They have to do both dances this week.

I believe that all the couples are doing both dances.

Are you kidding me? I thought the tackiness WAS what this show is about. I'm even looking forward to the Ludicrus foxtrot. But could it really top Vanilla Ice singing Destiny's Child's Survivor as a metal/rap nightmare on Hit Me Baby One More time? I think that is what they have to measure up to.

Just as a note for reference, for some (I would guess substantial) proportion of ballroomers, Kelly has no more intrinsic appeal than the other competitors. Why? Because hot young chicks are EXTREMELY common in ballroom, and because ballroomers are constantly being programmed to think that posture, balance, and quality of movement are more important anyways. Compared to many female Latin competitors these days, Kelly is no more than ordinary in terms of physique, Ashley is tending towards the heavy side, and Edyta is normal. No kidding!

This may go some way towards explaining why some people cannot comprehend Kelly's appeal? If your eye is jaded, then you pay attention to other things.

Or Wang Chung singing some god-awful song? If I were one of the performers, I'd say, "thanks, but no thanks." I think that show's downfall is that it's really really bad, not just that it isn't an audience voter show.

Every time I see the set for "DwtS", it looks like some cheez-fest from the 1970s like Solid Gold meets Star Search (which is more 80s, but does it really matter?). All that's needed are bubbles blown in from the back and wings. All in all, besides the hosts, it's a lot of fun to watch and it's not too embarrassing for the contestants--except for Trista.

Paso Doble next week? Hurray! It is my favorite of the Latin Division dances.

After reading many of these posts I may need to throw a vote to Joey and Ashly next week. I thought their samba was pretty damn good, and vastly underrated (so sue me, I also really liked their waltz with the little kicks - it was cute!)

In other news, Kelly thinks she is short and stubby (per her own comment on last week's show). I don't understand how she sees herself as stubby being as she probaby weighs all of 95 pounds.

Rachel Hunter was just on Regis and Kelly this morning. Boy, is she tall. She had to bend at the waist to hug Regis and his wife, Joy, who was subbing for Kelly.

They talked about Dancing With the Stars and Rachel and Jonathan performed their Tango again.

In regard to being "stuck with horrible music", Rachel said that one reason she agreed to appear on the show was because they told her the dances would be done to popular music and not old or classic dance music.

I still think she was better than the more energetic but out of control Joey Mac...but life goes on.

Every time I see Rachel, I just have to think that Stacie's mom has got it goin' on.

I saw a report online from an Aussie newspaper which referred to Williams' 'relationship' with his pro dance partner on this show. What's the deal? Can our Aussie friends enlighten us? (watching their routines available online it certainly seems like they were either VERY friendly or doing a great job of acting.)

Also, wasn't their some sort of minor scandal on the UK show when one of the pro dancers dumped his pro partner (who was also on the show) and took up with his celeb dance partner, who was, I seem to recall, a host of a morning program in the UK?

Oh yes...Brendan Cole (the pro dancer) and Natasha something. It was in the tabloids. And supposedly Brendan & Natasha were going to come to the US and dance in some Pro/Am competition, too, but so far it hasn't happened that I've heard about.

I suppose if she's studied ballet, she's tired of the classical music, but I would think that it would easier to dance to music that at least has the right beat for the particular dance especially if you haven't done this particular type of dancing before.

Is there any current music available that has the right beat for these dances?

I think the improvement in Kelly's performances must be acknowledged, most especially in her last one.

However, I still think that her main focus has been and continues to be bringing the sizzle.

I don't know whether this is something she perfected in her acting or it is something which has been working for her since adolescence but it is obviously something she considers as her strength. I see her as using her body on this show primarily as an attempt to create a highly charged atmosphere. And then allowing that to somewhat draw attention away from her flawed execution of the choreography.

Watching the rehearsal footage shown on the show has led me to this conclusion. Whereas the others seem to dress for comfort, Kelly goes the provocative route leaving a lot of skin exposed. Although she and her partner seem friendly enough with each other, she is obviously not attracted to him. So why dress that way during rehearsal except for exhibitionalist reasons. And you would think that a goddess of sizzle would be very responsive to touch in those sensitive areas. Why offer them up (outside of a stylist's clad performance night) so cavalierly?

Again, I just think she's primarily working it and it seems to be proving quite effective. And with Rachel now gone, it will probably be even more effective.

There is a large amount of completely true-character, regulation-tempo music that would be perfectly accessible to the general public. Why ABC did not see fit to use any of it has been speculated on by others, but it's not clear whether anyone knows for sure.

Twilight, big word to your post! You pretty much said what I was thinking so I will just add a few thoughts. Bruno is on my last nerve moaning and complaining in his blog about the audience vote pretty much sucking. Well, hello, isn't this show intended to entertain the audience? I am voting on who I like to watch dance. This isn't a real competition for the love of god. And if it was all about who was technically the best, wouldn't it be an unfair advantage that Rachel has 11 years of ballet experience? Shutup, Bruno.

Sidenote- TipsyTraveler, you are not afraid to bust out what you're thinking and I love it!

Little item on the wire today - no big insight:
DwTS item

AbsoDiscoLutely! I love how cheesy this show is. And for the most part, I have really enjoyed the cast of characters ('stars') that they assembled for this! It's been terrific.



I feel no need whatsoever to acknowledge it! Cannot stand the woman, and I resent the myriad of soap-voters who have clearly voted for her simply because she's one of them. It started Week One, when she still stunk (and badly)...they didn't care, the votes flowed in.

I think she's sleezy, brings the steam & little else to the dance floor, and has a perpetual bitchface going...

Just wanted to add that although I initially didn't like Kelley's dancing all that much that I just had to admire that when her dress malfunctioned she didn't go careening off the beat and kept doing her steps. I mean most people would have messed up a lot of steps before getting back into it. I was impressed.

There are a few record companies that produce CDs of regulation tempo music for the competitive ballroom world. Generally this consists of either accumulating music that's already been recordded by popular artists and happens to be in strict tempo, or by commissioning ballroom orchestras to do recordings (which are generally less interesting). A few of these companies have actually gone through the trouble of securing the rights to songs by major artists that are in tempo (Sinatra singing Nice N'Easy is a strict tempo foxtrot, though I doubt ol' blue eyes realized it when he recorded it.)

Two such labels are DanceLife and Casa musica, which can be found online, and some of their sites will allow you to listen to excerpts from cuts.

That little slime-chinned bananajuicer better not say anything bad about my Kelly. I'll make him rue the day he first put on a pair of panties.

That's an interesting question, teora. Here's an article about Tom and Kym's relationship. The thing is that on our DWTS, yeah, they did have great chemistry and such, but the scuttlebutt was that he's a closeted gay, so I, for one, am quite surprised by the news.

Justin Timberlake's first solo single (I just wanna love you?), Cameo's Word Up and Smooth by Rob Thomas and Santana (I think it's this Rob Thomas one) are all cha-cha's, and there are many more pop cha-cha's as well. The teacher at my school uses a lot of cool music that we (all college age) get into. I love foxtrot music, even if it's not current. The foxtrot is so classy, and the paso's awesome as well. Can't wait to see them.

I really wonder what the heck they are going to use for Paso Doble music. Every competition I've ever been to uses "Espana Cani" over and over and over and over again. The only "pop" Paso Doble I've ever heard was the theme from one of those 80's nighttime soaps...it was Dynasty I think. Or maybe Dallas. I forget, but I nearly fell over when I heard it used for Paso Doble at a studio showcase once.

You're forgetting the myriad adaptations of contemporary and/or popular songs, such as "My Heart Will Go On" (truly yech) and "The Phantom of the Opera" (gag), which have been made into Pasos. You just don't hear them at comps because they are soooo awful.

That being said, there are many wonderful pasos from which to choose aside from "Espani Cani." I only hope we get some of them on Wednesday.

It was probably Falcon Crest. That was a kick-ass theme song.

I just quickly checked the BBC site, and they used "Don't Cry for me Argentina" from Evita as one of the PD songs.

They've had weird music for every other dance. Why should paso escape the carnage?

How in the Lord's name can "My Heart Will Go On" be a Paso?? I can halfway imagine "Phantom", but my God.

One of the Paso pieces for compulsory ice dance sounds just like the beginning of a Looney Tunes cartoon. But I think it would still be better than a Paso version of "My Heart Will Go On."

ETA that I googled and found the following listed as Paso pieces for the Aussie version:
Explosive - Bond
Allegretto - Bond
Concierto de Aranjuez - Rodrigo
Espana Cani - Shall We Dance Soundtrack ([snort])
Theme from Gladiator
Carmina Burana - Carl Orff
Malaguena
Paso Royale/Un paso mas

I'm having a sort of a hard time picturing the Theme from Gladiator as a paso piece. Or Carmina Burana. But at least none of it was Britney Spears.

Wow, that story makes it sound like the Australian version has been more like 'dating the stars'. Doesn't seem like there's anywhere near that kind of chemistry perculating on the American version between stars and dancers.

Out: hooking up on "The Surreal Life"
In: hooking up on DWTS

Naw, not really - I have high hopes that everyone on the American version is way too classy for that.

I love Paso Doble. It's my fave Latin dance. I can't wait till it's one of the compulsory dances in Ice Dance again.

I hope John/Charlotte and Alec/Kelly make it to the finals. Joey/Ashly are cute, but I'd rather see them knocked out than the other two teams.

I'm not sad to see Jonathan/Rachel go. Jon was actually my favorite of the pro dancers, but I wasn't too enamored with Rachel.

I totally agree about the music on this show. It's completely horrid. I hate the female singer that the show has, but the male doesn't really bother me.

Bruno annoyed me with his Rachel love, but I do love his accent. Carrie Ann reminds me of this teacher I had, so she irritates me beyond belief.

Hee, I was thinking Solid Gold meets Dance Fever. Is it wrong that now I have a strange yearning for Solid Gold to make a comeback?



Damn, it would be awesome to have a summer series crossover with Cameo performing Word Up on DWtS. Hey, a girl can dream! He must wear the cup though.

I'm a little confused as to how the final voting will work once they're down to two couples. Will there be a special results show the week after the final two have danced so that the phone/internet votes are counted? Heh, knowing ABC they will do just that to milk the ratings.

I doubt you'll ever see that again, at least for Seniors. That pattern is just too easy. It actually got taken off the list last year. May pop up as an Original Dance, though.


Well, dcgrrl, you are a better woman than I, because I hope they're exactly that trashy. Okay, maybe not this group, but at some point. You know it's started already, Trista and Louis were way too close for comfort!

Are the dances supposed to be getting harder as the competition progresses? If so, can any of the ballroom experts explain what makes a Paso or a Foxtrot hard (i.e., why they've been left this long) and what we should be looking for? Or direct me to where it's already been done if it has? I don't trust the two second ABC clips to adequately educate me.

I wouldn't call myself a ballroom expert, but I can tell you, Foxtrot is *hard*. My first real ballroom instructor (who was an old hardcore British ballroom dancer not unlike one of judges *cough*) used to call it the hardest dance that he taught. A lot of technique ends up merging together in Foxtrot.

First of all, it's a walking dance... if the basic weight changes aren't clean and steady, it's going to be way apparent as the couple crosses the floor *coughKellycough*. As in waltz, flight, hip swing and rise and fall are involved, although honestly given the amount of time the couples have had to prepare, I really doubt we'll see any of these other than maybe rise and fall which is pretty obvious. Body control and positioning are key in foxtrot. One thing that is easy to look for is is there a lot of "gapping" or "air" between the lead and follow (bad) or is the couple staying together (good). As the dance progresses, are the shoulders rising? It's a sure (and very common) sign of tension. Watch Charlotte as she dances-her shoulders don't twitch once, and she maintains that long, long neck line throughout *everything*. As with all dances, is the couple staying in time with the music?

I never got that far with Paso (I ended up moving into Rhythm and Smooth after my first couple of years), but one thing that is unsusual things about Paso unlike most other dances except Carolina Shag (which is a swing dance descended from Lindy hop and a whole other kettle of fish) is that it's a "rooster" dance... that is... the male part is the flashy show part not the female part which may bode well for John since he's such a ham anyway. All I can tell you is that there's a lot of posing involved with Paso, man is the matador and woman is the cape and all that, yada yada yada. Someone who does international can explain the nitty-gritty of it way better than me.

How did I not know that? I follow skating pretty closely. Course, I don't usually pay attention to the new ISU rules because those documents can be quite confusing. Oh, well, I'll settle for a Paso OD.

They might, but even if they don't, they currently are using the previous week's audience scores and adding those to the current week's judge's scores so the audience has a big say in who wins even if they don't vote for the final dances. If there is an audience vote for the finale, it could mean that the viewers will be responsible for 2/3 of the final vote, which definitely gives Kelly a huge edge.

BTW, next week's TV Guide (July 3-9) says this about the finale: "The hot-to-trot couples are expected to perform a freestyle number that combines prior dances and has no rules. This allows the duos to reach new heights if they choose to include a previously banned lift." Not really liking this idea myself. This should also favor teams with a female celeb/male pro I would think. I cannot picture John doing any sort of complicated lift of Charlotte while I'd presume that Alex has some previous experience in doing these sorts of lifts and wouldn't have much trouble lifting Kelly smoothly.

You're kidding about Louis and Trista, right? I know you are.


In ballroom competitions, the dances are not necessarily arranged in degree of difficulty; generally couples have their favorite dances but I don't think there's an overall consensus about which dances are harder, though I would say more competitors would pick the slow foxtrot (which is what it's called in international style) as the hardest dance if they had to pick one, precisely because of the emphasis on the slow.


However, I'm guessing what we will see will be more of a performance foxtrot, something similar to a fred and ginger open routine (without the difficult tap work added to it, of course).

What constitutes the degree of difficulty on the show is the fact that they have progressed to two dances a week without having even had time to master the ones they've already performed. In fact, one reason the producers may have chosen quickstep earlier--which for an introductory dancer often seems like a harder dance especially if you are being taught hops and the like--is because the dancers got to focus on it alone that week.

Oh, now I know what's so different about the US version of this show -- no lifts. Like, at all. Its strange, in the Aussie version lifts are allowed, just...sorta frowned upon a little. But the judges like a little flash in their dance and consider it OK if its slotted into the end of the dance.

As for the freestyle, you're going to love it. In the Aussie version, it allowed

• A previously gaoled (an exonerated) politician to dance to the 'Jailhouse Rock',
• A young starlet to dance in a skirt even the skankiest of skanks would deem a 'belt'
• The male heart-throb of the second series to get his shirt off.

Take it with the grain of salt with which you have surely taken the rest of the series and its a hoot.

I also expect more of an American smooth foxtrot rather than international style. As sidwich alluded to above, what makes foxtrot so difficult is the requirement for seamless slow movement that doesn't look static. You have to look like you're stretching yourself to the full range of physical possibility but very very VERY slowly. To get an idea of how hard this is, take a normal step forward. Now try it again, but increase your stride to twice the distance AND do it at 1/3 the speed. Without tipping your upper body forward or backwards, or sticking out your butt, or hunching up your shoulders, etc. Now do the same thing stepping backwards. Now imagine doing this with someone in front of you, with body contact from your ribs down to your thigh, nonstop for 2 minutes. Oh, and don't forget to relax.

Classic choreography for international foxtrot is also usually much simpler than for the other dances (Vwaltz excepted), so it's harder to cover up any flaws with flashy moves. Basically, you can't run, THEREFORE you can't hide.

For those who don't already know, Charlotte was (and is) a master of foxtrot. She and her former partner Andrew Sinkinson were considered by many to own this dance. I can't wait to see how she dances this with John, and I really hope we'll get to see more training footage of this in particular.

In this show, that's Joey or John O'Hurley. Joey? I'm totally for that. John? Adore him, but not so much with the shirtlessness.

Or, Alec. Mmmmm, Alec.

Damn! Can we get a male celeb with a body like Tom Williams on our next series of DWtS? Please? That guy is hot. Seriously. Personally, I wouldn't mind it if the US show were sexed up a bit. All of the backstage partner-swapping, catfights, etc. would make it more like a real dance competition. Of course, my idea of a real dance competition is Strictly Ballroom, so what do I know? :)

Didn't someone mention that a reality show host was one of the contestants on the Aussie DWtS? That might work for our show on the next go-round. How about Jeff Probst? He's a bit of a peacock, but he's funny and can be charming. Or Ryan Seacrest? Hee! He'd probably be a total disaster which would be amusing. Or one of those hotties off one of the Fix-It shows? Carter Osterhouse (sp?) is a cutie and I know that a lot of people like Ty Pennington (I can't stand him, but whatever.)

One Word: Phil. Ok, four: Phil Keogh from TAR.

No Ty, please. He's too cheesy. He used to be ok before the Sears ads and the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (however, he is an ABC star), but now he's just obnoxious. mmmm, Carter.

Phil in Latin shirt down to there? Uh...maybe. Phil in tux? I'll be joining that campaign.

Ty would be yelling at the judges with that bullhorn. He's ok overall, but that alone bugs me to no end.

Can you share a picture with the rest of the class, isiscloud? I'm not familiar with Mr. Keogh.

Does anyone watch The Food Network? I was wondering if there were any hotties (male or female) on any of the cookin' shows that might work on DWtS.

I absolutely am. I will just never get over how she thought she needed hubby's approval for that samba. Twit.

I guess the obvious Food Network answer is Raechel Ray, but I can't really imagine it. The only other Food Network star I can think of who might work is Tyler Florence, but he's gotten less hot and more smarmy lately. And now I'm giggling at the sudden mental image of Alton Brown on DWtS.

TLC has better representatives than Ty to doff their shirts. Evan Farmer, Andrew Dan-Jumbo, Carter Oosterhouse, Jason Cameron, Barry Wood (he's cute...if a halfwit) or Faber Dewar would be more entertaining to watch in a dance competition than Ty. Ty has a great body, no doubt, and I don't dislike him as much as others here, but his ADHD and constant need for attention would wear thin quickly. Evan has the same need for attention (and loud voice) but it is wholly endearing.

Andrew Dan-Jumbo would be perfect. I think I just passed out thinking about him all smooth looking in a tux dancing...Meow!

Oooo.....what a perfect idea! I totally lurve me some Andrew Dan-Jumbo. Honestly, I would be glued to my television to watch "Cleaning Toilets with the Stars" if he were the host!!


Unfortunately, I think we're stuck with Tom Bergeron. I'm hoping they get rid of the female host, though...she's useless. How about Kathy Griffin? She'd be so wonderfully snarky, and she's got a prior relationship with ABC from "The Mole".

Not only do I agree with that, he's had the boyband training as part of 2Ge+her (remember that MTV show?) And Andrew should only compete if he's wearing his trademark slogan T-shirts.

For the person who asked this is Phil.

And finally, John is only 3 pounds away from Speedo glory or infamy.

Hee! This would be most of the hetero males out there, I'm sure! I was actually very proud of how Kelly handled her "wardrobe malfunction". As a performer/dancer for many years, I've had 'em, too, and Wow! it's very hard to incorporate the moves necessary to keep the dance from becoming X-rated while you continue to do the steps gracefully and in time.

Regarding the hosting slots for upcoming season(s): I like Tom Bergeron okay, but looking at others suggestions, I think O'Hurley & Kathy Griffin would be a FAB combo for hosting....funny, snarky, smooth...perfect! And with John's experience from this first season, he could really snark on the judges if the same ones came back.

Thanks for the link to that article, mtlchickie. At this point in the competition it's difficult, at least for me, to see any of the contestants go home. The casting on this show has proved so exceptionally good. Each of the celeb dancers brings separate strengths and really does deliver. Maybe not according to the judges standards but, as the article pointed out, it is the audience who will determine the winner.

And I'm wondering whether the dancers on this thread (thanks so much for all of your insightful and very welcome posts by the way) think that this show may change some of the rules of professional ballroom dancing and expand the boundaries.

For example, I think much of the audience including me could care less about Joey's posture. It is his exuberance and the infusion of Broadway musical into his dancing which delights most.

Kelly too seems to redefine the conventional. Her energy appears to have more of an urban edge and amped up sensuality to it which makes her dancing interesting to watch.

And John O'Hurley I just flat out adore. The combination of silly yet very serious, that finely tuned sense of the absurd encased within such a strong work ethic is irresistible. And there's an elegance to the way he moves. I also like the strong rapport he has with his very talented partner Charlotte both off and most especially on the dance floor.

It was wrenching to watch Rachel leave last week and it will be wrenching to watch any of the remaining leave, John O'Hurley most of all I must admit. The consolation though is knowing that this will surely have done each of them a lot of good in their careers. I think the exposure, except perhaps for Trista, will open up a lot of additional showbiz opportunities for them.

And I still don't think this show is the best fit for Bergernon but I do appreciate that he seems to be rethinking his approach and finetuning it a bit. Interspersing the funny snark with more animation and enthusiasm. That speaks well for him. I do continue to like Lisa Canning though. I think her uncomplicated demeanor brings buoyant charm to the proceedings.

so where the heck is Bruno from?

I'm convinced he grew up in Iowa but picked up the Eurotrash accent to create a dancing persona.

Oh god, I hope not. I appreciate that in the purer form of the sport, the goal is excellence rather than pandering to the ignorant masses. And I speak as a member of those masses. Joey may be cute and energetic, but I really don't appreciate his attempts to dumb it down.