Free DWTS Newsletter Want to receive the latest news on Dancing with the Stars sent straight to your email? Join hundreds of other DWTS fans who subscribe to Pure DWTS for FREE!
Bermain judi qq online tentunya setiap orang ingin meraih kemenangan besar, sekarang telah hadir situs judi online koinqq agen bandarqq online. Seiring berkembangnya judi online di dunia internet, maniaqq kini telah menyediakan dominoqq yang bisa kalian download melalui android / ios dihandphone kesayangan kalian. Cukup menggunakan 1 ID saja kamu bisa menikmati berbagai macam permainan idn poker seru seperti poker Online, Ceme Keliling, DominoQQ, Ceme Online, Capsa, Super 10, dan Omaha. Total ada 7 jenis permainan terbaik dimana bisa kamu nikmati dengan menjadi member disini.

PureDWTS Season 23 – All 24 Olympic Athletes Ever To Do DWTS, Ranked From Worst to Best

So with the Olympics in Rio drawing to a close this coming Sunday (and the pros starting to meet their partners later this week), there’s obviously been speculation that we’re going to see some Olympians on the show this season – seems like Ryan Lochte & Simone Biles are the two most talked-about when it comes to casting rumors.  Which got the Pure Angels thinking about all the previous Olympians we’ve seen on the show, and how well (or not well…) they did.  So why not take a look back at every Olympian (from both the summer AND winter games) that’s ever done DWTS, and see how they stack up?

The main rankings are mine, but Heidi, Vogue, & I all had slightly different rankings when it came to the top 10 – so you can see their individual top 10’s at the bottom.  I’ve included videos of a few of the dances we mention, to jog memories – lord knows ours needed jogging from time to time 😯

Interesting patterns? Gymnasts and skaters seemed to fare the best, and tennis players and boxers tended not to leave much of an impression on any the three of us.  I think we all universally agreed on at least the bottom 2 on the list – they were THAT bad 🙁 Read more..

August 16, 2016 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.

DWTS14 Casting Rumors – The Typecasting of Season 14, Part I

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m just ready for the cast announcement so we can get all of this speculating over & done with! But to help us get a handle on who might be in and out, let’s take a look at what combination of “casting types” we might get this season.

The Olympian

Previous examples: Kristi Yamaguchi, Shawn Johnson, Apolo Ohno, Natalie Coughlin, Misty May-Treanor, Maurice Greene, Louie Vito, Evan Lysacek, Hope Solo

Advantages: The winningest of the 12 types, their obvious advantage is their athleticism – you won’t see these guys struggling with strength or endurance moves.  In addition, the same tireless work ethic that helped them medal in the Olympics will likely carry them through the toils of the competition. They also seem to be adored by the masses, as many are seen as “hero” figures – which translates into a formidable voting fanbase.

Disadvantages: For those specializing in sports that are less “artistic” (i.e. swimming, running, volleyball), it might be a bit hard to really get into the character of the dance and truly perform to the crowd.  Previously incurred injuries (or the fear of incurring an injury that might hinder their participation in subsequent competitions in their sport, a la Misty May-Treanor) may also slow them down & limit their mobility.

Possible candidates this season: The only semi-legitmate Olympian prospect I think we’ve heard is Bruce Jenner – and I would like to think that TPTB would have mercy and not subject us to back-to-back seasons of Kardashians in the audience 😀

The Athlete

Previous examples: Chuck Liddell, Warren Sapp, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Helio Castroneves, Laila Ali, Floyd Mayweather, Ty Murray, Evander Holyfield, Jerry Rice, Clyde Drexler, Monica Seles, Jason Taylor, Lawrence Taylor, Chad Ochocinco, Kurt Warner, Rick Fox, Sugar Ray Leonard, Chris Jericho, Hines Ward, Ron Artest

Advantages: As with the Olympians, their athleticism & work ethic make them well-suited to the competition.  An edge they might have over their Olympic counterparts: sports like football, auto racing, & mixed martial arts tend to have a larger, more mainstream following than some of the Olympic sports.

Disadvantages: Again, a lack of “artistic” experience & previous injury (especially with the football players, who have really taken a beating over the years). Some of the more muscular athletes in hard-hitting sports may also have difficulty with the refined, precise moves of some of the dances.

Possible candidates this season: Vince Young tweeted that he had been asked to the do the show, then suspiciously deleted the tweet.  Guilty much? 😉 We’ve also heard Annika Sorenstam’s name in the mix.

Read more..

February 26, 2012 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.

DWTS Who Wore it Better? Part XIII – The Chelsie Appreciation Edition

Well she may not be on the show this season, but “out of sight” is certainly not “out of mind” for us here at PureDWTS! What better time to show Chelsie she’s loved than now? 🙂

I must confess, due to my own pessimistic tendencies, this was originally supposed to be the Anna Apprecation Edition, because I was so certain she wouldn’t be back this season.  But thankfully, she is, and now I have inspiration to create subsequent editions of WWIB featuring all of the female pros – eventually. 😉 Finding costume dittos is hard sometimes, even for someone with a freakishly near-photographic memory like mine…

Battle of the peach jeweled ballgown: Brooke’s Viennese waltz with Derek in season 7 vs. Chelsie’s pro dance with Dmitry to Jewel in season 8

Heidi: I think the look worked on Brooke simply so that the dress didn’t detract from the emotion of the dance, which was a Viennese Waltz to Daughters, by John Mayer.  It’s kind of plain on her, otherwise. I prefer it on Chelsie, and I like her softer hairstyle with this dress. Of course, it could just be the lighting. 🙂

Courtney: I noticed several patterns with Chelsie’s costume choices while compiling this post.  The first is that she has an affinity for doing very lifty, contemporary choreo while wearing shortened ballgowns.  You can’t see in this picture, but this dress has actually been shortened substantially – check it out on the Randall website. May not be of any consequence to you guys, but I do find it kind of interesting how the costume department, when pressed for time & unable to create new costumes, just takes what they have on hand & changes it to work for them – very resourceful.  Anywho! I always thought the dress was very pretty on Brooke, but I’m not sure it’s a color she would pick for herself – seems too demure, and better suited to someone more wholesome and youthful, like Chelsie. And I’m not wild about Brooke’s hair – looks too…plastered down? Idk.

The winner: Chelsie, for better coloring…or maybe lighting.

Battle of the black, fringed, jewel-trimmed Latin dress: Chelsie in the season 11 finale opening dance vs. Anna’s opening credits shoot with Sugar Ray in season 12

Courtney: Another pattern I noticed with Chelsie: she is so freaking hard to get a decent screen cap of!!!!! Seriously – she never stops moving, and her technique is so good that she moves with such a range of motion that she’s seldom in a position where she’s facing the camera, in a neutral position.  I got so many bad screenshots of her moving her body in crazy ways that made it impossible to see her costume well.  She also seems fond of black-fringed costumes – this one is pretty similar to the one she wore for her cha-cha with Romeo, and she wore gloves for both.  In truth – I’m not wild about this version of the black-fringed costume.  Since there’s very little sparkle, it just seems to look a little blah on both ladies for me.  At least with the Romeo version, there was quite a bit of sparkle to give the costume some depth.  I prefer colored versions of this particular style, such as the hot pink & multicolored versions featured in WWIB Part XI.

Heidi: I don’t care for the long black gloves with the short, fringed latin dresses – I don’t get that wardrobe choice at all. Other than that, there isn’t much to say about it really – it’s hard to see but I really prefer the dress on Anna – and again, it could just be the background and the lighting influencing me. I’m so easy. 🙂

The winner: Anna by a hair…with an assist from the background & lighting 🙂

Battle of the sheer, white, feather-trimmed ballgown: Cheryl’s Viennese waltz with Chad in season 10 vs. Chelsie’s dance with Mark in the “America’s Favorite Dancers” show

Heidi: They all have their “tics” don’t they?? 🙂 Mark’s is high water pants and polka dots, Cheryl’s is the sheer ballgown skirt.  I much prefer Cheryl’s tic in this case, although I do find it a rather strange choice. As for who wore it better?? Well, I think Chelsie is wearing it like it’s a dress made for CHERYL, if that makes sense. It doesn’t really seem like it belongs on her, and I also prefer Cheryl’s hairstyle, as it is fancy, fancy, fancy…just like the dress.

Courtney: Ahhh yes – another representative of Cheryl’s ongoing infatuation with sheer-skirted ballgowns 🙂 This one is odd for me: I think the bodice is gorgeous, with all of the beading & delicate details, but the skirt…looks totally silly to me. Like they let a class of preschoolers decorate it with a bunch of feathers & pom-poms.  All that’s missing is the uncooked macaroni and you’ve got yourself a craft project! I don’t know…they both look good from the waist up, and bizarre from the waist down.  I’m apathetic.

The winner: Cheryl loves her some sheer skirts…and rocks them well.

Battle of the red, jeweled midriff Latin costume: Chelsie in the pro dance with the Mwano family in season 11 vs. Edyta’s salsa relay with Ashley in season 9

Courtney: Chelsie costuming pattern #3: she will never show her stomach completely.  Seriously…find me an example of her midriff being completely exposed and I will gladly admit I’m wrong.  She’ll wear cut-out dresses, or ones that show a teeny-tiny bit of belly, but then you’ve got 2-piece costumes like this where they slap a piece of mesh down the front.  This costume definitely had to go through some un-Edytafication before Chelsie would wear it…the mesh, the extra layer of fabric on the skirt to cover the sides, the increased chest coverage.  Normally I would give this one to Edyta, no contest, but the open sides of the skirt look weird to me.  Gotta go with Chelsie this time.

Heidi: Edyta, by a mile.  It was originally designed for her and by adding back material it just makes an already unfortunate dress worse. 🙂  When you add the mesh on the front it make the whole dress look heavy, what with the double patterned belts around the hips and under the bra line.  I think Edyta is just playing the part here better than Chelsie is – and damn that woman has a body.  🙂

The winner: Edyta, for playing the part.

Battle of the lavender, jewel-trimmed, one-shoulder ballgown: Kym’s Viennese waltz with Donny in season 9 vs. Chelsie’s Viennese waltz with Jake in the season 10 finale

Heidi: I think Chelsie is a bit too short for this dress – maybe if it was straight to the floor instead of layered it would work better for me. Both women look very pretty, but I’m gonna have to go with Kym, I believe.

Courtney: This is another thing I hate about screen-capping – it always makes colors look too warm.  The dress is closer to the color on the left than the color on the right – but it’s a pretty color, regardless.  I think it’s a good example of the “less is more” concept of costuming – very simple silhouette, flattering color, minimal trim.  Lovely 🙂 Looks great on both ladies, but I have to give this one to Kym – love her romantic wavy hair.  Looks like Chelsie may have been the victim of the dreaded quick-change, which usually necessitates un-fussy, generically-styled hair to fit multiple costumes.

The winner: She of the Awesome Boobage dominates once again.

Battle of the gold, fringed, halter-top Latin dress: Chelsie in the season 8 intros vs. Ashly in the 150th episode pro dance to “Hard to Handle” in season 6

Heidi: Hmmm….tough call. Both ladies wear this dress well. It compliments both Chelsie’s sunny, California girl look, and Ashly’s darker hair and complexion.  This one is a tough call!!  I think I’m leaning toward Chelsie, but I have to idea why. 🙂

Courtney: Maybe because we have a hard time believing a wholesome Mormon mommy like Ashly would pick out an outfit like this for herself? 😉 I dunno, at least that’s what I think – both ladies are on the wholesome side, but Chelsie is able to pull off sexier, flashier outfits a bit better, IMO.  The impression I get from Ashly in this dress is that “I had to wear a gold dress to match the other dancers, so I bit the bullet and picked out the most conservative one I could.” Plus I love the way a gold outfit looks paired with blonde hair 🙂

The winner: Chelsie, for looking more comfortable being sexy.

Battle of the pale blue, jeweled high-neck ballgown: Nicole’s waltz with Derek in season 10 vs. Chelsie’s pro dance with Dmitry to Goo Goo Dolls in season 11

Courtney: I had completely forgotten about this one – and now that I’m looking at it, I’m realizing that it is really a beautiful dress. Simple silhouette with delicate details.  Again, looks great on both ladies, but I’m gonna go with Nicole on this one – I think this dress is better balanced as a long dress, and the high neck looks a bit odd on Chelsie.

Heidi: I think the high collar on this dress rather begs for an upswept, formal hairstyle. It draws the eye to a nice neck and you don’t want your hair ruining the effect. So, I have to go with Nicole also. The bodice of the dress with the shorter length (and lack of shoes) on Chelsie just doesn’t look quite right.

The winner:  Nicole, by a length…of dress.

August 29, 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.

DWTS13 Casting Rumors – The Typecasting of Season 13, Part I

It’s that time of year, again – time to take all the wacky rumors and all the wacky casting patterns we see from season to season and hypothesize who we might actually get to see 🙂 This year is interesting, in that we already definitely know one of the celebs, are fairly certain about two others, and have got definite suspicions about another two – almost takes a bit of fun out of the guessing, no? 🙂 But I’m sure there will be at least one celeb who’s name we haven’t heard – and at least one we’ve never heard of, too…thankfully, even unpredictability becomes predictable after awhile! But let’s get it on with it, shall we? Oh, and if you’re feeling nostalgic (and want to see how effective using these cast types as a template can be), check out the typecasting of season 10, season 11, and season 12 🙂

The Olympian

Previous examples: Kristi Yamaguchi, Shawn Johnson, Apolo Ohno, Natalie Coughlin, Misty May-Treanor, Maurice Greene, Louie Vito, Evan Lysacek

Advantages: The winningest of the 12 types, their obvious advantage is their athleticism – you won’t see these guys struggling with strength or endurance moves.  In addition, the same tireless work ethic that helped them medal in the Olympics will likely carry them through the toils of the competition. They also seem to be adored by the masses, as many are seen as “hero” figures – which translates into a formidable voting fanbase.

Disadvantages: For those specializing in sports that are less “artistic” (i.e. swimming, running, volleyball), it might be a bit hard to really get into the character of the dance and truly perform to the crowd.  Previously incurred injuries (or the fear of incurring an injury that might hinder their participation in subsequent competitions in their sport, a la Misty May-Treanor) may also slow them down & limit their mobility. Read more..

August 26, 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 DWTS End-of-Season Awards – Season 12

We know you all love the comedy of the Cheesecake Awards, but we here at PureDWTS do know how to be serious, as well 🙂 So it’s time to vote in our end-of-season awards – we started this last year as a way to look back at the season and see what the bests and worsts were, and see how our readers really felt about the season as a whole.

The voting categories are below – please vote on each one.  We will reveal the results in a series of posts in the upcoming weeks, as well as our commentary on the results.  Vote away and enjoy!!!

NOTE: There is an “other” box, if you really & truly don’t agree with any of the options listed for a particular category. We did our best to compile a list of good nominees for each category, but not everyone is going to agree. C’est la vie.  So if you want to vote “other” – simply click on that option and type in your answer.  However, a word of caution – if I cannot understand what you typed, I won’t count it in the vote totals.  I’m afraid some went a little crazy with the “other” box last season, and I was left to muddle through some badly misspelled, grammatically confusing, and downright incoherent answers…as well as answers that were already listed as nominees.  *facepalm* So for the sake of my sanity, kids, please – at least try to spell things correctly, and make sure the thing you are voting for isn’t already listed a nominee 😉

June 15, 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 DWTS Finals – Black Eyed Peas, Go-Go’s, Sara Evans, and More To Perform For Dancing With The Stars Finals Week

Let The Finals Begin! Monday night our dancing couples will perform two numbers. The first dance is the judges’ choice and the second is the famous freestyle. Then on Tuesday, the three couples will perform their favorites dances from this Season which the judges will rank. Also, on Tuesday, the Black Eyed Peas, the Go-Go’s, and Country singer/former Dancing With The Stars Season 3 contestant Sara Evans will perform. Details below from ABC MediaNet. I imagine other surprises are in store for us as well including the return of all the contesants and pros who were eliminated this Season. We have yet to hear anything about the “Design A Dance” Contest and Performance as well which I’m starting to wonder if they scrapped?

In the final one-hour performance show on MONDAY, MAY 23 (8:00-9:01 p.m., ET), the couples will compete in two dances. The first number, the Judges’ Choice, is the style that the judges have determined to be the one each couple showed promise in and could now excel at based on hours of practice and performance. Then all three contenders will perform their fan favorite Freestyle dances.

The anticipation builds and competition continues for the two-hour Season Finale on TUESDAY, MAY 24 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET), as the three finalists perform their own favorite dance of the season and are ranked by the judges. In addition, each of this season’s 11 couples returns to the dance floor for a special performance. All of the excitement and frenzy will lead up to the moment we’ve been waiting for – who among the three finalists will reign as champions of “Dancing with the Stars” and take home the coveted mirror ball trophy?

Also on Tuesday’s spectacular Season Finale, one the best-selling, most popular and most innovative groups in over a decade, The Black Eyed Peas, will perform the exclusive television premiere of their new single, “Don’t Stop the Party,” live. The Black Eyed Peas have transformed themselves from a beloved backpack rap troop from the West Coast Underground into fully-fledged, massive global superstars whose music can be heard in any country around the world. Having created several albums, each more innovative and popular than the last, The Black Eyed Peas – will.i.am, Fergie, Taboo and apl.de.ap – are releasing their sixth full-length album, “The Beginning.” This follows on the heels of 2009’s “The E.N.D.,” their most popular and most creative album to date – and the one that reaffirmed their singular status as global music icons. “The E.N.D.” sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and entered the Billboard Top 200 Chart at No. 1, outperforming their previous CD, “Monkey Business.” It yielded five Top 10 singles (the first album to do so in 20 years), spent an entire year on the Billboard Top 200 Chart, and earned the group three new Grammy Awards, for a total of six Grammy Awards they’ve won. In all, they’ve sold 29 million records worldwide (plus over 30-million digital tracks), sold more than 3 million tickets and headlined over 300 different tour dates in 29 different countries. “The Beginning’s” first single, “The Time (Dirty Bit),” went straight to No. 1 on iTunes in 11 countries within the first 24 hours. Much of “The Beginning” was conceived during their most recent worldwide headlining tour, where they visited more than 20 countries and played to more than a million people.

For the first time in a “DWTS” Season Finale, Macy’s Stars of Dance presents the Macy’s Design-a-Dance fan favorite Jive song pick, “We Got the Beat,” to be performed live in the ballroom by the Go-Go’s. The winning “DWTS” pro dancers and concept will also be revealed Tuesday night. This will be the band’s first television performance together in over five years and kicks off a spectacular summer of events celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Go-Go’s debut, history-making album, “Beauty and the Beat.” The Go-Go’s recently announced the addition of a tour kick-off performance to be held in Las Vegas, NV at The Beach at Mandalay Bay on May 27, 2011. When “Beauty and the Beat” was released and flew up the charts 30 years ago, it became a perennial soundtrack for summer and reached the top of the Billboard charts, the first for an all-female band who wrote and performed their own music. Also just released, “The Go-Go’s: Beauty and the Beat 30th Anniversary Edition” by Capitol/I.R.S. commemorative edition, available in 2CD, digital and hot pink vinyl format, which features the remastered original album plus exclusive, previously unreleased live show recordings from 1981.

Country music star/”DWTS” Season 3 alum Sara Evans returns to the ballroom floor after having to withdraw from the competition. Having made a huge comeback, Sara’s new RCA Nashville album, “Stronger,” was released March 8 and scored back-to-back weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. First week sales earned the album a No. 6 debut on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. The album’s first hit single, “A Little Bit Stronger,” recently reached the No. 1 position on the country radio charts and stayed there for two consecutive weeks. “A Little Bit Stronger” was also recently RIAA-certified as a Gold Digital Single, reflecting digital sales in excess of 500,000 downloads. Beginning June 18, Evans will join Rascal Flatts on their summer “Flatts Fest” tour.

May 21, 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 XI – Season 12 Thus Far Edition

With a mere 4 weeks of competition complete, we’ve already seen a slew of costume dittos from the pros and also the troupe this season.  Let’s have a look, shall we? It’ll give Heidi & I some time to come up with this week’s cheesecake…and I’m sure it will be a doozy, after suffering through “American Night”-mare. 🙂

Battle of the lime green, jeweled & feathered Latin costume: Peta in the “On the Floor” pro/troupe dance this season vs. Kym’s pro dance with Tony to Santana in season 11

Courtney: Hmmm.  Tough one for me.  I like Petra’s hair better, but I think the color looks better with Kym’s skin.  Although I’m not wild about that thing they’ve got going across the midriff on Kym…glad they omitted it for Peta.

Heidi: Peta is certainly beautiful, and looks good in the dress, but I don’t think the Awesome Boobage of Kym can’t be beaten – by anyone. 🙂 Add in that her darker tan compliments the dress and there you go. I do see something resembling a crotch doilie though and it’s giving me flashbacks. 🙂

Courtney: I was thinking more “feather loincloth”, but crotch doily works too 🙂

The winner: The Awesome Boobage prevails once more 😀

Battle of the beaded black mesh Latin dress with plunging neckline, redux: Karina’s pro dance with Louis to Jennifer Hudson this season vs. Anna’s pre-season photo shoot with Sugar Ray this season vs. Kym’s cha-cha with the Hoff in season 11

Heidi: Again, I have to go with Kym for reasons previously stated. 🙂 Plus, I think Anna is too pale in her photo and with the red hair it just washes her out. Karina looks amazing, but I would go with Kym.

Courtney: The problem with this dress is that it’s not a typical “Anna” dress – she seems to tend more towards the conservative, less va-va-va-voom Latin costumes these days, so she’s out.  I loved the way the dress looked on Karina while she was moving – quite quickly, I might add, which is why it was hard for Heidi to get a clear screen cap – but alas, Kym reigns supreme once more with her sex kitten hair, smoky eye makeup, and perpetual Awesome Boobage 🙂

The winner: You don’t mess with the Awesome Boobage.

Battle of the hot pink fringed Latin dress, redux: Chelsea’s pre-season photo shoot with Mark this season vs. Lacey’s Team Kristi cha-cha with Kyle in season 11 vs. Anna in the “On the Floor” pro/troupe dance this season

Courtney: Poor Anna always seems to get stuck with the 3 & 4-peat costumes 😛 God love her…she’s cute, but I’m not wild about the hot pink paired with her red hair.  Sticking with cute-as-a-button Chelsea on this one… 

Heidi: Ummm….not Lacey? 🙂 I think I lean toward Chelsea, as I think her hair style compliments the “cute” of the dress.

The winner: Chelsea’s still pretty in pink.

Battle of the red & gold paso doble dress: Karina’s paso doble with Mario in season 6 vs. Oksana’s paso doble demo with Kiki this season

Heidi: I’m going to go with Karina based on skin tone and, even though it’s not a fair comparison since we’re looking at stills, the movement she achieved with this dress. Although that could also be due to what appears to be a different cut to the bottom portion – did they remove a slit and the gold trim for Oksana?

Courtney: Oksana keeps reminding us of how she’s a “powerhouse in a small package”, so I’m guessing they probably had to hem this dress for her – hence, the disappearance of the gold trim at the bottom of the dress.  Looks like they also omitted the gold belt (likely to make her torso appear longer) and may have sewn up a few of the slits & jeweled the bodice to balance the look.  A good example of how some minor tweaking can really change the look of a costume 🙂 But I agree – I like the look better on Karina.  Just works better with her skin tone and her build.

The winner: Oksana the powerhouse-in-a-small-package is no match for powerhouse-in-any-package Karina!

Battle of the pink & red ruffled Latin dress: Oksana in the “On the Floor” pro/troupe dance this season vs. Cheryl’s samba with Gilles in season 8

Courtney: I feel like a lot of Cheryl’s costumes in season 8 were similar to this – ruffly, midriff-y, and brightly-colored.  I guess she was maybe celebrating her weight loss (and departure from the frumpy costumes she wore in season 7 to cover up her weight gain) with all of these loud dresses…but it just doesn’t feel like something that really fits her personality well.  For that reason, I’m gonna go with Oksana…seems like something she’d actually pick out for herself.

Heidi: Hmmmm….I think I have to go with Oksana and I’m not really sure why I like it better on her. Overall, I don’t much care for the dress at all, but Oksana wears it well.

The winner: Everyone’s favorite pint-sized mail-order bride – Oksana 🙂

Battle of the red & orange fringed Latin dress: Melissa’s would-be jive with Tony in season 8 vs. Lacey in the “On the Floor” pro/troupe dance this season

Heidi: Again, a dress that I don’t care for much – but believe it or not I’m going to go with Lacey. Again, not a fair comparison because Lacey is benefiting from movement whereas Melissa is stationary. That said, Lacey’s hair is gawdawful.  But then, Melissa looks like a school marm posing as a hot Latin momma and failing miserably. 🙂  So, it’s really a double fail, but less on Lacey. This time. 🙂

Courtney: Poor Melissa – she didn’t even have a chance to show us this dress in motion (this was the week that she injured herself and was unable to do her jive, so they showed us the footage of the camera blocking instead).  She just wore it on the results show for the sake of consistency.  Not that I’m too disappointed – this dress reminds me of a Muppet.  Or rather, the leftover trimmings of a Muppet on the cutting room floor of Jim Henson studios 🙂 But weird & Muppet-y fits right in Lacey’s wheelhouse, so I’m gonna go with her as well.

The winner: Lacey rocks the “leftover Muppet” look well.

Battle of the pink ruffled mesh rumba dress & the jeweled & ruffled black mesh samba dress: Lacey’s rumba & samba with Kyle in season 11 vs. 2 wardrobe assistants futzing around backstage this season 🙂

Courtney: Two of Lacey’s weirder costumes from last season, fo sho…but these boys are fearlessly rocking them.  The Asian guy dominates in this one – he’s even got the artsy Latin hand gesture down cold! Other guy gets points for trying, but the socks, dude? As for Lacey…she never stood a chance against either of these fashion plates 🙂

Heidi: The Asian guy, definitely. The other guy would be doing well if not for the white ankle socks. 😉

The winner: Lacey never stood a chance against the fabulosity of these two 🙂

April 20, 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.

DWTS Season 12, Week 4 – The Cheesecake Awards!!

We gotta lotta turf to cover this week and I have to figure out how to express myself in a PG fashion. It won’t be easy. 😉 I think it’s safe to say that this edition of the Cheesecake Awards was cooked with SOUR cream, if you know what I’m saying. 🙂 We weren’t feelin’ it – just annoyed by the whole thing. You’ve been warned. On with the show…

Note: I am the one traveling this week so we may not get Dancing by the Numbers – I’m going to try to do it. We’ll see. 🙂

The “You’re New to this Show, aren’t you?” Award – Week 4: Oksana and her early stage entrance.

Heidi: Oh, if only she hadn’t done this she would have gotten through two whole shows with me not picking on her. 🙂 When they pan the celebrities and pros right after they are announced and walk on to the dance floor, you can see Oksana clearly start to walk out on stage for her pro dance with Kiki…Kaka…Kiri…whatever his name is; she realizes the mistake immediately, turns around and starts shoving Kiki backstage – kinda like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube is what it seemed like too. 🙂 Dude wasn’t moving easily. This is likely really the fault of the eye rolling stage manager dude in the black crew neck from last week – but it’s no fun to blame him. 🙂

Courtney: Great material for the DWTS Bloopers time-filling clip we’re bound to see later in the season.  🙂 I’m sure crewneck-sporting stage guy was not only rolling his eyes at them, but snapping at them in hushed tones, like “WTF are you two knuckleheads doing???! Are you deliberately TRYING to ruin the show?! Get your freshman asses back here!!!” At least Oksana can use the old “English as a 2nd language” defense…that it was hard for her to translate what Tom was saying so that she clearly knew when to set foot onstage. Not sure about Kiki…he seems like he’s been stateside longer than Oksana…maybe he can translate for her?

The Award for Most Blatant and Annoying hypocrisy – Week 4: Len Goodman, for chastising Romeo for removing his jacket, but not saying a word about Dmitry ripping off Petra’s skirt; (dis)Honorable Mention: Carrie Ann Innaba, for ONLY calling Romeo out for what turned out to be a lift riddled night of dancing.

Heidi: Man oh man, that annoyed me – well, both of them. Frankly, Petra’s skirt rippage was way more gratuitous and cheesey than Romeo’s jacket removal, although neither were necessary. But man, Len – call both of them out or neither of them out. Petra was way more exposed than Romeo, too. As for Carrie Ann – geez woman!! Almost every dance had feet coming off the floor but you only call out Romeo?? Particularly annoying when his dance was better than some of those with higher scores.

Courtney: The official Courtney hypothesis on this disparity: Petra is a genital-magnet.  For both sexes 🙂 She wakes up the sleeping giant (or maybe not so giant…) in Len’s pants that has likely been hibernating for the past 20 years (save for some pharmaceutical assistance), and she makes Carrie Ann want to sing “Come to My Window”.  Not that I can blame them – Petra is gorgeous, and an absolute sweetheart on top of that.   So the resulting cognitive dissonance likely makes the two of them think that Petra is a far better dancer than she really is, by virtue of her looks & charm, and makes them conveniently “miss” certain missteps & cheesy gimmicks.  As for Romeo – I feel like he might be getting punished for the sins of his father, god help him.  Can’t think of any other reason why he’s become such a whipping boy for the judges – the kid really isn’t bad at all, and seems to really be trying.  Perhaps the sight of the elder Miller has just scared the judges for life, to the point that they are blinded to decent dancing from any other member of his gene pool 😛

Most hilarious, but Cheesey as Hell Special Effects Gimmick: EXPELLIARMUS Bruno with his blowing up of Len.

Heidi: These people have never seen Harry Potter have they? 🙂 What they should have done is had Bruno wave his wand and all Len’s low numbered paddles go flying. Expelliarmus is a disarming spell, not an exploding one…unless you have a wand that is broken or….oh. Um. Never mind.

Courtney: I dunno, I wasn’t feeling the whole Harry Potter exchange between Len & Bruno – just felt forced and awkward.  I sincerely doubt either of them has read all the books cover-to-cover and have seen all the movies ten times apiece…and those are the individuals that would likely pick up on the specific “spells” like this.  But clearly Heidi is one of those individuals 😉

The “Will You STFU Already?!?” Award For Rude and Unprofessional Behavior: Mark Ballas for yelling over his partner in disagreement while she was talking to the camera.

Heidi: Dude, that was quite the shocking display – and it’s a bad sign that your amature partner is smarter than you are when it comes to what you’re doing on the show. For those that don’t remember, I will recap: Chelsea, in their VT, was talking to the camera about how she knows they’re taking risks, yadda yadda and Mark is behind her a good 5 or so feet. He starts yelling while she’s talking “we’re not taking risks, we’re NOT taking risks” – dude, yelling at your partner when she’s not even talking to you is kinda risky. As is doing the worm for the camera while Chelsea stands there in the background. Take it outside, away from the cameras.

Courtney: Two words: ATTENTION WHORE.  Strike that, 3 words – ARGUMENTATIVE ATTENTION WHORE.  Mark has literally become the male version of Lacey – disinclined to play by the rules, mouthy, and with an affinity for bizarre costuming.  Everything with him seems so “Me me me!” anymore – what HE wants in their routines, what HE wants to say to the cameras, what HE thinks about the judging – I’m just so OVER IT.  Chelsea must either be a saint or a shrinking violet for putting up with his behavior.  If I didn’t know better, I would almost think Mark is TRYING to get sent home early this season…likely so he can devote even more time to his music career. The Mark we see these days is a far cry from the Mark of the early days…the Mark who actually choreographed normal, judge-pleasing routines that really showcased his partners strengths.  If he’s gunning hard for a 3rd MBT…he’s going about it COMPLETELY the wrong way.  The fans may be on your side, Mark, but you need the judges too…

Celebrity Most Likely to be B*#ch-slapped By His/Her Pro Partner before they leave the show: Kendra Wilkinson for reasons too numerous to list.

Heidi: I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Louis or any other pro as mad at their partner as Louis was at Kendra the other night. If looks could kill. Of course, he then followed up on twitter with some nonsense about how he was glad they showed it, yadda yadda. :::rolls eyes:::

Courtney: Louis trying in vain to cover his ass in order to make everything between he & Kendra look like it’s all sunshine & rainbows.  Kendra must have apologized and given him some sort of gift – maybe another purse puppy or some more ladies’ Pumas for his elf feet, who knows.  I cannot believe some of the stuff that comes out of this girl’s mouth – saying she “doesn’t care” about elegance, blaming her period for her crappy performance, and taking a song about the heartbreak of separation and trying to make it about the Mafia??!! Wow….just…wow. Worst case of verbal diarrhea in DWTS history.  If Louis doesn’t slap some sense into her by season’s end – I sure will. Or better yet, I propose a radical idea to TPTB: how bout a mid-season partner switch? Give Kendra to Mark and Chelsea to Louis.  Kendra’s apathetic enough that she won’t resist or argue with Mark’s off-the-wall ideas, and Chelsea is good enough & willing enough to try and do well to satisfy Louis’ bravado.  BRILLIANT!

The “WTF?” Costuming Choice of the Week: Kirstie Alley, for that crazy and not at all attractive dress.

Heidi: Note to Randall, do NOT let Kirstie take part in designing her own costumes. I love the woman, but that thing was BAD with a capital B. I even liked Mark’s better than that! And that’s saying something. 🙂

Courtney: The best thing I can liken it to is one of those generic genie costumes you see around Halloween time that has the mesh over the midriff for modesty’s sake.  Although I can’t really figure out how a genie theme would fit in with the song they were given…isn’t it the same song from the Dove chocolate commercial? Maks would have been better off putting her in a chocolate-hued silk gown – the subliminal link to chocolate consumption and the euphoria that follows is a powerful weapon 🙂

The Award for Highest Degree of Cognitive Dissonance – Week 4: Len and Bruno, for raving over Hines then giving him 8’s

Heidi: What the hell, boys, did you realize after your raving that giving Hines those 8’s wouldn’t fit in with your strategy of having a new leader board topper?? I mean, if I didn’t know that you wrote the scores BEFORE you did your comments, I would think you’re on crack. Wait…you’re still on crack. Did you forget what you wrote down? What?

Courtney: Yeah…nothing really to add here.  Just wish I had a buddy that worked for the DEA that I could send an anonymous tip to that there is some possible rampant drug use/trafficking going on at the DWTS set…

The Award for Most Obvious Backpedaling in a Single Week: Len Goodman, who apparently was told that Chelsea wasn’t getting the votes, judging by how he retracted all his previous comments about her performances.

Heidi: Was this not the most bizarre display we’ve seen in a good long while?? Tom gave him the chance to defend Chelsea and retract his previous remarks even before it was revealed who else was “in jeopardy” – the top of the show!! And since when do they do this? This whole thing was weird.  Of course, now Mark is all vindicated in his “out the box” choreography – this brings about a very interesting situation. Will Len continue to criticize or will he be too afraid of a “shocking elimination”?  Will Mark be defiant and continue to strive for “different” (because we all know that traditional, the way it’s been done VERY successfully for 11 seasons, is just horrible and boring :::rolls eyes::: ), or will he actually start to wonder if maybe he needs to dial it back a bit??  I can’t wait to see what happens next. 🙂

Courtney: I think all of the above are just going to end up leading to one big series of unfortunate events that is going to result in a shocking elimination – and the most likely candidate is going to be Chelsea & Mark.  I would feel very bad for Chelsea if that happened, because none of it is really in her control; but it would be a nice, great big slice of humble pie for Mark…or maybe not.  Knowing him, he’d probably cry foul about how the show discriminates against “fresh, new, YOUNG” ideas.  Crap.  I just don’t even wanna think about it…my head hurts now…

The “I am NOT DEFENSIVE, nope, not me, nuh uh, no siree!!” Award – Week 4: (Tie) Louis and Mark for their comments re: their choreography in that VT about old and tired choreography

Heidi: Okay, so they didn’t use old and tired, but gee, wasn’t that whole video an excuse for the show doing a whole bunch of weird ass themes and weird ass choreography this season? Then those two guys sure were acting defensive about using either difficult (Louis) or different (Mark) choreography – not so much what they said, but how they said it.  Ya know, the other pros who are staying in the box have produced some beautiful dances this season and, Hello, Derek doesn’t go outside the box very often and when he does he OWNS it. Saying that all the same moves are boring and old and the audience has seen it all seems rather insulting to people like Derek (and Karina, Kym, Anna and Cheryl, et al.) who can use all the same moves but in different combinations and with a high degree of musicality to make them entertaining as hell. Case in Point: The 50’s Paso. That thing was chock full of the “same old” Paso moves but it was genius. Seems to me that Derek and others have proved on several occassions that you can use the same old moves and produce fantastic dances – Anna and Evan also spring to mind. Derek’s acoustic argentine tango with Jennifer was also brilliant.  And didn’t Maks also produce some wonderful dances with Brandy? I don’t recall anything particularly risky.  As for Louis – dude hasn’t figured out how far is too far to push Kendra. That girl danced on Monday night like she was being tortured trying to remember all the teachings. What is going on here?  I don’t get it. Just because YOU’VE bought into this idea that Kendra can be pushed so high, it doesn’t mean it’s true. Scale it back, dude!

Courtney: “New & different” doesn’t always mean “better”, Louis & Mark.  There’s a reason these steps have been around for years upon years – they work.  And you can still incorporate them into routines with “newer” steps without looking ridiculous.  Yeah…what Heidi said…sorry guys, just not feeling super-inspired this week 🙁 Maybe I’m still mourning the loss of Sugar Ray and Anna, who knows…continue…

Award for Best DWTS Commentary by a Pro Not Dancing This season: Derek Hough for this –

Heidi: Okay, so I’m pimping my boy using MY video, get over it. 🙂 Seriously though, loved the cracks on Mark, the Karate Kid pose – and note the freudian slip at the end of that video. 🙂 He also mentioned that his favorite dances to choreograph are the Paso and Argentine Tango; there was actually a good bit of discussion on DWTS. Like how the producers like to tease him about who he’s getting, about how MOST people are “like a family” just like they say on the show, but occassionally there are a couple who are like that on TV but you get the feeling they might push you down the stairs at the rehearsal studio. 🙂 He also discussed a bit about how costuming your celebrity should be (and is for him) part of the strategy, that what a given celeb is wearing is important to how the dance is viewed. He actually shared a good bit about the process – most of which we, here, know but was interesting to hear him actually say.

Courtney: Props.  Cool video. 

The Mafia Princess Award for Wacky Analogies and All Around TMI: Kendra Baskett, Mafia Mama and Notorious Over-Sharer

Heidi: What the f*@k was she talking about? Like all week? I’m kinda confused. You know, this s*^t ain’t funny. It’s just…just…kinda stupid. Even Len’s Soprano joke was lame as hell. And what kind of moron comes on this show and complains about ballroom dancing?? Ohhhh…probably the same chick who complains that she can’t understand why the judges keep talking about her boobs, yet the very next week comes down the stairs with Louis and the boobs are on serious display. Hey, I gots no problem with that, but don’t complain when people talk about it. You know what else? I so do NOT need to hear about her bodily functions as an excuse for executing a dance poorly. Just say you weren’t feeling it. And you know what else? It’s a pretty rare thing that someone comes on this show that you like and you end up NOT liking them!! Just sayin’!

Courtney: If a woman’s “monthly time” is a legitimate excuse for sucking at life, then I’m gonna start deliberately f-ing stuff up at work and blaming my hormones 🙂 “Sorry I cost the company $10K with my accounting error, boss…but I was on my period!” *emphatic eyeroll* As for the Mafia waltz…*shaking my head*…I have no idea what kind of crack she was smoking when she thought of that one.  Oh wait, I know – the same crack the judges have been on since week 2.  Maybe the smoke from last week was laced with it.  Even Louis looked absolutely befuddled by the notion that such a beautiful song of heartbreak could somehow be related to organized crime…but I can’t blame him for rolling with it, since it seems nary impossible to light a fire of excitement under Kendra’s ass these days.  And as for the boobs – why get them done if you’re going to have a complex about people staring at them…especially since they always seem to be on display? Those boobs were in my face almost every week when she was on Girls Next Door – whether they were bare, covered with itty-bittle tassles, or peeking out through a thin shirt without the restictions of a bra, they were on near-constant display…so now I’m very confused.  Talking about boobs while you’re on E! = kosher, talking about boobs while you’re on ABC = soooo not okay? Nothing with Kendra ever makes sense…*sigh* 🙁

April 16, 2011 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. :-)

DWTS 12 – Randall Christensen “Behind The Seams” Of Week 4

Stylist reports on Randall Christensen’s thoughts on Kirstie’s shoe mishap and how she handled it with “expected grace”. She didn’t skip a beat. He also dishes about how he was inspired to do this week’s costumes. More below in a take from the link. I love what he says about Kirstie and how she sketched her necklace-style neckline.

Kendra Wilkinson: Christensen’s team bedazzled a classic pinstripe fabric to execute Wilkinson’s mafia princess fantasy look. “Kendra had worn a fun gangster costume for Halloween, which was the inspiration for her costume this week,” he says. “The fabric was the perfect template to encrust with crystals.”

Kirstie Alley: The actress sketched the turquoise, necklace-style neckline of her shimmering lilac waltz frock on her own neck with lip liner and sent Christensen a photo. “We were actually planning something different, but it turned out to be such a fun collaboration,” he says. Alley also continues to request more fitted looks as dancing tones her frame. “Her waist is looking fantastic,” Christensen says.

Chelsea Kane: The Disney Star’s “Harry Potter”-inspired wizard princess look was among Christensen’s most ambitious designs of the week. Pewter embroidered netting was used to create the bodice while several kinds of fabric were layered to create the textured ruffles of her skirt for a performance that topped the leader board.

Petra Nemcova: The supermodel wore a red and black two-piece charmeuse number created for a classic Paso Doble. “We were going for an understated Carmen look,” Christensen explains. Red and gold stones along the waist and hematite stones on her corset added subtle sparkle. “I really thought the off-the-shoulder ruffles on her top were sexy,” he says.

The guys: Christensen’s favorite male celebrity costume this week was wrestler Chris Jericho’s copper lamé Paso Doble look. “The classic opera jacket in that fabric was the bomb,” he says.

Speaking of costumes and everything that goes into them, be sure to read about the Dancing With The Stars jewelry and take part in our new Yellow Swarovski Crystal Hoops Contest in you haven’t done so yet >>>>>HERE . The Hoops are gorgeous and just think, they could become yours. 🙂

So, which costumes were your favorites this week? I loved them all, but, I especially loved Petra and Anna’s costumes this time. They were breathtaking to say the least!

April 13, 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.

Dancing With The Stars 12 – Anna Trebunskaya And Sugar Ray Leonard Make The Press Rounds On Their Journey (Videos)

Below are Sugar Ray and Anna on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night and Good Morning America today to talk of their journey on Dancing With The Stars. What class acts and charming as always. Len described Sugar Ray as the “heart of the show” last night and I don’t think any of us could disagree!! The same is true for our Anna!

Edit to Add: Here they are being interviewed by ET last night as well.

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.