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DWTS Season 15 All Stars – Who’s Gonna Dance with Whom??

Since I saw a bunch of people already asking this question in the comments on the site, I figured I would go ahead and give my guesses. These are guesses only – I have no inside information. All I do is use heights, perceived personality, and any other information floating around out there. In the case of this season, I think I will also look at history combined with the knowledge that fairness plays NO part in the decisions TPTB make. 🙂

There is also a twist here – one that Mark Ballas hasn’t realized yet in his campaigning for Sabrina.  Mark says he’s “100%” dancing on the show this coming season.  The pairs are announced on GMA on August 13.  Voting for the 13th dancer doesn’t end until August 24.  Do the math.  The ONLY way that Mark can be dancing with Sabrina is if the voting thing is all bull.  Mark can only dance with Sabrina if they cancel the voting on August 13 and let all three people dance. Otherwise, Mark has already been paired with someone else and someone who isn’t sure if they have a spot yet will dance with Sabrina – if she wins the vote.  My guess? Louis…or perhaps someone like Henry. Someone shorter and not always guaranteed a spot on the show. Maybe it’s Derek, since all signs are that he had something else to do this season until recently.  But my guess is that Derek already has a partner too. So, I guess we’ll see if the voting thing is for real, or if it’s all hype that they will cancel on the 13th.  I hope it’s not all hype – I think 15 dancers is WAY too many. The most couples in a season was 16 and that was a nightmare. I hope they don’t go that route again, unless they have a double elimination the first week. Note: if the voting thing is a fraud, they will have to pull up a female dancer from the troupe unless Julianne or Edyta are magically coming back – doubtful in both cases.

So, you’ll notice, below, that I went with the assumption that ALMOST everyone is getting a new partner.  Will TPTB go this route? Well, it would certainly make the show much more interesting – which means they won’t do it. 🙂 I’m hoping they do, just to add to the entertainment value and to make the playing field a bit more level.

Heidi’s Guesses for the Women!!

Celebrity Height Pro Height Pro Former Partner
 Pam Anderson  5ft. 7in.  6ft. 2in.  Maks Damian
 Kelly Monaco  5ft. 3in.  5ft. 10in.  Derek Alec
 Melissa Rycroft  5ft. 4in.  5ft. 8in.  Mark  Tony
 Shawn Johnson  4ft. 9in.  5ft. 9in.  Val  Mark
 Kirstie Alley  5ft. 7in.  6ft. 1in.  Tony  Maks
 Bristol Palin  5ft. 5in.  5ft. 11in.  Tristan  Mark

Some explanations for my female pairings:

–          I put Maks and Pam together because they would be HOT

–          I put Kelly with Derek because she was supposedly running her mouth about him AND she fits the Derek partner mold

–          Melissa and Mark, and Val and Shawn??  Still not sure about these. Shawn’s older now, so Mark isn’t critical, but…

–          Kirstie and Tony?? It pretty much has to be either Tony or Maks, because Kirstie is tall and big boned – she would overwhelm most of the other men PLUS I would bet she wants someone in the “family”, if you know what I mean

–          Unfortunately, Bristol got Tristan by process of elimination. I didn’t try to pigeonhole her there.  As exciting as a Maks or Derek pairing with Bristol would be, they will give her to someone more easy going. If it’s not going to be Mark, I think it’s Tristan

Heidi’s Guesses for the Men!!

Celebrity Height Pro Height Pro Former Partner
 Joey Fatone  5ft. 11in.  5ft. 7in.  Peta  Kym
 Helio Castroneves  5ft. 8in.  5ft. 5in.  Karina  Julianne
 Drew Lacey  5ft. 6in.  5ft. 4in.  Anna  Cheryl
 Emmitt Smith  5ft. 9in.  5ft. 7in.  Kym  Cheryl
 Apolo Ono  5ft. 8in.  5ft. 2.5in.  Chelsie  Julianne
 Gilles Marini  6ft. 1in.  5ft. 4in.  Cheryl  Cheryl

I found the men to be a bit harder to match up. Here is my rationale:

–          I started with the shorter men, and the most obvious pairing, to me, is Apolo and Chelsie. They won’t be able to resist putting Apolo with a mini-Julianne>

–          That left me with Drew, who will also need a shorter female. I picked Anna. I just couldn’t see Anna with Apolo, which was my other choice, because…

–          I had already put Karina with Helio. I can kinda see that pairing…certainly more than I can see Anna and Helio.

–          When you pair up the shorter girls with the short guys,  you’re left with Joey, Emmett and Gilles.  I really wanted Peta with Gilles, but I have a feeling that Cheryl will get her way on this one. Again.

–          I could see Peta better with Joey than Emmett and Kym better with Emmett.

So there you have it.  I kinda hope it goes this way, since ONLY Kym and Cheryl (of the female pros) would be able to dance with former partners and this way it would be a tiny bit more even. What do you think??

ETA: Completely forgot about our wildcards!!  Well, there is only one female pro left – Lacey. Lacey has already danced with Kyle and she’s not too short for Carson. And they would be fun together as well. As for Sabrina – well, Louis is pimping her a lot on Twitter and since Mark already knows he’s dancing, he can’t be dancing with Sabrina unless something is rigged. I kinda think that they might give Mark/Sabrina another go round – but I also think that they don’t care that much about the pros.  I think they think of it more in terms of giving *Sabrina* another chance. They aren’t shippers. 🙂

July 28, 2012 I Written By

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Damian Whitewood And Danielle Spencer Place Second In Dancing With The Stars Australia (Videos)

As previously reported to you last week, pro Damian Whitewood and his partner Danielle Spencer made it to Grand Finals in the Austrialian version of Dancing With The Stars. Unfortunately they didn’t win, but, the two gave it their all and ended up placing SECOND in a Freestyle dance off at the end with X Factor finalist, Johnny Ruffo, and his dance partner, Luda Kroitor who won the mirror ball! The Sunshine Coast Daily has a review up on the night. Here is a take….

The grand final was a dance-off to the end between Johnny Ruffo, singer/songwriter Danielle Spencer and Packed to the Rafters star Zoe Cramond.

After scoring the lowest in her first dance for the night, dancing darling Cramond was the first finalist to be eliminated, leaving Spencer and Ruffo to battle it out in the freestyle round.

Judge Joshua Horner said the Cha Cha face-off highlighted the talent of our final three.

“Some people have a romance. Some blokes have a bromance. Right now, I have a showmance,” Horner said.

And after Ruffo ripped his shirt off during the performance, judge Helen Richey said she was impressed

“You should have taken your top off earlier darling,” she said.

Dancing With The Stars Australia’s official site is reporting that “after combing the judges scores with the viewer vote” the final scores were:

JOHNNY RUFFO & Luda Kroitor 28 (Foxtrot) + 26 (Cha Cha face off) + 30 (Freestyle Dance)
DANIELLE SPENCER & Damian Whitewood 28 (Jive) + 27 (Cha Cha face off ) + 29 (Freestyle Dance)
ZOE CRAMOND & Aric Yudekin 28 (Jive) + 27 (Cha Cha face off)

Below is some video coverage thanks to PriscellaDebra at You Tube. Damian and Danielle revisted their Jive for the Redemption dance. Next up, the top three danced a Sudden Death Cha Cha, and lastly, the final two couples dance their Freestyle. Great dances, but, it looks like Danielle’s nerves might have played an issue in the first dance the most? Let us know what you think?

You’ll be able to view more coverage on the entire night and see some new photos soon at Dancing With The Stars Australia’s official site. Stay tuned.

CONGRATULATIONS DAMIAN AND DANIELLE!

June 17, 2012 I Written By

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.

Damian Whitewood And Danielle Spencer Make Dancing With The Stars Grand Finals In Australia (Video Coverage)

All eyes on much loved and fan favorite Dancing With The Stars pro Damian Whitewood. He and his partner Danielle Spencer have made the Grand Finals in the Australian version of Dancing With The Stars. Below is what their official site is reporting on their two dances, judges comments, and scoring. You can read the link for more on the night and how Danielle’s husband and Academy Award winning actor Russell Crowe (seen above with Danielle) made a surprise visit with the couple’s children Tennyson and Charlie at the end of the show.

Danielle’s Tango was slightly amiss tonight although the judge’s admitted her dancing left little room for error. “We just expect perfection from you guys because you’re capable of delivering it,” Todd said, while Helen said the dance was “close to perfect”.

In their second performances of the night, our celebrities raised the bar with knockout dances – Zoe taking out her second perfect score of 30 for the season, with Danielle one behind on 29.

The final scores were:
JOHNNY RUFFO & Luda Kroitor 25 + 22 = 47
ZOE CRAMOND & Aric Yegudkin 26 + 30 = 56
DANIELLE SPENCER & Damian Whitewood 27 + 29 = 56

BRENDAN FEVOLA & Jessica Raffa 15 + 27 = 42

Here is some video coverage of Damian and Danielle’s two dances. Her kids are sooo adorable! There are some new dance moves that I have never seen before. 😯 Dame Edna makes an appearance to critique. She is a total crack up!

More coverage at 123DanceTV.

So, here’s to next week’s Dancing With The Stars Grand Finals in Australia and pulling for Damian. Be sure to vote if you can. Wouldn’t it be something if he won like Peta did in the U.S.?

June 10, 2012 I Written By

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.

Mel B and Damian Whitewood Making A Big Splash On Australia’s Version Of Dancing With The Stars

…but, not without some big waves!!

Have any of you been keeping up with Australia’s version of Dancing With The Stars? I’ve had several fans tweet me for how good it is this season. As you know from previous reportings, Spice Girl and season 5 contestant, Mel B is presenting on the show, but, not without some criticism. Below is a take from the Daily Mail for what happened last week when Mel B told the first eliminated contestant to go and “get wasted” after the show.

But it was her hosting on Sunday night’s show that prompted fans and viewers to complain about her, especially after she told the first eliminated celebrity, TV presenter and former Miss Australia Erin McNaught, to go and ‘get wasted’ after the show.

They took to Twitter and other social networks to express their outrage and dismay that she was co-hosting the show with one saying: ‘Risking disapproval here, but honestly, Mel is awful to watch on Dancing with the Stars. She’s classless and offers nothing.’

Another wrote: ‘Dancing with the Stars Australia is bloody awful. It’s so embarrassing, what on earth is Mel B doing with her life!?’

One viewer even said the show had gotten ‘so boring’ now she was hosting and another said: ‘Still unsure about Mel (spice) co-hosting Dancing with the Stars!!!! Her voice…’

Her presenting debut even prompted Paralympic triple gold medallist Evan O’Hanlon to write: ‘When Mel B comes on my television I want to throw my TV out the window! Why did they break Australian television like that???’
But Mel, 36, who was a contestant on the US show in 2007, said she doesn’t care what they say as she is having a great time – and getting paid for it.

She said: ‘I don’t care, I’m getting my pay cheque and I get to do my live show and I’m loving it. I get to wear gowns every week which is nice and I’m here to get the job done.

‘It’s only the second week and I’m always a bit nervous. I don’t mind a bit of nerves, it keeps me on my toes.

‘It’s live television and you saw we had some classic clangers and everyone loved it.’

Hmmm, not sure that behavior would fly here either? But, I’d take Mel B over Brooke any day. You can read more at the Daily Mail.

Also, I have to mention this too while we’re on the topic of Mel B. Below she is pictured with Dame Edna who was unveiled as the new face of Jenny Craig in Sydney this past week as well. Mel B recently lost 33 pounds on the Jenny Craig diet and Dame Edna took to Mel B for a kiss and some advice. The video below is a hoot. How about Dame Edna for Dancing With The Stars?

Back to the Australia’s version of Dancing With The Stars… Damian Whitewood, one of the most loved pros on the U.S. version of Dancing With The Stars, is dancing with singer, song writer Danielle Spencer. Here they are dancing the Viennese Waltz, the Jive, and the Samba for their first three dances. What do you think? Do they have what it takes to win?

Not bad I’d say! I especially loved their Samba to Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro”.

Much luck to Damian and I hope he’s asked to come back to the U.S. version of Dancing With The Stars some day. He has to be one of the most requested pros by fans to come back! TPTB, are you listening? 😉

Thanks to PureDWTS reader Carlos and @Edyta_and_Alec at twitter for the inspiration for this post. xx

April 29, 2012 I Written By

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.

DWTS Peta Murgatroyd and Damian Whitewood Teach And Perform At Valentine Ballroom Workshop

Yesterday, Dancing With The Stars pros Peta Murgatroyd and Damian Whitewood united together to teach and perform at Agoura Hills Dance in Agoura Hills, California. Of the “Valentine Ballroom” workshop, Peta tweeted, “Excellent turn out today for the Ballroom Masterclass at Agoura Hills Dance! Everyone had so much fun & it was a huge success.”

Lucky for us dance fans, Agoura Hills Dance uploaded a video at their You Tube of Peta and Damian. You can view it here. You can also see some fun pics of them at this Facebook album.

Beautiful! As always, I so hope these two are part of the cast for Dancing With The Stars Season 14 in some way.

February 12, 2012 I Written By

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.

Argentinean DwtS Brings More Than Just Dance To The Floor (Videos)

Do you recall in last season’s off season when PureDWTS reader Carlos Lustosa updated us on Dancing With The Stars in Argentina? He kept us up to speed on Pamela Anderson and Damian Whitewood’s dancing. He also introduced us to some of the other cool dance talents at the time which you can read about here again if you like. Now Carlos is back to give us more fun updates on Dancing With The Stars in Argentina which is continueing to stun audiences. Note the differences in how they do Dancing With The Stars in Argentina versus how they do the show in the United States. You’ll also notice they get a little more …uhhh “risque” (is this a good word to describe? 🙂 ) in their dancing. It’s quite interesting and Carlos has this special way of taking us up, close, and personal. Enjoy and be sure to watch all the videos he’s attached. If you are like myself, it will be well worth your time especially if you are a lover of dance in general and how other cultures influence it, etc. Feel free to tell Carlos your thoughts and ask any questions if you have any. Carlos, from all of us at Pure Dancing With The Stars, we thank you for taking the time to update and report on the show from Argentina for us and we can’t wait for you to tell us how the competition turns out. So, without further ado, here’s Carlos….

Argentinean DwtS Brings More Than Just Dance To The Floor

Hello guys, I’m Carlos, a Brazilian fan of DwtS, but I’m here to talk about the Argentinean version of the show we love. Some of you may have read the comments I wrote that became posts that Vogue published about Bailando, when I talked about Pamela Anderson’s participation and some peculiarities about this show, that is, at fact, a part of the Showmatch, a variety TV show with a tone we call “Popularesco” – which would be geared towards the masses and the content would be full of innuendos… well, think “Jersey Shore”). This said, let’s talk about the dance they do in Argentina. Así se baila en Bailando:

Well, the show premiered on May 17th and will end in a couple weeks from now. Yes. Almost eight months. Do you think it’s too much? Wait till you learn that there are 36 couples who compete during the entire season. 30 couples started, 6 quit (Pamela Anderson and Mike Tyson, amongst them) and were replaced. There was a gay actor paired with a male pro, a “couple” that consisted of two sisters, and one of the celebs is a dwarf lady (my favorite dancer!). Now, the dances: there are a lot of them, of course, some of them as crazy as it can be, and many are very “freestyled”. In fact, some aren’t really a style of dance but named after a prop that you have to use while you are dancing. I’m going to list below the styles the couples danced this season and the huge, and when I say huge I mean HUGE, list of the dances that have appeared on the show during its seven seasons. As example, I’ll try to use the videos of my favorite contestant, the Dwarf singer, Noelia Pompa, and her partner Hernán Piquin. Now, tell me: isn’t she incredible? =]

Note: As David Arquette joked on Jimmy Kimmel about the steamy flavor the Argentinean version of DwtS has, some videos are – how can I say? – NOT kid-friendly, and NOT suitable for work. =p (I’ll let you know which ones)

1- Pop Latino – No big deal here. It’s a freestyle dance to a latin/latin-singer song.
2- Cha Cha Cha
3- Adagio – Similar to Rumba because it’s slow and romantic, but it’s more like freestyle. And you are allowed to do lifts.
4- Axé – This is when Pamela Anderson quit. Axé is a Brazilian street dance that may be similar to aerobics and, traditionally, it’s danced as the song ask you to do some moves. Example: “Put the hands on your knees, get down, shake your booty, etc).
5- Reggaeton – Puerto Rican hip hop

6- Cumbia – Remember Cuban salsa, which is different from the salsa in line (the sisters Escudero. Starts at 3:50) NOT kid-friendly, and NOT suitable for work! but very creative.

7- Baile del Caño – Pole Dancing Noelia.

Read more..

December 18, 2011 I Written By

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.

Dance of the Day: Pre-Movie Theme review of Movie Theme circa Season 10

I thought it would be a nice idea to take a look back at a prior Movie Theme night, to review all of the dances that night, just to give us a sampling of what we will be enjoying… or cringing… when we watch on Monday.

So, we are looking back at DWTS Season 10, Week 5, definitely a night that gave us some memorable dances…. Some GOOD memories, and some very bad memories, and some that we may not really want to relive, but what the hey, it’s fun…

Since the producers LOVE to challenge the Pros and Celebrities by giving a constant stream of themes, we’re sure to see more. If the theme is a repeat from a prior season, like this one, PLEASE let me know the season and week, it’ll make looking up the dances. Thanks!!

Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough Tango to the theme of Pretty Woman

Nicole and Derek scored a 9,9,10 for 29 out of 30 points. Derek is still in the competition, dancing with Ricki Lake. Read more..

October 6, 2011 I Written By

Just a typical, ordinary DWTS fan..

Introducing Dancing With The Stars Season 13′s New Pro Peta Murgatroyd!

Next up in our new Season 13 Dancing With The Stars Pro installments, is the one of the most beautiful, exciting, refreshing women dancers to hit the stage both in musical theatre productions and now Dancing With the Stars Season 13: Peta Murgatroyd!! Once again, I’m asking Heidi and Courtney for their thoughts, feelings, and predictions too which you can find at the end. Before we begin, I’d like to thank Burn The Floor, PetaMurgatroyd.com, The Marie Cauley Suite, Newsday, Regard Magazine, Music Fashion Magazine, and Pilates Style Magazine for information, pictures, etc..

Let us begin!! The beautiful Peta Murgatroyd was born July 14th in Auckland, New Zealand. At 18 months old, Peta and her family moved to Perth, Australia where her parents could give her brother and her more opportunities in life. According to Peta, her mother always knew she was “artsie” and at 4 years old, Peta started studying to dance. She trained for 12 years at the Kirov Ballet under Madame Lubov Nikonorenko and became a classically trained ballerina. Peta was also trained in Contemporary and Spanish dance! At the age of 16, Peta started to ballroom dance and only after three months of training became an Australian Open and British Youth Latin finalist.

Peta then moved to London, England to further her career and compete. Amongst many international competitions Peta finished 2nd in the Great World City Championships and was a semi-finalist in the Lion City Championships in Singapore. Peta was also a finalist in the Australian Open championships. But, nothing meant more to Peta when she placed 3rd in the world at the British Youth Latin Championships in Blackpool, England in 2006 where she “wanted to live and breathe the life of a dancer”.

In 2004, Peta’s musical theatre career really took off when she was chosen to be a cast member of Burn The Floor. Her lifelong dream of dancing on stage and living the life of a true dancer had come true. Like fellow cast mate Tristan MacManus, she travelled the world with them for 6 years. In August 2009, Burn The Floor hit Broadway. It was at this time Peta was made the lead female dancer.

It was January of 2010, Peta made a decision to pursue a career in film and television. Since that time, Peta has performed on Dancing With The Stars in Australia and America and So You Think You Can Dance in Australia and Holland. Peta has also choreographed and performed with great artists Heart, Rod Stewart, Taio Cruz, Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez, and New Kids On The Block. Peta also toured with the theatrical dance production “Ballroom With A Twist”.

But, things really started to pop for Peta again in the Spring of 2011. Peta was hired to become a member of the Dancing With The Stars Troupe. Due to her success and quick popularity on the show, she was promoted this Season as a Pro partnered with L.A. Laker Ron Artest.

Peta’s career doesn’t stop with dancing. She’s also done some modeling and recently did some fun spreads for Regard Magazine as well as Pilates Magazine. It’s no wonder ….as well as being beautiful, I’ve always thought she had a natural knack for soaking up the camera just like the dance floor.

Peta dates beloved fan favorite and former Season 10 pro dancer Damian Whitewood who she met in her homeland of Australia. The two reside together in Los Angeles, CA.

Here’s to the lovely Peta and one of my favorite women pros! We hope her run on Dancing With The Stars is a long one and we wish her much success! If you haven’t read our first profile on Tristan MacManus, you can do so here. Stay tuned, Val Chmerkovskiy is next!

Ok, here are Heidi and Court with their personal thoughts on Peta and we’d love to hear yours as well…

Courtney: Are all Kiwis & Aussies blonde, willowy, & gorgeous? Because between Peta & Kym, I’m beginning to think so 🙂 Seriously though – I think Peta may be the closest thing to a replacement for Edyta that we’ve seen so far.  Beautiful girl with a rockin’ body and impossibly long legs, and not afraid to show some skin! She also seems rather soft-spoken & calm like Edyta, which will help when it comes to dealing with potentially squirrely partners.  And she and Damian are just PRESH together – very striking, pretty couple, much like Edyta & Alec…only with a bit more personality, methinks 😉 I’m definitely excited to see just what she can do with her partner…and with the other pros, in both team & pro dances.

Heidi: Heh, you said squirrely.  🙂  Frankly, I have a hard time focusing on Peta when that pic right up there has bare chested Damian in pajama bottoms.  Oohh yeah. That’s nice.  Anyway, yeah, Peta is gorgeous and she does seem calm – but hopefully she’s not toooo quiet. She didn’t have much to say in one of the rehearsal videos I saw – and I think that was part of Damian’s problem.  I think the producers LIKE the pros to talk and have personality – or BE personalities. It certainly doesn’t hurt the show!  But we’ll see – we haven’t seen really that much of anyone yet. 🙂

September 12, 2011 I Written By

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.

DWTS Who Wore it Better? Part XIV – The Pre-Season 13 Edition!

While you guys got to ooh, ahh, and discuss the official season 13 promo photos, I was busy trying to compile everything for WWIB – so you’ll have to forgive me if I’m a bit cranky in these critiques. 🙂 In reality, I actually started compiling pictures for this last week, after the first celebs tweeted pix of themselves at their respective shoots, but it still left a lot to do once they FINALLY released the pix today (3 days late, I might add…ahem, ABC, you listening? ;-)).  Anywho! As I was telling Heidi, there were definitely a few…odd things about this season’s promo photos.  So let’s get right to it, shall we?

Battle of the midnight blue, sparkly one-shoulder rumba dress: Anna’s pre-season 13 photo shoot with Carson vs. Anna’s rumba with Evan in season 10

Courtney: I was joking on Twitter that I bet Carson was the reason the promo photos were released later than usual – he must’ve been picky about he & Anna’s costumes 😉 From the look on Carson’s face, maybe he didn’t get his way – he looks pouty.  Then again, maybe it’s just extraordinarily awkward for him to be touching Anna “that way”…look at how awkwardly his hands are placed.  I worry that these 2 could struggle with really romantic dances like the rumba, if that’s what’s really going here.  Then again, Carson could take to the drama of the dances like a fish to water…but anyway! Love Anna, love this dress & the color of it, but I have to go with rumba Anna for this one, for reasons of hair alone – WTF were they trying to do with it in the photoshoot? Seems like they were torn between some Snooki-like bump in the back and loose waves in the front.  Ooh wee.  And can I just say, this dress is far too similar to the rumba dress she wore with Kurt in season 11 – when you’re dealing with various lighting conditions in photos, it’s hard to tell the 2 apart!

Heidi: Yep, I have to go with Rumba Anna too – and it was also about the hair for me too. 🙂  I think we’re, like, mind-melding or something.  Poor Carson. His lack of experience with women may end up costing him.  I believe he did say that himself, did he not?

The winner: Rumba Anna!! It’s all in the hair.

Battle of the flowy, white, jeweled ballgown: Elisabetta’s pre-season 13 photoshoot with Val vs. Chelsea’s foxtrot with Mark in season 12

Heidi: Do NOT understand the need to chop off the length on these gorgeous ballroom dresses. WHY?? This dress on Chelsea was so gorgeous, long and flowy – and it loses all it’s impact once it’s chopped off.  Gotta go with Chelsea for style….not to mention that I don’t find Val attractive so that kinda hurts Elisabetta’s chances with me. 🙂

Courtney: I may have “hated” on Chelsea & Mark all last season (according to some readers…) but I have to say – this was my favorite dress Chelsea wore.  Thought it was simple, elegant, and age-appropriate.  And while I think Elisabetta looks STUNNING in it, I have to go with Chelsea here – the overall styling & very old Hollywood feel they gave her seems to suit the dress better. One funny note: did they catch Val trying to sniff Elisabetta’s hair? Because his face is half-covered by it, and he looks…guilty. 😉

The winner:  Chelsea by a length.

Battle of the cranberry silk embroidered ballgown: Hope’s pre-season 13 photoshoot with Maks vs. Jennifer’s tango with Derek in season 11

Courtney: Can’t remember who it was that called this the “red velvet cake” dress, but you’re totally on the money…and making me crave baked goods.  😛 Or maybe cranberry juice.  Anywho! We don’t see too many cranberry-hued costumes on the show – maybe because it feels like a very formal shade? Idk.  I love the embroidery on the sleeves & waist, and I always love open-backed dresses, but I have to say I think a bit of the magic of the original was lost when they shortened the dress – by shortening it, I think they were trying to make it feel more “Latin” than ballroom, but the color & styling of the bodice still scream “ballroom!” to me…so for that reason, I’m gonna go with Jennifer.  I prefer the dress long, and the pulled-back hair & matching lipstick complete the look.

Heidi: Again, the chopping up of a perfectly beautiful dress. Gotta go with Courtney and choose Jennifer.  Frankly, the dress just doesn’t look right shorter and Court pretty much summed up why. I do like Maks’ matching shirt though – that’s a nice touch.

Courtney: I think I figured out why exactly I don’t love the shortened version: it looks too much like a figure skating costume.  Slap some skates on Hope and she’s ready for Skating with the Stars. Why couldn’t they have put her in a different cranberry-colored Latin costume? Like maybe Audrina’s Argentine tango costume?

The winner: Red velvet cake is always a winner…but we prefer our pieces with some length to them.

Battle of the silver-fringed, jeweled Latin dress: Karina’s pre-season 13 photoshoot with JR vs. Chelsie’s pre-season 12 photoshoot vs. Chelsie’s cha-cha with Jake in season 10

Heidi: I love Karina’s bangs!  She looks very pretty.  But I think I’ll go with the middle Chelsie…I deduct points for the long black gloves as an accessory choice with this dress. I do not like the above-the-elbow gloves with the short latin dresses. Just don’t get that fashion choice at all. So, while middle Chelsie wins for me, Karina takes second and right Chelsie gets third place. 🙂

Courtney: This was one of the many oddities I noticed with this season’s photo shoot pictures – why did Karina decide to reuse a dress that had already been worn for a promo pic? Let alone one that was just used LAST SEASON.  It may not seem like a big deal, but to my knowledge, no costume has ever gotten used in a promo shoot more than once, and since the promo photos are often the ones that linger the longest of any of the photos taken during a particular season, you’d think they’d try harder to make them more…unique.  It’s not like they don’t have a ton of costumes to choose from 🙂 But I digress once more.  Gotta stick with Chelsie on this one, because this doesn’t look like something Karina would design for herself – all the more reason I am befuddled as to why it was picked for her.

The winner: Chelsie still owns the battle of the silver fringe.

Battle of the cranberry corset-top, tulle-overlayed dress: Lacey’s pre-season 13 photoshoot with Chaz vs. Lacey in the “Toxic” showdown with Val in season 11

Heidi: Gotta say, I think this one is a draw for me. I think it’s a rather silly dress to begin with, and while I like the red streaks in Lacey’s hair on the right, I despise those little chopped up gloves that she’s wearing. So….a tie. 🙂  I will say though, that that lighting on the left-hand picture compliments the dress more – you can see all the detail work on it much better.

Courtney: Tee hee…my screen-capping skillz make me giggle sometimes 😉 If you’re wondering exactly what Lacey is doing in the photo on the right – I think she’s attempting to make some sort of come-hither gesture to Val and is failing.  😛 I can’t say I’m wild about this dress, but it does look very “Lacey-ish”.  I guess I prefer it in the “Toxic” number – the streaks in the hair & the edgy makeup seem to suit it better than the more plain makeup & hair they gave her in the pre-season photoshoot. Another observation: I know some people are saying “Oh, Chaz must not be that short after all – Lacey’s standing next to him wearing heels.” Well, he may actually be a bit taller than her, but I think they’re already employing a few tricks to help as well – Lacey’s standing further back than he is, which could alter the perspective; and it looks like Chaz’s hair is gelled straight up, and he may have a bit of a heel on his shoes.  Now let’s see if they have tricks to minimize the height difference between Peta & Ron, too…

The winner: Lacey…and no one else. 😛

Battle of the pearl-encrusted, cut-out tango dress: Kym’s Argentine tango with Hines in season 12 vs. Kym’s pre-season 13 photoshoot with David

Courtney: My favorite dress of season 12, PERIOD.  Love the racy cut-out sides, love the nude color, and ADORE the fact that Kym eschewed the cliched rhinestone coating and had it encrusted with pearls instead.  Love the dress in both pix, but I gotta go with photoshoot Kym – the loose, romantic waves they put in her hair seem to really sexify the dress.

Heidi: Ditto – I also like her partner on the right (cute!) and just her posture is better and works with the dress better.  Totally agree about the hair.  Doesn’t Kym choose this color for her photoshoots a lot?? It’s a color that really works on her.

The winner: Photoshoot Kym proves that pearls can be sexy. 

Battle of the black mesh, fringed & jeweled dress: Ricki’s pre-season 13 photoshoot with Derek vs. Marissa’s 2nd rumba with Tony in season 6

Heidi: Mmmmm….Derek. 🙂  I’ve got to send his trainer cookies or something for the work he’s done on Derek. He looks…bigger. Or in the words of his trainer…”jacked up”. All growed up. Oh. Dresses. Well, since I don’t like Marissa’s stockings, and I don’t like her hair…and, well, I don’t much like HER, I have to go with Ricki for better hair and a hunkier than ever partner. 🙂

Courtney: Love that they’ve got 2 former Tracy Turnblad portrayers in the same dress 🙂 Seems like kind of a cool homage.  I don’t exactly love this dress, so it makes it hard for me to pick a winner.  Seems to look better with Ricki’s coloring, but that could just be a spray tan and some photoshoot lighting giving her a nice glow.  But wait – is Derek wearing a black shirt with brown pants? WTF???

Heidi: Derek’s wearing pants??  Oh…yes, it appears they are a different color. 😉 Seems to be an odd choice for him. Very out of the ordinary. Wonder why?

The winner: In the tale of two Tracy Turnblads, Ricki emerges victorious 🙂

Battle of the brown fringed & jeweled Latin dress: Nancy’s pre-season 13 photoshoot with Tristan vs. Kirstie’s 1st samba with Maks in season 12

Courtney: Nancy actually looks quite nice in this dress, methinks.  Perhaps even better than Kirstie.  She’s certainly got her tatas ready for battle! Gotta say – Nancy is pleasantly surprising me so far.  She seems like she’s actually excited to be doing this, and has set aside her courtroom aggression for the meantime.  And Tristan, good on ya – you look happy 😀

Heidi: Ah, we finally disagree on one. I have to go with Kirstie. I think she works this dress better just by nature of her hairstyle which is long and flowing rather than…helmut-y.  Yes, I am making up words as we go.

The winner: It serves both Nancy & Kirstie pretty well…so what can brown do for YOU? 😉

Battle of the silver silk jeweled ballgown: Pam’s foxtrot with Damian in season 10 vs. Chynna’s pre-season 13 photoshoot with Tony

Heidi: Chynna isn’t wearing this dress, the dress is wearing her.  Pam embodies what that dress was designed for – she owns it.  Even the elbow length gloves work with this dress and her hair…and her makeup.  Just gorgeous! And am I mis-remembering or is this another dress that was nearly full length and they’ve chopped it again??  Step AWAY from the scissors!

Courtney: Chynna has aged incredibly well, but the overall effect of this silver gown on her seems…bland.  She’s very pretty, yes, but there’s nothing about the picture that really jumps out at me – and I’m afraid that may be the theme for me with regards to Chynna & Tony this season 🙁 Whenever I’m rattling off the names of the couples, they always seem to be the ones I forget, maybe because there’s been relatively little media coverage of them.  Idk – maybe they’re deliberately flying under the radar so they can surprise everyone in week one.  Time will tell! But Pam, my little blonde bombshell of season 10 – she’s a total Marilyn in this one, down to the sex kitten hair, elbow-length gloves, and red lips.  *sigh* I miss Pam & Damian…

The winner: You don’t mess with Pam Anderson.

Battle of the black, lacey, fringey dress: Cheryl in the season 12 finale opening dance with Chris vs. Cheryl’s pre-season 13 photoshoot with Rob

Courtney: This must be one of those generic dresses they always seem to have on-hand in order to fit a particular color scheme, because nothing about it was really triggering a “Eureka!” moment for me until someone mentioned that it could be Karina’s dress from the season 11 finale – of course it wasn’t, but it at least got me thinking along the lines of finale performances and that’s where I finally found this one.  It’s pretty, but unremarkable for me – Cheryl herself doesn’t even seem to be uber-excited to be wearing it in either picture.  I guess I’ll go with photoshoot Cheryl, because she’s at least smiling…although Rob still looks like kind of a putz to me.

Heidi: Blah. Boring. Both times. 🙁  I think Rob IS a putz. It’s actually painful to have him in my DWTS List on twitter.

The winner: Zzzzz….oh, we were supposed to pick a winner? I guess photoshoot Cheryl…now let me sleep…zzzzzz

Battle of the gold lame/gold sequin romper: Kristin’s pre-season 13 photoshoot with Mark vs. Julianne’s freestyle with Helio in season 5 vs. Karina’s pro dance to Selena Gomez with Derek in season 9

Courtney: WARNING: this is NOT the same costume.  Well, Kristin’s is not – I’m convinced they bought that nonsense on the clearance rack at Wet Seal…or bought it at a costume auction after Take Me Home Tonight wrapped (BTW, good movie for a few laughs – well worth the $1.08 the bf & I paid for it at the Redbox ;-)).  In other words – I hate that gold thing and I have no idea why they decided to put such a pretty girl in such a tacky costume when they clearly have a bajillion suitable leftover costumes at their disposal.  *stamps foot* Seriously…whyyyy? Even the the very similar gold sequin romper that Julianne & Karina both wore would be an improvement over this…thing. And don’t even get me started on Mark’s shoes…although, if they were going for the 80’s theme with their photoshoot, he does look vaguely like Duckie from Pretty In Pink…except Duckie is wicked awesome and Mark is just kinda bogus, dude. </80’sslang>

Heidi: Pretty sure they give the dancers a selection to choose from. Just sayin’.  This is one gawdawful dress that made me think trailer park Saturday night when I first saw it. Maybe that’s harsh…but didn’t gold lame dresses go out in the 90’s. Or the 70’s?  Or both?? I mean, really, at least that gawdawful romper (and you all know how I feel about that cut around the legs) IS a romper.  Kristen’s is a dress that is cut up to THERE.  Seriously? You’re going there on day 1? Also, you do realize that Mark got those damn shoes bedazzled don’t you? Because we couldn’t see them well enough as it is – because it is much more important that we see Mark’s feet than his partner’s.  Or…the dude is just tacky.  Are we picking a winner here? I go with Karina because she’s suffocating Derek with her hair. 🙂  Helio is cool too though.

The winner: Helio & Karina. And perhaps Jon Cryer.

And a special note on Peta’s dress…

We tried, kids, we really tried…but we (and the many PureDWTS readers I solicited both here and on Twitter) were clueless about this feathered thing Peta is wearing.  I (Court) swear I’ve seen her wear it somewhere OUTSIDE the dance floor (either in the audience of DWTS or another premiere or something), but for the life of me, I cannot recall specifics.  I even asked Peta on Twitter – no response. If you have seen this dress before and can tell us where exactly, we’ll update this post and give you credit 🙂 But until then, here is some commentary from Heidi & I…

Heidi: What in the hell was Peta thinking?  From the psuedo dress to the pose it’s just all the way wrong.  I think it might actually be the pose that really caps it off.  It kinda looks like Ron is carrying his child in her swimsuit on his hip.  Or you could go slightly porno if you want, but I’m trying not to think about that.  This is actually a horrendous picture for me – such a gorgeous woman but how did she get to this pose in this outfit??

Courtney: I’m sorry, but this seriously seems like the worst of this batch of promo photos to me.  The pose is just totally weird – can you believe that Peta’s leg is actually hidden behind Ron’s back? Believe it – Peta confirmed it.  And this dress just feels odd to me – like they just took a tank top and slapped some feathers on the bottom.  And speaking of bottoms…I hate that Peta’s is just kinda hanging out in this pic.  Add to that the strange pouffy hair, and I’m just left thinking, “WTF???”

September 7, 2011 I Written By

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, baker, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble.

Pure Dancing With The Stars: Rate Your Favorite Male Pros

Hey, thanks Everyone for your participation in the “Rate Your Favorite Female Pros” post. It appears Kym and Anna were the most popular with our readers. So now, how about the male pros? How do you rank them at this time from your favorite to least favorite?

Mine goes as follows:

Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Derek Hough: Seriously, I go back and forth on these two and can never decide who is my absolute favorite? I love them both so much. Derek is our modern day Fred Astaire. He has a fascinating Fox totem who magically connects and blends into each of his partners. His creativity, choreography, and good looks are one thing…but, then there is the “character” he gets into every time he steps out there. I so LOVE LOVE his dramatic facial expressions as well. Such a class act, humble, and can rise above most anything. He’s beyond amazing. In fact, legendary!!

Then there is Maks in all of his bad boy charm. You just can’t help to love him. Yes, he’s made some mistakes along the way, but, he is a constant learning process and always striving to be a better person. I love his mysteriousness, edginess, strength, power, and how romantic he is on the dance floor. He’s got the “X factor” in spades. It’s unexplainable, but, he leaves you always wanting more on the dance floor and in life in general.

Damian Whitewood: This guy is so sadly under-rated and forgotten about with producers when he is serious fan favorite. Look at the mark he left with just one season and how we’re still talking about it and him. He’s full of compassion like his girlfriend Peta. He soaks up the camera and stage just like her. If producers read this, PLEASE BRING ON DAMIAN THIS SEASON!!

Val Chmerkovskiy: Every time this guy has danced on the show in pro numbers, he leaves me wanting more just like his brother Maks. He’s a powerhouse out there and he plays the violin in the same way!!

Tristan MacManus And Teddy Volynets: I love these two newcomers. They are fun to watch in the troupe and always leave me wanting more as well. Both cute, refreshing, compassionate, and romantic. Teddy V’s personality is just waiting to bust out. I really hope we get to see it happen one day.

Tony Dovolani: This guy is so full of heart. I’ve always enjoyed his dancing. He gets the most awful partners though sometimes which is sad.

Alec Mazzo: I loved Alec and his dancing. Such a romantic dancer….especially with Edyta!

Jonathan Roberts: Like Tony, Jonathan is so full of heart. I always enjoyed his dancing too….especially in the pro numbers with Anna! He’s unforgettable!

Dmitry Chaplin: I haven’t always been a big fan to Dmitry, but, I really liked him last year with Petra!!

Louis Van Amstel: I like Louis and I like him on the show, but, there have been times I didn’t too. His best season has been with Kelly Osbourne. That’s when I liked Louis the most.

Corky Ballas: I favor and respect Corky as a “teacher” to some of the above pros more than anything. I’ve also enjoyed his dancing in some of the pro numbers. But, I really haven’t liked him paired with a celebrity…although sometimes it’s probably necessary with older celebrities.

Mark Ballas: What can I say? Mark has seriously gotten on my nerves these last few seasons. Although he can have heart, he also has an egotistical side that dominates his role on the show and the dance floor. He has also copied a lot of choreography from Derek for his dances and yet, tries to take the credit. Sometimes he’s too ‘in your face’ much like Lacey is. The one thing I do like though is his futuristic mind much like in a Lady Gaga kind of way. Now, if he could just learn when to bring it on and when not to is the question?

Ok, YOUR TURN!! We look forward to your replies as always! 😉

August 19, 2011 I Written By

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.