PureDWTS Season 29, Week 2 – Power Rankings
Welcome to “Dancing with Tyra Banks! And 15 Other Famous People But Mainly TYRA BANKS!!! Did We Mention TYRA BANKS??? WE ARE CONTRACTUALLY OBLIGATED TO SAY HER NAME AT LEAST 50 TIMES PER SHOW, SEND HELP!”
For anyone still able to hold onto the notion that Tyra “is doing better than we thought she would”, I admire your optimism, but I’m completely over her after only 2 weeks. Every time she asks an awkward (and usually frivolous) question after a couple gets their judges’ critiques (which are cut woefully short), or we have to hear her make every interaction about herself in some way, or we’re forced to witness her awkward attempt at humor in the “smizing” cold open, I just think to myself “Tom Bergeron would have never stooped to this level, and he could have gracefully hosted this show with a blindfold on and his hands tied behind his back…and it would still be better than this drivel!” Erin would have been worlds better than this as well…and Samantha Harris…and even one-and-done host Lisa Canning. About the only previous host Tyra has beat is Brooke Burke-Charvet, owing to the fact that Brooke wasn’t much more than a barely-sentient (but very pretty) potato. At least Tyra has a certain trainwreck appeal that makes her somewhat entertaining to watch…
…so with the new(ish) voting format, as Heidi mentioned, we’ve kind of discovered that it may actually be more beneficial for a couple to dance in the first hour of the show (as opposed to the second); I don’t think it was a coincidence that they seemed to front-load the show this week with most of the good dancers (Nev, Skai, Johnny, Justina, AJ) and left more of the weaker dancers in the back half (Charles, Carol, Chrishell, Vernon, Anne). And I don’t think the order in which the couples were called “safe” from elimination was a coincidence, either, despite Tyra insisting that the couples were “in no particular order”; the earliest ones called safe (Kaitlyn, Justina, AJ, Johnny) are the ones I think the majority of us assumed would be the safest, and the last three standing (Chrishell, Carol, and Charles) were the three most of us had in the danger zone. Β I find the fact that Skai was one of the last four standing to possibly be a bit of a warning shot – I’m wondering if she’s dealing with Disney Kid Syndrome(TM) and is struggling with votes.
Other noteworthy stuff? On the negative end, I’m not sure the cameras panning to the couples sitting in their socially-distanced balconies after watching another couple dance is a good thing – more often than not, the couples were either making strange (potentially shady?) faces, or were messing with their phones; at least once, the camera panned to an empty balcony for a few beats. On the positive end, we are getting to experience the saucy troll side of Derek – the passive aggressive “Good job! That’s all I have time to say!” to Jesse after being rushed along from giving a critique by Tyrant (I’ve decided it’s her new name, y’all, since she’s the airtime hoarder) was SENDING me, as was this Carrie-Ann trolling TiK ToK he posted the other day that has inspired me to resurrect my long-marinating “lift policing” post for later this week π Seriously, I cannot wait to see what other sassy comedic GOLD this arrangement sends our way – this is what happens when you hire the most decorated former pro in DWTS history to judge, after he’s had a successful run judging another more high-profile show on a rival network and he has absolutely NOTHING to lose by being a bit of a little shit π
@derekhoughSheβs a stickler for lifts @dancingabcβ¬ original sound – Tucky
So we lost Charles & Emma, which wasn’t terribly surprising – I think most of us had Carole and Charles as our bottom two; really and truly, as much as everyone seems to want Carole gone, I do think the right decision was made – I thought Carole was slightly better than Charles both weeks. Charles, bless him, I just don’t think he was going to improve much more this season. Sweet man, sweet partnership with Emma…but just not meant to go the distance.
1.) 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 delivered yet again – just a lovely foxtrot, with beautiful extensions and musicality. And once again, she looked like she was having the time of her life out there. I think that’s what setting Justina apart from most of the other contestants for me: she’s the full package – she’s able to deliver on both technique and showmanship, and she genuinely seems to be enjoying herself.Β There’s some contestants that are good at technique, but not so much the showmanship; and there are couples that are great at the showmanship, and not so much the technique.Β And there are yet other contestants that just don’t look like they’re having much fun. So for Justina to easily check all three boxes – that makes her the one to beat for me.Β Although I’m curious to see if she manages to get the votes as the season wears on – like Nev, Chrishell, Monica, Carole, and Skai, she seems to have one of those names that aren’t immediately familiar to a good chunk of the audience.
2.) Kaitlyn & Artem – After Tyrant’s dramatic declaration that Kaitlyn was injured, I wondered to myself “oh crap, did I jinx this happy partnership last week???” Luckily, Kaitlyn danced, and I’m left wondering if the whole thing was done for drama at Tyrant’s behest – I wouldn’t put it past her, being the puppetmaster that she is. And it was a very nice dance – Kaitlyn stayed on time, had nice musicality, and definitely improved in her extension and lines from last week. Dare I say she maybe even overdid it a bit? There were a few extensions she did where I felt myself thinking “Ok, maybe a tad exaggerated”, but apparently it pleased Derek, as he whipped out the first “8” paddle of the season. Kaitlyn can move, for sure – I’m just not sure I’m sold on her star quality.Β But I think the injury and the rehearsal package about her failed dance career likely gained her some fans this week, so she’s likely not leaving anytime soon.
3.) Nev & Jenna – I said that Nev would need to make a big splash right out of the gate in order to stick around, and he succeeded – two very strong dances in the first two weeks, so I think he’s winning enough people over to keep him safe. His cha-cha was nice – great musicality, good showmanship.Β I found it to be a tad too flow-y at times – while that suited his foxtrot well, he needs more impact for the Latin dances; I wonder if its his contemporary dance background that’s contributing to the “flowy” quality to his movement. Something to work on in the coming weeks, and I’m sure we’ll see him improve.
4.) AJ & Cheryl – This week, we saw the AJ most of us were predicting in the pre-season: one who could potentially win this season. While I don’t think his jive last week was bad, per se, I do think the boon of not having to go first (and maybe not having a green lighting and camera crew) this week resulted in a much more confident, cohesive performance. You could tell he really liked the song and was having fun, and I think being able to play a bit of a character helped him to really focus on presentation. Good musicality, decent posture and footwork. Some of the cute little choreographic quirks in this foxtrot screamed “Alan Salazar ghost choreo” to me.
5.) Johnny & Britt – I realize we’re only in week 2, but so far I’m feeling a skosh let down by Johnny. Granted, I think like many of us, I just have really high expectations, after having him on my “wish list” for so many seasons; but while he is delivering on the showmanship (and definitely on the costuming!), I just feel like his dances are a tad soft. I wish I could pick Derek’s brain on this one, because I think he’s the type that can quickly and easily diagnose dance “problems” just by watching a couple dance a few bars; as I recall from my own competition days, Shirley also had a knack for this, so he probably gets it from her. But to my only semi-trained eye, it almost looks like Johnny isn’t planting his feet enough on each step and it’s resulting in some rather muddled steps. And it kinda sucks that he’s gotten two dances so far that require pretty sharp, impactful steps – I’m willing to bet that flowy, continuous movement quality will be a boon in the foxtrot and waltz, but they might be hindering him with the Latin dances and more staccato dances like the tango. But I’m loving Britt’s choreo so far, and I’m eager for them to get a slower dance so Johnny can really shine.
6.) Jesse & Sharna – If we’re going to get a dark horse/growth arc story this season, I think Jesse might be the most likely candidate. I did notice an improvement over his dance last week, and his confidence out on the floor seems to be growing; he also has a sort of intense, leading-man quality that makes him interesting to watch as he’s dancing. Posture continues to be an issue, but it’s getting there; now I’m just really interested to see him do a Latin dance, since he’s gotten saddled with ballroom for two weeks in a row now. I wish they’d go back to alternating styles a bit more in the first few weeks, otherwise we end up with back-to-back dances that look about the same (see Jeannie). We’re also seeing very “Sharna” choreographic flourishes in their dances, and she seems to be regaining her footing as one of the better choreographers this season. I’m just really intrigued by them as a couple, and think he may end up surging to the front of the pack over time.
7.) Skai & Alan – Poor Skai – she got saddled with the most difficult dance this week, and the poor thing just looked petrified after the flubbed trick towards the beginning.Β She really did start off strong – she was closing her thighs (which is one of my main complaints about female celebs trying to do the dance – most have their legs wayyyy too far open), she was reasonably on top of the beat (most celebs don’t ever completely nail it, except maybe Alfonso or Jordan), and she seemed to be having fun.Β But after the flub, she got a bit of the “deer in the headlights” expression on her face, and I don’t think she really snapped out of it the rest of the dance. While she seems to have a dance skill set like Zendaya’s, I don’t think she’s quite as comfortable on the dance floor as Zendaya was; especially on the batucadas, she looked pretty wobbly, where I remember Zendaya being confident and sharp. And for the record, like the samba roll – I feel like the batucada is another step that’s a tad overrated, and you shouldn’t include it in a routine unless your partner can absolutely SLAY it, otherwise it looks a bit silly.
8.) Nelly & Daniella – So in talking about Justina being the “full package”, while others only check some of the boxes, Nelly is one that seems to have something to work with in the showmanship and technique boxes, but may be lacking in the “are they enjoying themselves?” department. I’m still not convinced that Nelly’s giving himself fully over to the experience – the fact that he had custom-made dance sneakers on is a step in the right direction, but if he was truly embracing the experience, I think he would have just accepted the regular dance shoes from the beginning. And when he’s dancing, I catch glimpses of him having fun moments; but then the mask seems to slide back into place, and he’s pulling weird serious faces again. He may be a Rob Kardashian – someone that it takes several weeks for him to fully let down his guard and just allow himself to have fun. As for his cha-cha this week – not terribly different from his salsa last week, and I’m hoping he gets a ballroom dance next week. He seemed stronger in the non-cha-cha parts of the dance, where he could groove a bit more and put his own flavor on it; but the cha-cha steps were a bit soft and awkward, and I found myself going “Oof, just got back to the grooving by yourself.” Lots of room for improvement here, and potential; the question is, will he go for it?
9.) Jeannie & Brandon – I will say this: of all the contestants this season, I feel like the two that consistently have the most fun out on the floor are Justina & Jeannie π The caveat is that Jeannie seems to lack Justina’s command of technique, and bless her, I stand by my statement last week that Jeannie seems like a bit of a chaotic mover. Another couple that got saddled with a dance that really wasn’t much different than what they did last week, I saw a lot of the same balance issues in their cha-cha that I saw in their salsa – I think Jeannie moves big, but loses some control in the process and nearly falls over (or collides with Brandon). It’s something she’ll have to reign in, and now I want to see her do a ballroom dance. But I gotta give her credit – she’s awfully fun to watch, and I love her line about being “one dance away from being deported”, courtesy of her Vietnamese mother π
10.) Monica & Val – If Justina’s the full package, and Jeannie has the showmanship and fun but lacks the technique, then Monica has the technique but lacks the showmanship (and perhaps a bit of the fun). You could combine Jeannie and Monica and end up with someone at Justina’s level π You can tell Monica’s in fantastic shape, and she can move – I do think the jive suited the choppy, sharp movements that she is used to choreographing in cheer routines. Did the dance need the cheerleading lift? Ehhh…prolly not, but since lifts irritate Carrie Ann and aren’t really a big deal to me in the scheme of things anymore, I’ll accept it. Monica did the choreo she was given well – generally stayed on-time, and seemed to be having some fun (though parts seemed a bit forced to me – I just don’t think Monica’s the type of really outwardly emote). But this routine seemed short on basic jive content and long on time-wasting, Val – so tighten it up a bit, brah. It’s a little early in the season to be getting this lazy with choreo…
11.) Anne & Keo – Kooky as she may be, there is just something about Anne that I love – maybe it’s the fact that she doesn’t seem to care what anyone thinks, maybe it’s her profound respect for Keo, maybe it’s something else. But there’s something refreshing about her dances – they aren’t pretentious or lacking in content (props to Keo), and she just seems so genuine in them. Sure, there were some posture issues (owing to the heigh difference), and I think she may have lost time once or twice, but overall, it was a really pleasant dance to watch. I was also impressed at how quickly Derek was able to zero in on what was driving most of their issues – where Len used to make a cranky face and a big production about how the dance pissed him off, Derek sees the issue and says “Hey, I think if you do this, it should fix the problem!” Granted, there’s so little time for judges’ critiques now, that even if Len were still around, he’d get cut off – but wow, is it nice to actually hear constructive feedback, instead of just bitching and moaning.
12.) Vernon & Peta – Nice to see Peta pulling the paso doble spin move from Donald’s season out again π But alas, the comparisons to Donald Driver that I made last week seem to end there. If Nelly has some natural talent but not the drive, then I think Vernon has the drive but not the natural talent – I can tell he really, REALLY wants to do well, but dancing is just not something that comes naturally to him. I found him to be a bit stompy, which seems to be a rookie paso doble mistake – fun fact about the “appel” (the stomping move you see in paso a lot): proper technique is using your core to control the action, and you’re not actually stomping down with a flat foot, so much as following through on a kicking motion. If you’re doing it correctly, only your heel should audibly strike the floor. And boy, was that caboose sticking out – the posturing seemed more like he was about to line up at the line of scrimmage, rather than about to dance. Lotta work to be done here, and I feel like he’s going to need to start improving fast in order to stand out in this sea of contestants.Β He’s got a fantastic smile, though π
13.) Chrishell & Gleb – This is my “cringe” couple of the season: every time I watch them interact or dance, I just find myself cringing. I just found the story she told in her rehearsal package to be a bit strange – I know it was meant to show that she had not grown up privileged, but the way it was edited, I felt like the takeaway point was that Chrishell was self-conscious about smelling bad as a kid. And as for her dance – if we’re being honest, this was really more of a “contumba” than a rumba, and Gleb seemed to be leaning into more of the flaily contemporary moves to cover the fact that Chrishell’s an awkward mover. I mean, I saw flexed feet, bad posture, unfinished lines, “lifts”…the whole nine yards, and yet Gleb somehow was exempt from lift policing because of “artistic license” or whatever. I do not understand why the judges seem to coddle him and his mediocre choreo…but I’m hoping I don’t have to see it much longer, since they were curiously one of the last three couples standing.
14.) Carole & Pasha – Unpopular opinion time: I don’t think Carole has necessarily gotten a fair shake coming off of all the Tiger King publicity. Granted, I think she should have known coming into the competition that she would have to deal with some flak – after all, she’s really only notable for being Joe Exotic’s nemesis; but I think some people forget that she’s still a human being, so to see her tears with Pasha made me feel bad for her. And really, there were some parts of the story about her MIA husband that sent up red flags for me – they met when he basically tried to solicit her as she was walking around one night after leaving her abusive first husband? And he was 43 while she was 19? And he left his wife and children to be with her? And he had multiple affairs in the years to come? And some of his business dealings may not have been 100% legal? Now I’m by no means justifying murder (if he even was murdered), but I think Don has gotten painted in a pretty flattering light in all of this, when there were some suspicious power dynamics in play with his marriage to Carole. Part of me wonders if there might have been spousal abuse involved. And I still take some umbrage at the fact that Joe Exotic got cast as some sort of folk hero for bringing the story Carole’s missing husband to light, when his own sins were legion (animal cruelty, fraud, misappropriation of funds, illicit drug use, murder for hire…I could go on).Β Bottom line: Tiger King is one of the worst things to come out of 2020, and I resent the fact that I even have to give commentary on it when I’m supposed to be talking about DWTS. But alas, here I am. And honestly, I thought her Viennese waltz was pleasant – it was very basic, to be sure, but I didn’t find it painful to watch; I give credit to Pasha for making the most out of this season’s “dud” partner. Compared to last season’s “dud” partner, I’d pick Carole 10/10 times. Alas, I think she’s likely headed home next week, as I don’t see her clawing her way out of the bottom and I doubt there’s anyone left that the judges would send home to save Carole.
Week two thoughts: who has solidified their place as a front-runner? Who will likely be gone by the midpoint of the season? How many more times will Derek troll Carrie-Ann or Tyrant? π
I thought Tyra was somewhat tolerable last week, but last night I practically had to mute the TV when she was on. It’s bad enough they have to rush, but it was even worse having to cut the judges comments off (especially Derek who didn’t even get to critique Jesse’s dance), and Derek having to rush at the end in saving one of the final 2. Could have done without the smizing skit or her strutting in. Also, I feel like there is no chemistry when she is interviewing the couples. Maybe it’s the lack of audience or still getting use to the new COVID format, but it all felt very awkward. Ratings were down by a good margin last night, and while it wasn’t the usual DWTS night, I’m curious what next week will be like (I know it’s not unusual for them to slip after the premire, too). I have my doubts they will sky rocket back up to anything close to what the premiere had.
I like your rankings! I hope the height difference doesn’t affect any of Skai’s other dances. Flub aside I’m still not sure I agree with her score at the end of the night. I also agree about Johnny, I was really looking forward to his dance last night, but I was disappointed. I liked last week better. Part of me is wondering if Johnny is getting too much into wanting to show off and the costume part of it, which he loves, and not paying as much attention to the dancing. That said, I have faith he will start really shining, and he remains my front runner to win. I still think it will be between him, AJ, Kaitlyn, or Skai, with an outside chance of Justina or Jesse. Maybe even Nev. That group I expect to be the last ones standing. My predictions for the next to go will be Carole, Chrishell, and probably Anne, because I don’t know if she has the fanbase to compete. I think Monica could be in trouble after that. Val just doesn’t seem into it and I feel like there’s no connection there. But I find Monica forgettable. Same with Vernon. I also think Jeannie will probably go middle of the pack, but I’d love to see her surprise and make it to the end.
Oh, and I forgot to add that I agree about the skybox and the camera panning up there after each dance to get reactions. I can’t remember who it was, but the people they panned to were looking down. I couldn’t figure out at first what they were doing but realized they were on their phones. I also feel like we aren’t seeing the reactions from the married couples when their significant other just finished their dance like we use to get. Not a huge deal, but just surprising.
Literally switch Kaitlyn and Justina and flip flop nelly and chrishell and u have my rankings. Iβm def curious to see if nelly makes it to the half way point over Vernon because I donβt think both will and itβs kinda surprising since I had hopes that were big for both after week one.
First week I was like, well this is tolerable – Tyra seems to be dialing it back. Now she is dialing it up to make up for it!
I couldn’t stop making comparisons in my mind between Tyra’s first shiny gold dress with the orbital breast plates and Joan Rivers’ character in Spaceballs. But it was the least distracting thing about Tyra last night. Her many shoutouts to Lady Gaga sounded desperate. At one point did she sneak on stage behind a couple to grab a large purse or makeup bag that was on the edge of the stairs, then trip over herself? Or did I only imagine her almost falling and injuring herself?
There was a moment at the end of Johnny’s dance when CAI realized that there was someone prettier than her in the room, and it was Johnny, so then they were shooting tiny daggers at each other with their eyes. I hope Johnny’s footwork improves, so he can keep standing there during judging and hate-smize CAI. Bruno was very right about him needing more staccato.
I’m not sure what was worse – Crishell telling that kinda random sad story, or Gleb nodding his head and pretending to care about her random sad story. At least when Carole let out the waterworks on Pasha he looked like he genuinely cared.
The track of the audience booing at the beginning of Jeannie’s set (which she danced through like a champ), at least 3 camera guys I saw in the frame, and zooming in on couples fiddling on their phones was pretty lousy production even by DWTS standards.
I loved how Artem was super chill when Tyra had him onstage in some faux drama vortex to explain to America if Kaitlyn would dance or not. He was just waving his hands like “whatever” while saying something like, “Oh sure, of course she will. She’s fine!” LOL
Guilty as charged, i was one of the ones who posted that Tyrant’s first week was not nearly as awful as i suspected it would be. That’s by no means a compliment as my expectations were well below zero.
But i’m over it now – please cancel the “Dancing Backup for Tyra” show – week 2 was a catastrophy! Someone should set her straight, but as Exec Producer, that would be her so not going to happen. Lord help us
The thing that pisses me off is that Derek really WOULD be able (and willing) to tell each celebrity exactly how to improve their technique, showmanship, everything. He didn’t win the show 6 times by luck, favoritism or having all ringers no matter how often jealous fans of other pros try to make that claim. He’s also been working with world class dancers for a few years now not only on his tours but on WoD. He’s the reason that Daniella and Pasha are on DWTS – because they always steal from his tours. He keeps learning new stuff. So when he gets cut off from doing what he’s VERY good at, it’s the most aggravating thing on the entire show. And I could smack the shit out of Tyra if I were in the room. I can’t tell you how many times I screamed “LET THE MAN TALK” at the TV. And I think the celebs and Pros would appreciate his input…the celebs because they know how many times he’s won and the pros because he is likely backing up what they say to their partners all the damn time. As for his trolling…he’s REALLY good at it and he finds ways to do it that are not super mean.
As for Carole, you should have seen the venom sent Derek’s way for saving her, calling her a murderer, etc. I never watched the show, I don’t know her story, but hearing you explain it it just pisses me off. Why is the woman always to blame?? Often by other women!! Projection?
Kara, it was Sharna – she had her leg up and was fixing her shoe. I bet she was THRILLED (not) that that made it on camera.
Honestly, if this show doesn’t improve and quickly, they may not get renewed. There were a far greater number of people on twitter complaining about the constant cutting off of Derek and about Tyra in general than there were complaining that he saved Carole.
#5- I totally agree with you about Tyrant. She is nauseating and I muted and left the room when she opened that mouth of hers. She is so phony, awkward, and always trying to be the center of attention. Cutting off judging comments in order to save camera time for herself is so selfish.
I continue to be underwhelmed by Johnny even though I always greatly enjoyed his skating and consider myself a fan. I find Chrishell to just be flaky and weird and Gleb is not helping- he has already tuned out. Same for Val but he never puts much effort into the choreography. You have to feel sorry for the celebs who are stuck with certain partners that can’t or won’t help the celeb shine. I am not a Peta fan either, so I am likely not to be impressed with her or her partner.
Agree with you about Jesse wholeheartedly. Sharna’s choreography is always enjoyable and she knows how to help her celeb shine. If Jesse continues to work hard and smile more, he will get the votes. I think he will make the semi-finals at least. I enjoy watching him and he is in my top 3.
My two favorites were Justina and Kaitlyn last night. Of course, we could have discussions about ringers with prior dance training, but I enjoyed watching them with Sasha and Artem. The partnerships look solid and all 4 people seem to be enjoying the experience.
Since Derek now has a new development contract with the network, maybe he can “develop” Tyrant right out of there. She is going to trash the show- count on it’s demise if they don’t reign her in.
Forgot to say in my previous post- Derek has earned the right to speak and critique as much as he wants to. It only helps the quality of the dancing, and the success of the show, in my opinion. ABC should give him carte blanche with the creative direction of this show. He has been a great student, not only of dancing, but of technical production as well and has learned a great deal. It may already be too late because of the damage already done, but I think he could resurrect this show if given the chance.
I am rapidly becoming adept at turning off my ears while Tyra is talking. However, I am already tired (tyred?) of hearing Derek exclaim “I see you!” at couples – you’re supposed to be judging the performance; most of us would assume that you see them. . .
@Jill B – I think you’re interpreting it a bit too literally – I think he’s just trying to let the couples know “I see the good work you’re doing, and I wish I had time to comment on it, but I just want to let you know that I do see your hard work and commend you for it.” If he had more time, he would likely go on to tell them what he liked about their performance in detail, but due to the extreme time limits Tyrant has imposed on the judges, he likely finds it more helpful/efficient to focus on what they can improve upon.
@PH – Without getting into too much detail that is the cesspool of Tiger King, I’ll say this: the only reason Carol’s missing husband is getting any attention is because she tried to go after Joe Exotic for breeding big cats in captivity, and in toxically masculine fashion, Joe fired back with a series of YouTube videos targeting the fact that Carole’s husband Don went missing in the mid-90s, and Joe’s theory that she killed him and fed him to her tigers. They then did an entire episode of Tiger King about it, and talked to his ex-wife and daughters (who of course think Carole did it). Overall, Don gets painted in a pretty flattering light, while Carole gets painted as a cold-blooded killer and black widow; but if you look at some of the details about Don & Carole’s relationship (the age difference, his infidelity, his shady business dealings, the questionable way they met, etc.) it smacks of red flags that point to power dynamic differences that often correlate with abuse. Do I think Carole killed her husband? Possibly. Do I think there’s more to it than her simply being money-hungry? Possibly. Has Carole been formally charged with anything? No. But Joe Exotic? He’s got a rap sheet a mile long, and is currently incarcerated for trying to put a hit out on Carole – and yet he’s lauded as some sort of folk hero. Anymore, I wish Netflix would stop with shows like Tiger King, Making a Murderer, Unsolved Mysteries, etc. because it just leads to viewers developing shitty armchair detective hot takes that end up ruining lives.
Ughhh!!! I’m so over Tyrant!! I was never into her to begin with but I’m sick to death of listening to all her questions! I get that she’s trying to take on Erin’s role of asking questions after a couple dances but I do not appreciate the fact that she is not letting the judges voice their critiques. For goodness sake, you have Derek on as a judge which is a step in the right direction at the judge’s table and you ain’t gonna let he speak his mind? As much as I’m enjoying the couples this year and as much as I enjoy that this show is on again, I’m just done with Tyrant (perfect name btw!). Another host couldn’t be found? I think I’m gonna have to start fast forwarding through all of Tyrant’s jibber jabber.
As for the couples, I don’t know what to say about Johnny. I love him dearly and he’s so talented. Part of me thinks he would’ve been better off with another pro like maybe Jenna? I can’t help to wonder how he would do if Lindsay Arnold was his partner (I know that point is moot because she’s preggers but I just can’t help wondering about what her effect would’ve been on him). It is only two weeks so hopefully things will get better for him.
I have to say that I’m throughly enjoying Nev a lot and I also love Kaitlyn and Artem and Justina and Sasha. These couples are my top 3.
I didn’t know anything about Carole Baskin either and her days are numbered but she did improve from last week but my god could the set and costumes get any more gawdy? I loved it all in a strange way!! LOL!!
My bottom three are Carole, Chrisnell, and Monica. I find Chrisnell and Monica very forgettable…
Thank you Courtney for your recaps and I miss following your live show tweets on Twitter. Looking forward to next week!!
Just goes to show how quickly some people will believe anything they see on the internet or TV without any analytical thought put into it. And how men always stick together and blame anyone else.
Derek could be a real mentor for Johnny, given half a chance. He has choreographed for several Olympic skaters competition routines, etc, so knows how skaters learn, the differences between how skaters βdanceβ on skates and the ballroom, the whole thing. Makes you wonder if the powers that be are trying to kill this show! Grrrr!
#Candace,
I have to agree with you about Derek being help to Johnny W. if he’s allowed to offer a longer critique. I also agree that it almost makes you feel like they are purposely trying to ruin the show or maybe there’s some employees behind the scene that aren’t happy with the replacement of Tom “wink, wink” and every now and then they do something silly like play these loud chords after each contestants critiques are over. Sounds like they are banging on the keyboards. Like WHY? LOL!!
Courtney, No, I understand it. I just find it increasingly annoying. It could become the new DWTS drinking game!
THAT is what bothers currently about DWTS, Jill?? You won’t get very drunk unless you drink to every time Tyrant tells Derek or another judge to shut up, it’s a live show.
Hey Heidi &/or Courtney: Do we know WHY Tyra is getting to basically have a show that revolves around her with some (now) back up dancers?! Did she buy the show, was it in that kind of dire straits? I mean there are lots of EP’s that don’t get to “take over” shows and make it their own vehicle for getting in our faces every week? I’m SO confused how she took an EP position of what seemed to be maybe not the best rated show on tv but it was still holding it’s own and then getting to call ALL the shots? If anyone has any clue to enlighten me, I’d be forever grateful! Thanks!!!
@Joan Davidson – If I had to guess, Tyra took a pay cut in exchange for making her an executive producer – and they probably jumped at it, because they likely couldn’t afford her typical asking price. EP’s do typically exert a lot of creative influence over a show, and I think there’s the added complication of DWTS being on its way out, so the rest of the folks at the network likely don’t care if she runs it into the ground or not. I’m guessing they’re simply biding their time until something else comes along that can take DWTS’ place…so the already-sliding ratings just sliding even further under Tyra’s influence? Likely not a huge concern. It would not shock me if DWTS did one final season next fall, then called it quits. 30 seasons seems like a good ending point.
Courtney, if you are correct about a 30th season of the show being the last, then I hope they bring back some of my favorite Pros and Celebs for one last dance! Would love to see Anna, Tony, Mark, Julianne, and Karina again and some of the celebs I would enjoy include: Catherine Jenkins, Ralph Macchio, Jennie Garth, Nastia, Danica, and Helio.
Guess I am feeling very nostalgic today!
All true, Court, but while most EPs exert a lot of creative control, they are also smart enough to know to not get in front of the camera when it doesn’t benefit the show.
Also, the producers aren’t the network. You would think that the producers would work harder than ever to make sure they still have a job next season. Of course, if the producers are desperately trying to save a show, that could also explain the heavy handed manipulation and total control over what the pros produce and put on the stage. They are desperate so they are trying to control every single aspect.
if they are indeed trying to save this show, they are going about it the wrong way. Instead of controlling every little detail, why not let the Pro’s take control of song choice, choreo and costuming – like it was in the beginning – a lot of stress on the Pro’s shoulders, but at least they knew what they were doing; the ratings were better and I as a fan enjoyed the show so much more.
I think this may the DWTS “jump the shark” season. While i agree that season 30 seems like a good number to hit before retiring, I’m not so sure they’ll make it. I don’t know how many Tyrant (thanks Court – I can’t get that name out of my head) commercials one network can handle
I’m happy TPTB got Tyra onboard. She’s a refreshing change & brought in a lot of new viewers, as evident by the high ratings this season, DWTS even beat AGT’s finale week by landslide! Tom became very repetitive & boring, hence the ratings were falling badly. But thanks to Tyra, DWTS again became the number one show, and was able to deliver it’s highest ratings since season 26. Tyra saved DWTS from being cancelled.
I would love to see season 30 be another All Stars and bring back some of the Pros from earlier years.
Tyrant, no need to masquerade as “Sarah”, we know it’s you…
…and just because you say things doesn’t make them true. So many lies here – DWTS didn’t “beat AGT’s finale week by a landslide!”, AGT’s ratings were slightly higher for that week (the AGT finale was 6.57 mil, DWTS for that same week was 6.09 mil). If you’re comparing the DWTS premiere to the AGT finale, it’s apples and oranges, since they weren’t even airing on the same night (or the same week), and while DWTS premiered at 8 mil, ratings fell by 2 mil in week 2. People may have tuned in for the premiere, but Tyrant likely ran 2 million viewers off by week 2 with her nonsense. Not exactly a feather in her cap. And as for it being the #1 show – sis, it has no competition right now. It’s only #1 because there is literally nothing else to watch. Wait until The Voice starts back up in October – DWTS is gonna topple.
Court beat me to the reply on this silly response from Sarah. Yeah, DWTS is now doing as well as summer shows in the ratings. If you know ANYTHING about TV, that is nothing to brag about. You also know that broadcast TV in general and DWTS in particular have been bleeding viewers since season 1. That’s how it works these days, when there are so many choices. Between Season 3 and Season 28, DWTS total viewers rating fell from 27.8 MILLION viewers for the finale and 7.7 million viewers for last seasons finale. And you’ll note that this season’s Premiere is ONLY 8 million viewers…roughly 300k more than last seasons finale. Finale uptick versus curiosity factor…but as Court said, in week 2, DWTS was well below last season’s finale. And before you complain about comparing a finale to week 2…Season 28’s week two total viewers rating was 6.4 million – HIGHER than this season’s week 2, which was at 6.1. It did a tiny bit better this season in the key demo (+0.2) but there ain’t no bragging rights in any of this.
I’ve been saying it for YEARS…the pros, judges and host have nothing to do with ratings going up because the show is about the celebrities. But Tyrant is on the verge of driving even me away from the show and I’ve been watching since season 4 or 5.