’m going to do my best to make up for it in the rankings. You might notice I’m throwing gifs into my posts now, as that was often my favorite way to react quickly on Twitter. I’ve got plenty of shady Naomi Campbell gifs stockpiled to troll Tyra with this season π The rankings are likely to also be a bit longer, as it’s now my only means of reacting to the show – before, I felt the need to somehow differentiate my live tweeting from the rankings to a degree, which often left me with writer’s block. But that’s no more…the words seem to flow more freely now that I’m not trying to say different things than I did on Twitter! π
1.) Justina & Sasha – I kind of expected Justina to be fun – if you follow her on Instagram, she just has a really good, fun energy. But I wasn’t expecting her to be as technically proficient as she was! I was kind of blown away with how well she was hitting every move with confidence and flair. She definitely won the award for showman of the night for me, but honestly, taking into account everything else in addition to showmanship – she was the dance of the night for me, too. You can tell she’s got musicality, and she moves BIG, which is something that more petite women seem to struggle with on this show. I was getting Marissa Jaret Winokur vibes from her, but better. I’m definitely excited to see what else she’s got up her sleeve this season, but I’m mostly just loving her energy right now π
2.) Skai & Alan – I think the only reason I don’t have Skai tied with Justina is that Skai got a dance this week that required a bit more control, and thus the performance wasn’t quite as explosive as Justina’s high-energy cha-cha. But I’m glad she got tango, because it showed us that she’s got something a lot of the other contestants might not: control, but with impact. She was nailing those sharp leg lines in the beginning of the dance, and she’s flexible to boot. I’d have to go back and re-watch, but I feel like she might have gotten a bit lost on some of the turn sections – but that’s something that Alan can easily work on with her as the season progresses. I had to raise an eyebrow at “Super Bass” as a tango song – aside from the awkward bleeping out of naughty words that seemed to leave holes in the song, only the chorus seemed well-suited to tango. But they made it work – and I loved the pose at the beginning with the sunglasses π
3.) Kaitlyn & Artem – Did anyone else just adore Kaitlyn’s reaction to getting Artem as her partner? π After his unceremonious ousting last season, I’m so glad Artem got a partner that was clearly thrilled to have him as her pro – and if Heidi & I’s five-year-long suspicions are correct, it was Kaitlyn’s DWTS dreams in season 21 getting squashed that resulted in Artem sitting that season out. So Kaitlyn & Artem together? It just makes a lot of sense to me π Not to draw too many comparisons to previous Bachelorettes on DWTS, but right out of the gate, Kaitlyn already moves better than Hannah – there’s a certain ease to the way she moves that Hannah didn’t really develop until much later in her season. She can still move a bit small, though, and there’s definite room for improvement in her hip action and arm styling; but she’s got a good foundation of dance knowledge and musicality, so Artem has a lot to work with this season. Plus she seems really eager to learn, which usually makes for a successful partnership.
4.) Johnny & Britt – So at long last, we FINALLY got Johnny Weir on this show!!! Seriously, I feel like he’s been a rumor for as long as I’ve been blogging – so like, 11+ years. And unfortunately, I think all those years of anticipation have resulted in some inflated expectations for America’s favorite flamboyant skater; I think Adam Rippon’s win 2.5 years ago also has set the bar pretty high. To be clear, I don’t think Johnny’s cha-cha was bad; I just think the song was all wrong, and Johnny’s movement quality was a bit too…flowy. While Adam definitely took a few liberties with some of the movements in his dances, they all at least looked like the dance they were meant to be: a cha-cha still looked like a cha-cha, a quickstep still looked like a quickstep. Likely owing to a less-than-ideal song for cha-cha, Johnny looked like he was doing some sort of modern jazz routine instead π He did hit every step, though, and clearly has musicality. And I still enjoyed Britt’s choreography, and thought there were some fun flourishes in it that point to her possibly being pretty clever as a choreographer. Loved that they didn’t end the dance with a dip, like almost every other couple. While I think Johnny doesn’t have the MBT in the bag by any means at this point, I do think there’s room for improvement here – and I’m eager to see what he and Britt come up with.
5.) Nev & Jenna – Nev can definitely dance – I had heard that he had studied contemporary/modern dance for a spell in college, but I wasn’t sure how well that would actually translate to the dance floor. I think it definitely paid off for a dance like foxtrot – he clearly knows where to put his limbs, how to finish lines, and how to move big. Very light on his feet, too. A few issues with posture, but overall an impressive first dance. But I’m wondering how well his dance skills are going to translate to the Latin dances – I think that’s going to be the real test. And as I mentioned in the pre-season, I think with 15 couples this year, anyone from more of a niche fanbase (anyone that may be wildly popular with a small subset of the general audience, but is perhaps not widely well-known) is going to have to come out of the gates strong in order to get the votes. Luckily, this was a good first impression – I’m hoping he can keep up the momentum in the coming weeks. Mama Spence still keeps asking “So who is this guy again?”, which makes me wonder if other Boomers are saying the same thing.
6.) AJ & Cheryl – AJ wins my award for second-cutest first meeting – the sweet little excited “Hiiiiiii!” he gave when he saw that he got Cheryl was just precious π Off the bat, I feel like he’s miles ahead of Nick Carter in terms of dance skill – I often found myself thinking Nick was a chaotic mover, with a tendency to do wayyyyy too much; AJ has far more control in his movement (perhaps even a tad too much). I actually thought their jive was pretty good, and probably deserved a point or two more; I think where it suffered was in terms of camera work (that stage just seemed to swallow them up, and the camera seemed so far away at times that I couldn’t really see what they were doing) and lighting (seriously, it got really distracting at times). I’m hoping he didn’t hurt himself when he landed from his jump off the stage – he seemed to lose his balance a bit. Generally, though, he hit every beat (if a bit too softly) and has a good sense of the music – I think there’s a lot of potential here and room for improvement. Looking forward to getting a longer dance out of him with better camera work, so I can actually see what he’s doing!
7.) Jeannie & Brandon – Jeannie was probably the contestant I was least familiar with going into this season, but I was pleasantly surprised – she’s adorable and has a really fun energy. She’s also a decent (if not a bit chaotic) mover, and seems to be good at selling a dance. I think Brandon was wise to go the route of throwing in a bunch of salsa tricks, as Jeannie’s slight build and stature makes it easy for her to get thrown around; her hip action could also use work, so Brandon was likely wise to keep it to a minimum. Generally, though, Jeannie’s got a lot to work with – she moves big (despite being small), like Justina, and can perform the hell out of a dance. She just needs a bit of polish π Also not a 100% ideal salsa song, but they worked it out – in my mind, though, “Tell it to My Heart” really belongs to Alyssa Edwards and her epic lip sync on Drag Race π
8.) Jesse & Sharna – You’d think by now the show would be tired of shipping Sharna with good-looking, single men – but nope π The minute I heard these two would be paired together, I said to myself “Crap, they’re trying to set up another showmance.” And it does seem to me that Jesse is at least receptive to the idea – making comments about Sharna’s “steamy” dances with Nick (were they, though? I just remember them being pained, more often than not), turning up the heat on their quickstep, etc. Anywho, Jesse started off the dance pretty wooden, but seemed to loosen up as it wore on; still see some shoulder issues (and possibly some timing ones) that need to be addressed. Was glad to see the cute, clever little flourishes we’ve become accustomed to in Sharna’s choreo back again π Also loving her blonde/pink hair – a nice change of pace, and likely more low-maintenance than the bright red (as someone who has tried having fiery red hair – it’s a PITA, and fades like crazy). There’s definite potential here, but I think it’s going to take a few weeks before he might become a real contender.
9.) Monica & Val – My big concern for Monica headed into this competition was less about her skill level and more about her personality. For anyone that has watched Cheer on Netflix, you know that she’s kind of the strong, silent type: not really one to raise her voice, one that rules with a quiet strength that commands respect (and love) from the kids who cheer for her. She’s definitely not super-energetic like Justina, or kooky like Anne, or enthusiastic like Kaitlyn. And while that may result in her fading into the woodwork as we move on through the season, I gotta say: there is something really compelling about the way she dances. She can move (and you can tell she’s in great shape!) and she has a really refined, elegant quality to her movement. She also has a sort of earnest vulnerability to her that seemed to fit really well with her song choice. At the end of it, I just found myself saying “Wow, that was really nice.” I think the big test will be when she has to do a Latin dance – while the refined elegance works well in ballroom, I think she’s going to have to turn up the energy for Latin dances. Will also be interesting to see the dynamic between her and Val – she’s not the top to get easily riled, but she’s also no doormat; I wonder if she might actually be the ideal partner for Val.
10.) Nelly & Daniella – I went in not really sure what to expect from Nelly, and I can say this now: he’s either going to go the way of Rob Kardashian, who started his season on kinda shaky ground before figuring out about halfway through the season that he actually could dance and enjoyed doing it; or he’s going to go the way of D.L. Hughley, who never seemed to be enjoying himself and was just biding his time until his elimination. Thing is, Nelly can actually dance and put on a good show – he definitely had a good feel for the music and natural flow; it just needs a bit of tightening up, so to speak. I think his problem is that he’s just reeeeeally skeptical about this show – I’d venture a guess that he’s doing it for the money, and probably thinks it’s kinda corny and thus is afraid to show he’s enjoying himself. I think the key is going to be shedding that “tough guy” image and just really embracing the experience. And I was actually impressed with Daniella’s choreography, and what she was able to pull out of him – hello, backflip?! Clearly he’s got some athleticism, and I hope he leans into it. A big question mark for me, but one with potential.
11.) Anne & Keo – Ooh wee – Keo got the kooky partner again π I’m beginning to think he’s kinda used to it, though. The rehearsal package was definitely weird (WTF was she wearing???), and the beginning pose of her dance was just bizarre…but oddly enough, I kind of enjoyed it once they got going. Anne’s biggest strength seems to be that she’s not afraid to go full-tilt and probably doesn’t care if she embarrasses herself, so she’s not going to be timid out on the floor. She sold the dance well, though did move a bit small at times; it’s something they can definitely work on. And like Kaitlyn’s gushing about Artem, I love that Anne was singing Keo’s praises – the poor man has been saddled with dud after dud, and then got benched for a season after he made it to the finals for the first time. I appreciate any partner that recognizes his talent is happy to have him as a pro π
12.) Vernon & Peta – Got definite Donald Driver/Calvin Johnson vibes from Vernon – he’s a big guy, but he seems very excited about being on the show and learning how to dance. Not that he can’t already – that endzone dance he demonstrated for Peta seemed pretty intricate, and required some serious foot coordination. So we know he CAN do precise stuff with his feet – now he just needs to apply it out on the floor π The tempo of the song seemed wayyyy too fast for a foxtrot, and there were a few times where he seemed to get a bit lost; he’s also got some shoulder issues, though I found that his were the opposite of Jesse or Nev’s: he’s slouching because of the height difference, which could take some work to break him of. I still think he has potential, and the only reason I have him so low is that he got stuck in the running order dead zone of 2nd-6th-ish, where everything started to become a blur in my mind by the end of the night.
13.) Chrishell & Gleb – Another victim of the dreaded first hour running order dead zone, and unfortunately a dance that I barely remember in the grand scheme of things. I remember her being pretty wooden, and generally awkward out on the floor; she tried, but it didn’t leave much of an impact on me. I don’t really remember being wowed by the choreo, either, but that’s not a shock since it’s Gleb…I’ve always found him to be pretty lazy when it comes to choreo. Chrishell seems nice enough, but the whole bit in the rehearsal package about waiting for an offer on a home she had listed just seemed really forced and awkward; I’m guessing they’re going to save the whole “My husband unceremoniously dumped me via text message” conversation for “most memorable year” week or something. Chrishell’s kind of in the same boat as Nev and Monica, coming from rather niche fanbases – I’m curious to see whether the sympathy about her divorce will carry her for awhile or not, because I don’t really know too many people who watch Selling Sunset religiously (most I know just tuned in to hear about Chrishell’s divorce). Because unfortunately, with Gleb at the helm, I don’t see this partnership lasting long.
14.) Charles & Emma – Poor Charles – like so many taller guys that have done the show, he seems to want to learn, but he just can’t make his body do the right things. Emma had to keep this salsa pretty simple, and like Lamar last season, I think Charles just has a hard time with the counts, and is so acutely aware of his large frame that he moves small. God bless Emma, she really tried – but I think Charles just has some limitations (both in his height and with his age) that will likely keep him from improving too much. I wish I could say these two would stick around for awhile, but I think they’ll likely be gone either next week or the week after.
15.) Carole & Pasha – If I had to guess what the agenda was in casting Carole this season, it was likely “Use the controversy surrounding her to make sure people talk about the show and maybe tune in, but don’t let her stick around too long.” I think they learned their lesson with a certain former White House Press Secretary last season – the controversy will only carry you so far until you start losing viewers because the controversial ones stick around too long. Based on the scores they gave her, my guess was they wanted to make sure Carole ended up at the bottom of the leaderboard – I don’t think she was a full point worse than Charles (in fact, I think she was actually a skosh better than Charles, in terms of actually doing the steps), and Pasha actually gave her a halfway entertaining routine for her skill level. Can I bring myself to root for her? Nah. But I respect the effort, and I think she’s likely a goner next week, barring any sort of strange interference. I do, however, feel for whatever poor corrections officer is having to deal with Joe Exotic absolutely losing his sh*t in jail right now π
Alright, sports fans – thoughts on the premiere, after you’ve slept on it? Who are the frontrunners? Who’s in trouble? Thoughts on Tyra? The set? The judges?
Just excellent, Court! As always, you described them all so well on everything!! You nailed it on the rankings for me too. I think Vernon, Nelly, AJ (no doubt, my Dad would be loving this pairing too), Johnnie, Nev, Jesse, Justina, and Jeannie are my faves so far. Anne had issues (and not sure she can overcome them), but, I really hope she sticks around awhile. She’s so funny and sweet.
PS: Loved your fun photos too!!
Soo happy power rankings are back!! I’ve been missing Court’s tweets.
The biggest shock of the night for me was Justina & Sasha. She is the star I knoew the least about going in and now I’m absolutely obbsessed. I think she had fun with the Cha-Cha but has the range for emotional dances too.
Another suprise was Nev, I knew he would be adorkable and charming but he has the dance skills to back it up!! I worry about his Latin but I think he can endear the older crowd to him.
I am soooo happy Anne proved many of us wrong who thought she would be first boot. She’s wacky and fun I hope her and Keo can survive the first few weeks.
Skai, Kaitlyn and Vernon were some of favs going in that did not dissapoint.
Tyra…she needs work. I was really hopeful and wanting to like her it was just soooo awkward.
Tyra… I like that a pants suit was worn, but I would’ve preferred it if Tyra had just worn the pants the whole time. And also not made a huge deal over losing an earring. We already have one CAI on here, we don’t need two.
What I enjoyed most from Tyra was when she mentioned her mom loving the show with her. If there is one thing that is maybe more important than dancing on this show, or rehabbing your flagging career, it is giving props to your mom or grandma. Double points if mom or grandma really loves DWTS.
I was surprised at the quality and relevance of the costumes. Like they were all new (no recycles that I could see). Things I want to wear somewhere fun with my friends. So maybe Tyra had some influence there?
The video displays on the side walls were awful, thx for calling that out. I needed to rewatch dances that were too dark (AJ, Skai) or had busy screens. Sometimes the screen had abstract art deco imagery and that was fine, but when it was like Vegas slots trying to compete for eyeball real estate it was bad.
Thanks to the Pure team for the live stream last night and power rankings today!
My rankings are not at all what I expected them to be since I feel like some are more fun than others who were nervous and it showed.
1. Justina & Sasha: My fav of the night. She was so much fun.
2. Skai & Alan: I knew she would be good but not that good.
3. Jeannie & Brandon: I love these two. Energy meets energy and she is fearless. And she can dance. Didn’t realize how tall she actually was. She always seemed so much shorter for some reason on tv before.
4. AJ & Cheryl: First one out and does a great job. His future is bright on this show.
5. Johnny & Britt: I loved this one. He is going to be a lot offun to watch and I cannot wait fr his waltz.
6. Jesse & Sharna: A lot of potential and he can dance. I’m impressed.
7. Vernon & Peta: I expected him to be good, which he is. Saying that the routine wasn’t great. And this is coming from a man who knows little to nothing about football so this is surprising even to me: I like this guy a lot and he is one of my favs this season already.
8. Nev & Jenna: He did great. My worry for him is Latin tbh as well but also the fact that it might be a couple that gets lost in the shuffle of it all.
9. Anne & Keo: A lot of potential and she was the biggest surprise of the night for me. I like her a lot and had thought she would be awful. Lesson learned: don’t judge someone on dwts based totally on their interviews vin lol.
10. Kaitlyn & Artem: Her smile screamed internal nervousness that she was hiding to me but she definitely can dance.
11. Nelly & Daniella: He is a lot of fun. He can dance but let’s see a ballroom one from him soon hopefully becuase I get a good feeling that it will something he might excel at.
12. Monica & Val: She can dance. She is slightly boring too. Saying that the routine was good and she did everything Val asked so I can’t blame her….that one is on Val.
13. Chrishell & Gleb: Didn’t like this dance at all. She was very nervous though and it showed in my opinion so I will hope she shakes those nerves off soon. Also, she kinda came across as a bit fake to me personality wise.
14. Charles & Emma: Biggest disappointment of the night for me. This was really bad but he is lucky there is one person that America will probably get rid of before him.
15. Carole & Pasha: She tried. It was weird but she had fun.
Oh and agreed on the Black Mirror being 2020 thing. I always say 2020 is more like a Sims game gone in the hands of a sadistic human being…..or a teenager just wanting to see them suffer.
Please! Bring Tom and Erin back!!!!
I pretty much agree with your top 3, although I would have them in different order. Love Johnny, but he was underwhelming last night. I think he will dance beautiful waltz, foxtrot, and tango but may not shine with anything that requires lots of loose hip action- similar to Charlie and Evan. The checked costume on Jesse was very distracting to me and I am looking forward to seeing him next week so I can get a better look. He is very musical, no dance experience at all, and may be fun to watch improve. Hope they don’t do the old showmance crap, because we are so over it.
The set was distracting for me and I hated the recorded applause, etc. Tom hosted with so much ease and wit that I think he may have done a much better job overcoming all the obstacles forced on the show by Covid. I wanted to give Tyra a chance, but when she pranced out like a showgirl I found it very annoying. I don’t mean to be unkind, but my first thought was that someone threw the Big Bird costume into a vat of red paint and gave it to Tyra. The couples should always garner the attention….not the host and a different costume for the host would have been more appropriate.
How wonderful it was, to see Derek again! I tuned in primarily because of him, and he didn’t disappoint. Always constructive, fair criticism to the couples in an effort to help them improve. Class act, even to someone who hasn’t always treated him the same way….looking at you, Val.
Not sure if I will be a weekly viewer, as I don’t feel invested. Hoping Sasha or Artem walks away with a win this season.
After really getting a grip on myself as last night was absolutely wild, trippy, yet very engaging I have to say I think this season may actually end up saving the show at least while the pandemic is still around. The thing is though is that it has a lot of strong personalities moreso than excellent dancers. This is definitely more a horse race than a clear cut season. Almost everyone brings something worthwhile to the table, and the couples that don’t made up for it ine one way or another.
1st- Justina and Sasha: Wow, wow, wow! I am a fan, she’s such a vivacious woman who is exactly the type of celebrity the world needs to meet rn, and she can dance unfathomably well for a newcomer. Maybe I need to watch her like several more times (I’ve watched her twice now) for the magic to fade or maybe it just doesn’t. This world needs more Justina Machados in the world.
2nd- (Tie) Skai/Alan and Johnny/Britt- both of these couples in a way managed to be both entertaining and quite easily the most charming aside from Justina. Johnny will never stop being Johnny, but I’m moreso impressed by how well Britt executed his debut. Thought it was a bit to reigned in on the smouldering side and not enough Johnny being Johnny, but on an introductory week it was very smart not to go full Johnny Weir. Skai’s tango was electric, I enjoyed her chemistry with Alan, but I think her biggest strength is her flexibility, as you said in your post Courtney, is her biggest strength. She’s gonna find a way to embody everything about the experience, and I get strong Zendaya vibes from her.
3- (Tie) Jeannie/Brandon and Anne/Keo and Nelly/Daniella: I find myself saying, honestly what’s not to like about all three of these solid couples. Jeannie is definitely the more technically sound of the bunch, but Nelly and Anne really have such a flair of showmanship. Which, admittedly I was expecting of Nelly, but not of Anne. In some weird universe Anne reminds me a bit of Jennifer Grey as i remember her facial expressions always being poignant, but also she could switch to a more lighter often sillier vibe. While Anne’s cha-cha wasn’t amazing and i feel like the judges were rather generous, she was the only one from the 1st hour who truly stuck out to me. I hope Keo can get her far. Nelly was delightful and reminds me a bit of Mario the rapper and Romeo (both such a throwback, shout out to 14 year old me XD). Like he might shed the tough guy exterior and I think he will, but Daniella will find way to make him feel masculine even in the most vulnerable of dances. So he’ll loosen up hopefully. Jeannie is wanted to leave for last because while she was quite exciting and engaging I’m not so certain her and Brandon are 100% a great match. I get woodwork couple vibes. Any other season I’d say that’s a great paring, but with so many other more solid couplings this season I’m afraid they might get lost in the shuffle.
4th- Kaitlyn and Artem: I like Kait, but she’s a bit to much like an overexcited puppy, but dang it she dances quite nicely. I doubt she’ll be making the finals, but she’ll be sticking around. Artem, I love ya, but definitely give us more this year, and make Kait shine. The choreography this week was a little to safe.
5th- Nev/Jenna and Vernon/Peta: These guys are probably the dark horses along with potentially Anne, but only time will tell. I have a feeling Nev isn’t gonna be half bad at latin, and Jenna seems more grounded this year. Not to many hammy moments with the camera that I could notice or just not enough time? Lol. However one thing I must address… This whole Papa Nev thing is gonna take him far I think. As for Vernon I was happy to see my early prediction of him being smooth were somewhat fulfilled. Loved the foxtrot, but nothing worth a rewatch honestly. Moving forward I hope he and Peta can keep the momentum going as this type of growth arc he might have could be what gets him to the finale.
6th- AJ/Cheryl and Jesse/Sharna: Full disclosure I forgot AJ was in the cast after like the sixth or seventh dance, but that has more to do with the fact that he went 1st, but I digress; I need to see him again, but in a later running position. Also his stumble was a big oof… but he regained himself nicely. I’m just afraid with bigger personalities he might also fade into the woodwork at some point, maybe I’m crazy, but he doesn’t quite stand out in this group. Jesse I’m not sure where to begin… umm… I just really can’t explain, but I wasn’t wowed with him. Maybe it was the distracting patterns they wore or the fact Sharna is no longer a redhead, but idk. I loved the choreography, Sharna always delivers, but I think it was just so many distracting elements that it just worked against itself.
7th- Monica and Val: This couple is a real head scratcher for me lol. It’s like a cute older couple who never fights, but when they do it’s explosive. Anyway I like Monica, she’s very camp, but in all the right ways I think. In a season like this being camp might work to her advantage. Her foxtrot however was a bit messy at times, but she was quite elegant. Personally I’m excited to see her do a Paso Doble or an Argentine Tango as I feel like she could really shine in those two dances. Oddly enough her having Val reminds me of Emma Barton and Anton from last years Stictly.
8th- Charles and Emma: I’m sorry but this couple deserves more praise than what they got. Those lifts where very entertaining and surprising for his age. Yes Emma might be quite smaller, but still he executed them so nicely! While he might not end up being a Bill Engvall or Tommy Chong I do think they’ll be around for the 1st few weeks. He just needs to move a bit bigger in his latin, and he could definitely last another week or so.
9th- Chrishell and Gleb: First off I just want to scream at the top of my lungs at Gleb for being such an ignoramus and a huge troll. Where was this choreography the last few seasons Gleb? This was solid and could’ve been executed flawlessly by any of your former partners in the last few years, but dear lord you need to gauge your partner much better next time. That was difficult choreography for Chrishell and the music choices was terrible. If this routine was a bit more simple I bet it could’ve been much better! Pardon my language, but f*** Gleb! ????
10th- Carole and Pasha: While she did better than Charles I do have to say this ranking has more to do with her post dance attitude. I get if you’re out of breath, that’s one thing but thank hella awkward unflinching nod to Tyra was just crazy. I got my laugh in, send her home please, and how awkward was it for the viewers in Florida? Hearing about Don Lewis’s family airing that commercial was painful I bet. Not for them, but for the viewers to then have to watch Carole still dance.
Anyway, in the words of Derek Hough, “Carole Baskin, danced a Paso, and smashed it. Her partner Pasha, I feel sorry for, because she lackin!”
Hey Court.
You know Nelly gives me major Antonio Brown Vibes. Before he was officially announced he was on his insta yelling about how heβs a Scorpio and that scorpios can do anything and that he can win dwts because heβs a Scorpio. Very bizarre. Heβs also been arrested (not charged or convicted) on suspicion of rape and heβs been accused at least one other time. So I hope he doesnβt stick around too long. Monica seems pretty forgettable and Iβm not seeing a lot of buzz for Vernon either so far so if they want to stick around they need to spice it up
I think what stood out for me was that all the celebs looked to be having a great time and really enjoying themselves. That in turn made me happy because after a year like this we really do need some positivity and DWTS is a show that prides themselves on that.
Hopefully we get some early double eliminations because I’d like to see the dances be longer than 45 seconds each. Once we get to around the top 10, it will be much better.
Last night gave me such throw backs to the early seasons of the show, that it made me super nostalgic for that era. I agree with you about Justina giving off Marissa Winokour vibes (and also that Justina is a better dancer). I wasn’t as sold on her dance as everyone else, but I did enjoy it and I love her and Sasha together. I’m excited to see more from them.
I think Chrishell will be a surprise early boot. I’m having a hard time figuring out how the eliminations will go this season, besides Charles and Anne probably being the first to go (honestly I’d love to be wrong about Anne). I wish I felt as confident as everyone else about Carole leaving early, or first, but I don’t. They had a judges save and Spicer still make the final 6. I do agree that giving her the lowest score probably was to show that they are trying to avoid a Spicer, Grocery Store Joe, or Bobby Bones scenario again. I think Chrishell could go after. I wasn’t impressed with her, although at the end of the night her score did seem slightly ridiculous. But if anyone is going to struggle with just having them and their partner and nothing or no one else on the floor during the dance, it will be Gleb. I think Johnny, Skai, Kaitlyn, Jesse, AJ, and Nev will go far, with people from that group probably making up the finals. Everyone else I’m up in the air with. I would love to see Jeannie make it far (her dance was one of my top favorites last night).
Is the judges save definitely back? Because that adds a big wrinkle in eliminations. I kind of got the vibe Nelly was over it before it started, so as much as I loved him and especially Daniella, he might be out earlier than expected. In regards to Charles, I’ve seen this mentioned elsewhere, but does anyone think having taller female pros that maybe match their partners height a little better would be an improvement? I don’t know that I do, but it might not make someone like Charles stand out as badly as he did. He seemed to at least be enjoying himself, and at least he has Emma who will smile at anything. Her cheering for the 4s was cute.
Ratings were up slightly, but Tyra’s hosting was panned. This show needed Tom more than ever last night. It felt like there was an awkward elephant in the room and everyone was trying to ignore it, and I’m sure that there’s some sigh of relief that ratings didn’t completely tank (I would have been more surprised if they did). I’m curious if the ratings will keep up, as there was literally nothing competing against the show last night besides re-runs, movies, football, and original episodes of Love Island and American Ninja Warrior.
So I think Anne, Charles, Chrishell, and hopefully Carole are the first four to go.
Hi from Germany everybody!
I’ve been a loyal fan and reader since about season 14, and only recently discovered this blog! I’m super happy Sharna is back, she’s always been my favorite, together with Mark and Derek.
I agree with everything you guys said about Tyra and the fake audience cheer and Derek… He is just lovely as a judge *_*
The main reason I’m a fan is because of the higher-level dancing/ performances, compared to the German and Italian dwts, the only other versions I know.
The only thing I would’ve wished is to maybe have 2/3 contestants less but longer dances. Plus, I love how much better it made me feel, as you already so eloquently put π
Oh btw, I saw on instagram that britt cherry is back as an (I assume) backup dancer of sort? With Paul Karmiryan ….
Take care everyone!
I’m genuinely impressed at the setup they came up with to deal with the restrictions. The ballroom looks great and they surprisingly did a good job at preventing the lack of a crowd from being the elephant in the room with the design and some well-placed cheers during the dances (I can do without the manufactured boos during comments though.)
Justina was my favorite and I mean I’m a big fan so of course I was already planning to vote for her but I was so happy to see her shine! Anne was a big surprise for me and I’m also liking Skai, Jeannie, Nev, and Johnny a lot so far.
I hope Carole leaves next week but given the ratings boost I wonder if they’re gonna try to keep her around for a few more episodes.
Said i wasn’t going to, but I did watch, and will watch round two. Them I’m out until the last 3 weeks. Saying Tyra needs improvement is kind. She was a bomb on America’s Got Talent, and they couldn’t get rid of her fast enough. But hey, she’s the Exec Producer now and she’s not going anywhere anytime soon. The first night ratings were up, and I think it was just to see how she would do. IMO…ditch the runway looks, nobody give a crap. Ditch the Valley Girl phrasing/accents, it’s 2020. Remember Tyra, we’re just the average American looking for a 2020 break, so talk to us like you’re our next door neighbor. Tom was THE ICON, and Erin was his best counter. You’ve got a long way to go, Tyra baby!
I hate autofill.
There’s always one celeb who surprises the “casual viewer” on the first week or two and hoovers up a truckload of votes from people who come into the season with an open mind (like James Hinchcliffe, Frankie Muniz, Evanna Lynch to give fairly recent examples). This season I can see that person being Nev. One look at the DWTS Facebook page tells you that he’s already won the “general demographic” viewers over who have never heard of him beforehand and were shocked at how good he was. People having not heard of him then becomes a big advantage because unlike people like AJ, they don’t know about Nev’s dance background.
It’s early days, but he’s my sleeper pick for the finale.
OK,much better premier than i had thought.
my faves:
this was a really good premier – better than i would have thought.
1. Tyra not nearly as annoying as i thought she would be
2. Scoring was more in line with what i thought to be “fair” – LOVE Derek as a judge
3. very much like the scaled back routines (the back-to-basics theme they announced) with just 2 people dancing together without all the fru-fru of previous seasons
4. my fave 6, in no particular order: Justina – love her energy; Johnny – my dream contestant for many years & he did not disappoint; Nev – what a lovely surprise; Anne – perfect partner for Keo, hope they last for a while; Jesse – really hope they don’t push the shipping too much because i think that could deter from his actual skills on the dance floor; Vernon is in good hands with Peta and has real potential
I enjoyed last night. Derek was great. I enjoyed Jesse, Kaitlyn, AJ, Jeannie and Skai. LOVED having Artem back, he is my favorite Pro !!!!!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
The show had it’s moments, but watching and following along with the recapping and then the power rankings….2020 blows, but THANK YOU all at PureDWTS for making it feel semi-normal again. Didn’t realize how much I needed it. You all do great work and we appreciate it!!
Awesome rankings post, Courtney!
Pleased that my rankings are similar to yours, except that for me, Kaitlyn & Artem and Skai & Alan are tied for 2nd place. The new pros definitely added flavor and energy to the show. Their choreo looked fresh. Was glad to see Artem and Sharna back, after what happened last season. They looked happy to be back in the ballroom, especially Artem.
Among the celebs, Justina stood out. I felt her enjoyment as she performed. I loved how Britt showcased Johnny, especially at the beginning and end of their dance. All the couples seem to work well together, at least this first week. We’ll see how their partnerships turn out in the coming weeks.
Derek is the bright spot at the judges’ table. Loved listening to him give praise and sound critique, things that the celebs and their partners can actually work on. I did like Bruno’s and CAI’s new hair color, haha.
Thank you for this post and looking forward to the next one.
Oh! I forgot to comment about the set. While I missed the old disco ball, I actually like the new, modern-looking one. What I did not like was the loud canned applause/booing. I hope they do something about that.
Tyra still has to work on her interview/adlib skills. There were awkward moments. It’s just the first week; hope she’s working on it.
Thanks, once again.
after rewatching the dances, for me the ones that were the most fun to watch – despite untucked tushes, frame issues, or whatever. Maybe not the best or highest scoring dances, but so enjoyable to watch: Nev & Jenna – i so enjoyed this routine; Justina & Sasha – so bubbly and fun; Jesse & Sharna – that was a damn good quickstep; Skai & Alan – wow for someone so young, that dance was a joy to watch.
looking forward to next week’s dances.
Overall, Iβm actually really excited about this season! Derek is a very welcome judging addition and there are so many talented dancers that could win. Tyra wasnβt as grating as I feared, but she is missing the warmth and connection Tom had (plus everything she did felt so self-involved). I’m still beyond confused as to why they let him go.
Personal Rankings by enjoyment:
1.Justina/Sasha: Like everyone else, totally shocked about how good she really was. To me, she was miles above everyone else in execution and performance. They werenβt on my radar before, but Iβm excited for them.
2. Kaitlyn/Artem: The dance did feel a little safe, but the enthusiasm both of them have for the partnership and the show made me a little emotional. Iβve always thought Artem was an underrated pro, and this continues to be the couple Iβm most excited about
3. Nelly/Daniella: I canβt even explain why I liked this so much. I thought Daniella nailed the choreo, and unlike Court I actually felt like he was committed to the process. I was irked he wasnβt wearing proper shoes.
4. AJ/Cheryl- I think this would have been scored higher if they werenβt first. I think he has a natural rhythm and movement quality Nick lacked and I still think they are frontrunners. I hated Cherylβs outfit, though
5. Nev/Jenna- In a sea of neon and chaos, I thought this was different and reminded me of the old DWTS. He was excellent out of hold, and I was genuinely surprised how good it was overall.
6. Johnny/Britt- I also had my expectations a little too high, and I was mildly surprised how uncomfortable Johnny seemed at times. That being said, I hated this song for a cha cha, but I thought Britt killed the choreo on it and I still am looking forward to them.
7. Anne/Keo- I had her pegged as another Kim Zolciak so I loved how excited she was about Keo and how wholeheartedly she embraced the dance.
8. Skai/Alan- I get what everyone else loved about this, but to me this faded into the woodwork. Maybe it was the song, but even though I recognized she is great I quick forgot about this
9. Jeannie/Brandon- This felt really chaotic for me. I love Brandon’s choreo but I’ll be curious about them going forward. I cannot believe Jeannie is in her forties, though!
10. Monica/Val- I agree that this is a good partnership for Val. Overall it was sort of forgettable, and I worry about her ability to connect with the audience in general.
11. Vernon/Peta- I really wish he would have gotten a different style. I feel like all of Petaβs foxtrots look the same and it didnβt serve him well. I think he has a lot of potential, though
12. Jesse/Sharna- He looked like he was trying hard and he was definitely more comfortable as the dance went on, but I forgot about him. I’m thrilled Sharna is back though
13. Chrishell/Gleb- WHY IS GLEB STILL ON THIS SHOW? She was clearly nervous and there were a lot of mistakes, but I think Gleb did a huge disservice in the choreo. He is the weakest pro by far for me, and I think sheβs going to be hurt by that.
14. Charles/Emma- Emma did what she could and he is clearly trying, but there wasnβt much dancing.
15. Carole/Pasha- Again, Pasha did a good job but this was frightful for me. I have a feeling sheβs going to stick around but Iβve over controversial, buzzy stars on this show.
My 2 favorites were Kaitlyn and AJ.
The one who I want gone next week is Carole
PS I am a huge Backstreet Boys girl
If she’s in the bottom 2, it’d be hard to justify keeping Carole over anyone else (unless it is Charles, but if he got a higher score than her, I don’t know how they would keep her over him). But Carole is everywhere when I google the show; the only other things I really see being talked about are Tyra and the ratings. Carole’s paso was trending on Youtube, and has 2 million views (Skai is the only other one to cross the 1 million mark). I don’t know if the show cares as much about someone like her sticking around if it creates buzz. As long as she doesn’t win, and they can just low ball her in the scores and pretend to be shocked that she’s surviving. I just wish they’d give Gleb someone like her. His choreography already sucks, so it’s not like it matters if she can’t dance.
A PSA (aimed particularly at Xavier and Art): QUIT POSTING THE WEEK 2 SONGS AND DANCES AND YOUTUBE VIEWS IN THE COMMENTS! It’s rude to Heidi, who does the “Who’s Dancing What” post, and we’ve long stated that YouTube views mean next to nothing. We’ll post the songs and dances when we’re ready, and your comments are spam. I’ve trashed at least 6 of them at this point. CUT IT OUT.
I know Iβm in the minority on this, but I really felt like Nelly was having fun. That was my big surprise, because I wasnβt expecting it at all.
I’m seeing some people comparing Carole to a certain contestant that long outlived his welcome last season – not necessarily here, but elsewhere. And I think the distinction to be made between S*** and Carole is that S***’s voters seemed to be voting not because they actually liked him, but because they thought they were somehow “sticking it to the dems” by keeping him around; I don’t know that there’s a similar motivation for anyone that’s voting for Carole. Sure, she’s going to get a few votes from trolls who just want to watch the world burn, but I’ve yet to see anyone that is passionately pro-Carole or sees voting for Carole as some sort of political statement. The general sentiments I’ve seen have been “Carole is a murderer and should not be on this show” or “I don’t really care one way or another about Carole”. Bones had an entire radio show audience voting for him; Grocery Joe had the Bachelor nation. Who does Carole have? Her weird husband and some boosters for her sanctuary? I know people are worried that she’s going to stick around for awhile, but I’d be genuinely shocked if she did – I’m just not seeing a large amount of support for her. As for YouTube views, I think there was a sort of trainwreck appeal there – people hate-watching the spectacle of it. I don’t see those people actually voting for her.
Tom and Erin were missed terribly during the show. Tyra did a horrible job on Americaβs got talent and was no better on this show. I couldnβt believe it when I heard she was going to be the hostess why they ever let Tom and Erin go I will never understand. On a bright note Derek did a wonderful job as a judge
I’ve lurked here for years, but never posted. But I’m TOO curious about this and figured I’d ask: Do the recent charges against her former student Jerry (who I believe was rumored to be in talks to join THIS season) affect Monica in any way? I can see her fans rallying behind her, but the core fan base falsely “connecting” her to his scandal if they don’t know her at all. The type of negative press that is likely headed her way (media outlets will want a quote) could affect her both on the dance floor as well as with fans.
Wow enjoyed the performances more than I thought i would have. My top three were:
1) Justina and Sasha
2) Kaitlyn and Artem
3) Jeannie and Brandon
Just watched Lindsay’s review on week 1 as well, I thought it was lovely to hear from a pro and also, miss her loads so it’s nice to still have a nice dose of Lindsay (just from the couch :P)
Here’s her video in case anyone’s interested!
@Paul – Eh, I think that’s a bit of a stretch – from what I’ve been able to tell, most of the main demo of DWTS really didn’t know Monica to begin with (I’d venture a guess that Cheer wasn’t a big watch among conservative Boomers), so I doubt that a large part of them would even bother to make the connection between her, Jerry, and the scandal. You’re literally the first person to bring it up here. And really, if anyone is trying to hold HER personally responsible for what Jerry did, they’re trash, period. She’s not his mother, she’s a cheerleading coach that he only interacts with a few months out of the year. She’s under zero obligation to know his whereabouts and doings at all times, and from what I’ve been able to tell, the incidents in question occurred while he was cheering for another club team – NOT while he was cheering for Navarro in any capacity. Monica likely won’t last long on DWTS, but I sincerely doubt it will have much to do with Jerry’s controversy.
With regard to Court’s PSA…don’t ya’ll have better things to do??
Anyone who DOES blame her needs to take a look in the mirror and ask themselves WHY they try to blame a woman coach who is not related to him, instead of the guy himself?? People always looking to blame someone other than the shitty guy.
@Arethas,
I liked Lindsay’s take on the judges-how she liked Derek, especially because he’s been on the other side, and also her annoyance at Carrie Ann with the lifts. I wonder sometimes what the pros think of Carrie Ann, and even Bruno and Len. It is weird not having her or Witney this season (it doesn’t seem like they’ve been on the show that long).
So great to be back and power rankings, too. It was a great first night. All I am going to add is Johnny Weir descended the ballroom steps like no one else. Looking forward to next week!
I really enjoyed Lindsay’s recap, and I hope she does it again π
Linde, she said she plans on doing it every week and hopes to talk to some of the pros and stars on the show for it too!
[…] Justina & Sasha – As if she heard my speculation last week if she would be as dazzling at the ballroom dances as she was with the Latin ones, Justina […]
I know I’m writing this way late (day before week 6). I came back to read what was being talked about in week one.
I’m a casual viewer with no dance experience, and I never know who most of the so-called “stars” are before the show starts. The exception this year was Johnny Weir, who I was (am) most excited about. I also knew who Anne Heche was and what she looked like, but didn’t remember anything she was in and had some vague connection in my mind with Ellen Degeneres (she’s now reminded us what that connection was).
To me, there is always a set of non-descript skinny conventionally-pretty blonde white women, and a set of non-descript conventionally handsome (usually brunette) white men. This season is no exception, and I still can’t really keep Kaitlyn, Chrishell and Monica separate in my mind, the only reason I am aware of Jesse is because Sharna is one of my favorite pros.
I will say I am SO happy to see Tom Bergeron gone! I don’t understand why people like him, he says such sexist and idiotic things. I’ll never forgive him for ruining Simone Biles’ chances by asking her to smile (he never tells men to smile). I like Erin okay, but she was overly deferential/showed favoritism to football players, IMO. I think Tyra Banks is doing just fine. I don’t understand the vitriol posted every week about her.
So, now, admittedly after seeing 5 weeks of competition, My favorites are the 3 Js – Justina, Johnny, and Jeannie! All of my favorite pros are already gone (Sharna, Peta and Emma) and my other faves aren’t on at all (Witney and Lindsay). So my cheering is based strictly on the stars, not the pros this season.
Thanks for your blog!