Season 18 - Week One

Tomorrow night!!  I can't wait - to quote the Pointer Sisters, "I'm so excited!"    Here are the dances each couple will be doing.  No word that I saw on the order in which they'll be dancing.

Cody and Witney – Cha Cha Cha
Candace and Mark – Contemporary
Diana and Henry – Foxtrot
James and Peta – Foxtrot
NeNe And Tony – Cha Cha Cha
Drew and Cheryl – Foxtrot
Charlie and Sharna – Contemporary
Billy and Emma – Cha Cha Cha
Danica and Val – Foxtrot
Sean and Karina – Contemporary
Amy and Derek – Cha Cha Cha
Meryl and Maks – Cha Cha Cha

I am honestly not liking having contemporary or jazz on DWTS, but apparently the producers do, so we're stuck with it for at least one more season.  That said, I'm looking forward to seeing how Charlie will do with contemporary.  I know some people think it will be easy for him because he's used to lifting, but in ice dancing, all of the lifts must be below the head, and many (most?) lifts in contemporary are above the head.  I don't know much about it, but I have heard that the technique is not the same, so it may not be a slam dunk that this will be great for him.  I think Meryl will do well with the cha cha, and Maks is reportedly having a great time working with her and has said that he wants this season to be drama free.  Or at least that any drama come from someone other than him.  That's nice.  I expect that all of the couples with the foxtrot will do reasonably well.  I'm not sure Billy Dee can move well enough to do a good cha cha, but after watching her last season, I think Emma will find a way to help him.  I'm not expecting much from Sean or Candace in contemporary, but we'll see.  I'm also not sure about Amy in the cha cha.  Heather Mills surprised me with how well she was able to do with just one leg, but Amy is missing both, and I'm not sure how much her prosthetics will let her move appropriately for a cha cha.  I hope she kills it, though, even though I still don't like Derek.  Maybe this was the show's way of toning down some of the Derek hate?  Put him with the disabled dancer that you figure no one would dare complain about?  At least no one can say he got the ringer this year, which in and of itself is refreshing. 

Another piece of news I just found out - the Glitter Pit is gone (that horrible seating for the celebs right next to the judges).  It was unclear whether they're bringing back the Celebraquarium or just something similar, but that can only be a good thing.

Til tomorrow night, then!  Here's to a great new season of DWTS.  I am looking forward to this season more than I have in a few seasons just because I think they have a really good cast this time around.  I wish them all well!

They do have a pretty well known cast this time around.  Should be fun!

One other change I just heard about today - eliminations will be based on viewer votes and judges' votes from the same week.  So they will know tomorrow morning who is going home, but that couple will still dance next week and will be eliminated at the end of the show.  So no more letting the judges manipulate their scores to keep in their favorite or send someone they don't think is worthy home.  That's a good change.

Also, apparently the judges will be back on the original side of the ballroom, and there have been some changes made to the ballroom, but I couldn't really understand the written description.  I'll have to wait to see it tonight.

I liked it!  Seriously, I thought last night's show was terrific.  There wasn't anyone I hated on sight, although Sean Avery, the hockey guy, is definitely sketchy, and I won't be sorry when he's gone.  Billy Dee Williams is probably the first to go, but he's such a nice man, and he was doing the best he could.  Diana Nyad is also a weak link, but that's not surprising given her age.  But she's very elegant, and it's nice to see the older celebs attempting this, even if I do always feel a bit bad for them because they usually have such a hard time.  Nene wasn't as bad as I'd expected, although I suspect her personality may grate after a while.  She's just a bit "much."  Not sure exactly.  Didn't like the weirdness between Peta and James.  I'm not sure what happened on that first date, but it seemed like they might have had a one-night stand.  If that's true, I hate the producers for forcing that awkwardness on us all. 

Most of the dancers, I thought, did a really nice job for the first night.  I loved Meryl/Maks, Danica/Val, Candace/Mark, Amy/Derek and Charlie/Sharna the best.  I can't believe I'm saying that when I dislike Derek and Mark so much, but their partners seem like such sweethearts.  Charlie is beyond adorable.  I hadn't seen much of Meryl/Charlie off the ice, so I had no idea he had such a great personality.  And he did a beautiful job with the lifts.  Very smart of Sharna to keep them similar to what he does on ice.  Got him off to a nice start.  I hope he does as well with the other dances.  Meryl and Maks seem to be getting along great, and Maks hasn't looked that relaxed and happy in a long time. 

Drew was better than I expected, and while I didn't like the Witney/Cody thing where it looked like she was trying to hit on him, he did a nice job on the dance floor.

My biggest gripe about last night was their continuation of the need to choose inappropriate music.  Of the four couples who did the foxtrot, only Diana got a real foxtrot song.  The foxtrot is a very elegant, sophisticated type of dance, and watching it done to "rock" music is just really jarring to me.  They couldn't have done some Michael Buble or Harry Connick Jr for the others?  Oh well.  I guess it wouldn't be DWTS if the music really fit the dances. 

Anyway, overall I am really excited to have the show back.  The judges are repeating last year's misstep with starting scores being too high.  They're not leaving any room for a growth arc.  I really think for the first few weeks, we should be seeing 5-7 paddles mostly with a few 8s for those who are really doing well.  But poor Charlie - where do you go from a 27 on the first night?  Again, oh well.  Judges are still on crack.  But I really enjoyed the show and am looking forward to a great season.

Almost forgot - I really enjoyed Erin Andrews.  I never disliked Brooke - she always seemed like such a sweetheart.  But Erin was so much better - really showed a lot of personality, a great sense of humor and quick on her feet.  She's a nice addition to the show.

I found this on another site:



Most Changed Dancer: Maks! The hunky Russian was not about to trash-talk the judges when I told him backstage that all of us thought he and Meryl got robbed of straight 9s. “I think the score reflected their opinion, and since I’m one of the most opinionated people this ballroom as ever seen, I have to be able to take it,” he admitted. Well, color me impressed. So fine, I’ll be opinionated for Maks. He and Meryl deserved higher.


"I’ve had amazing partners in the past, but I think Meryl will be the highlight of my Dancing With The Stars career. There were some that had training, but did not commit, and some who had commitment but no training. She has a combination of both factors. She is everything you look for in a partner that can take home the trophy. Plus she has an amazing personality and is super easy to work with. I am having an amazing time with her. This is going to be fun…"



WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO RETURN TO DWTS?
Hmm… It started when I was on Broadway dancing in Forever Tango. When the same friends and family came to the show repeatedly…I asked them, “Why do you keep coming back to see the same show?” The answer was “I don’t know when the next time, if ever, I will get to see you dance.” That resonated with me and it was a heartfelt thing to hear. I decided while I still can, I should come back to dance. Especially if it brings joy to people that I care about. So I’m doing this for you guys!

HOW COME YOU TURNED DOWN THE OFFER TO BECOME A JUDGE NEXT TO LEN, CARRIE, AND BRUNO?
I was offered the position of a judge after I appeared as a guest judge last season. It was lucrative at the time, but this is something I can do later in my career. I can still be performing instead of sitting down or being off the stage. The second I feel I can no longer dance at the level that makes me proud of my product, then I will walk away. I will never linger or hold on to something that I feel isn’t my best. There are younger dancers who will need the opportunity, and one day I’ll pass down the torch to them. I’ll know exactly when to quit.
Plus… getting Meryl as a partner proves that this was the best decision I could’ve made!

Thanks for posting this, SLA.  I, too, am glad to see Maks back dancing.

That's a nice article, SLA.  Thanks for sharing.  I'm so happy to see Maks back and even happier to see him look so relaxed and happy.  He may not win the MBT this year either, but there's some real good competition (not like Mel B losing to Helio!!!! (and I liked Helio)) this year.  I hope he just continues to have fun, and I really hope the judges are less biased to him this year as well and score Meryl as she deserves.

Thanks for posting the People article, SLA.  Perhaps Maks has had some time to reflect and mature, or at least one can hope so.