I heard that the female judge choreographed Showgirls. Is that true? Wasn't the whole point of that movie that Elizabeth Berkley couldn't dance? And if she came up with the horrible showgirl routines in that film, why is she judging ballroom dancing?

BWAH! So true.
I agree. The ballroom dancing costumes go way over the edge of taste, IMO. Same for ice dancing.

Double BWAH!


I thought for sure after watching, that I must have heard wrong when they said 5 weeks. I haven't danced the cha-cha in 25 years but I could have walked on with 20 minutes practice and done as well as any of them.

Does anybody know who did the (bad) choreography? Did the professional of each couple do it for them, or was there one person who scripted them all.

P.S. I didn't mind Tom B. so much. That other announcer lady bugged, mostly because I thought she should put her boobs back in her dress.

Yes, it is. We generally have the gentlemen do a latin and the ladies do a modern one week and then the ladies do a different latin and the gentlemen do a different modern the following week. I assume it's mainly to give some variety


One of the Australian judges started off being all "You shall honour the rules of professional dancesport", but by the middle of season 1 was more "Just try to keep the lifts to the end and not so much in the middle. After all, this is telly, not a comp"


Possibly because she's actually good at ballroom, rather than showgirl stuff, which is another genre entirely. I don't know, not being familiar with her, but I would hope that's the case

ETA: Generally, the professional dancer will do all choreography and teaching, so if a routine is lousy, they're the ones to blame. Which is good, because poxy choreography makes them look bad regardless of who does it.

I thought before the show aired that there would be two criteria -- the judges are scoring on the technical aspects of the dance (and their comments, especially the middle judge, reflected that). I don't know exactly what they're looking for (with ice skating, I can tell a triple lutz from a camel, but ballroom, not so much). The audience is voting on flash, cuteness, etc.

Joey and Kelly were "cute" (I'm no fan of either), but she waaaaaaaay mis-placed her final slide and nearly bonked her head. (That "flower" was a dandelion!)

I like John and Evander ("O'Hurleyfield"?) but a lot will depend on what happens next week.

Yes, dammit, I'm hooked!

This wasn't as deliciously fun as I thought it would be, but it definitely provided some much-needed laughs and snark.

John O'Hurley was my favorite of the "celebrities." I thought he did a nice job with his dance moves and got really in the spirit of the competition and his dance. I knew I had him pegged as one of the better dancers.

Joey was a lot of fun to watch. He, too, had moments where he was really into the dancing and you could see it on his face. He and partner Ashly were adorable together.

Meh on Trista and Rachel's dances. Both wore pretty dresses, but that's all I remember about their performances.

Evander is a terrible dancer. Y'all are right; he did absolutely nothing.

I didn't think Kelly and her partner (who I've dubbed DanceBot; dude is so robotic it's not funny) were all that bad.

Go away, Ryan Sutter. I bet he was composing a poem about Trista's dancing in his head when they showed him.

My favorite part was the massive booing from the audience when the judges gave a 6 or lower.

Carrie Ann Inaba is also the choreographer for American Idol (at least through AI 3), American Juniors, and a slew of reality shows, mostly for Fox (who knew that "Married by America" and "The Swan" needed a choreographer?). I recognized her on one of those AI behind-the-scenes segments on Oprah or ET or something.

She was kinda mean to sweet Evander, so I don't like her.

I agree. Why not send out an email asking your friends to support you? If someone's out of work, they start networking to find a job, right? And they'd then pull in favors to get recommendations, etc. I view it as the same thing, all very normal and reasonable.

I just can't wait for next week's show! Hee....

I like Rachel Hunter, but I hope her partner doesn't try to lift her. He'll be crushed if she falls and I don't mean emotionally crushed.

Love this show. My vote is Joey as best dancer overall, John second based on his footwork and charm, Rachel third because she could bend back really far, Evander fourth because he has potential, Kelly fifth because she mastered intricate steps and Trista sixth because she was rather forgettable.

I have some scoop! I was at the cafeteria in the building next to the one where I work. I overheard this guy bring up Ryan and Trista to the cafeteria workers, who just shook their heads because they didn't know who he was talking about. I finally butted in. It turns out he is one of the owners of the talent agency Ryan and Trista are signed up with. I practically screamed and asked what they are like. He said Trista is the b-word and high maintenance and that Ryan is really nice. He thinks they'll stay married though. He said Ryan (or maybe both?) get paid $40,000 per appearance. By the way, I checked it out and my source is really who he says he is. I'll go hang around the cafeteria to see if I can find out anything else.

He was chatting up the cafeteria servers about T & R? Whatever for?

Dudes, have you all seen the Fountains of Wayne video? If Rachel is considered overweight, than I'm heading right out to get some ice cream and potato chips.

Rachel has a great figure, but she's not petite. When she's compared with petite women who are a size 2, like so many actresses are these days, she's going to look large and clunky by comparison, even though she's not.

They should have chosen a larger, older, more mature and elegant partner for her and she (and her dancing) would be presenting a lot better.

So glad ABC is repeating the first episode because I only got to watch the last twenty minutes and really enjoyed it.

I for one don't think Rachel is overweight, I think she is badly matched. Her height makes her look huge next to little dancer boy & her dress didn't help. Just a bad fit all around. And ITA so if she is overweight I have no hope & might as well stuff my face full of ice cream & potato chips all day long until I crash through the foundation of my house.


Spewed Diet Coke (w/Lime cha-cha-cha) everywhere! I think Ryan's cute, but he did write some of the lamest poems in the history of lame poems.

Nor I. She looked just fine sunbathing topless on last season's "The Real Gilligan's Island." She was one of the two Gingers.

Hee! And he'll have it set to music for "Ryan and Trista's Anniversary Extravaganza" coming soon to an ABC affiliate in your area.

Does anyone know how old Rachel Hunter's kids are? She had a few with Rod Stewart I believe? That must have been a while ago.

If I'm not mistaken, that lady (I used to watch her on PBS, too) was featured on What Not To Wear last year (I think it was last year). She's gained some weight, but is still so cute. Had lost a lot of her sass, though.

I loved this show, much to my shame. My cousin and I watched it together and could barely contain ourselves watching Joe dance. My GOD, I used to love him so much! (And Jordan and Donnie!)

Evander sucked all kinds of ass and I believe he was licking his lips! while he was dancing. Was that supposed to be sexy??? Because . . . no. Just no.

That was Melanie LaPatin and her partner Tony Meredith. They were awesome to watch.

Yes, that's them! Thanks so much for the link! My mom and I used to love watching them, they were our absolute favorites.

Geezus. Everyone is in the gym sweating for a better body, when we could be dancing! These women's bodies are gorgeous - I envy!
(I am sure they do other working out, but still!)

Competitive ballroom dancers often end up with the physique of highly trained athletes because, after all, they really are athletes. If you see a chubby one, it's probably because they only do it part-time instead of full time. At least, that's my opinion.

I think Rachel Hunter is big, but not in the fat way. Proportionately, she seems perfect, but next to that guy and with all the other petite girl dancers, she seemed like an ungainly giant.

Believe me, Mint Tea, it could be just the dancing. Mr. Boton and I started taking lessons about a year ago--we are dancing at a very basic level about 2-3 times a week, and we both have dropped pants sizes and firmed up noticeably. When we go to dances, which are filled with dedicated amateurs, it is like ballroom dancing is the elixir of life--you look at a couple you would swear is 50, and you find out they are 70.

As far as the great Rachel size debate, I believe she chose an unfortunate costume. That draped bodice on the top made her look top heavy and, therefore, larger. Only our less endowed sisters are lucky enough to be able to pull off a drapey top.

My 2 cents: Evander stunk and I was surprised. I would have thought that a boxer would have had some sense of body mechanics and motion. He was a non moving slug and that's pretty awful. The pro women wore the skimpy costumes, imo, to direct attention to them and away from the bad (I'm looking at you, Evander) male partner they were stuck with. The sluttily dressed dancer with Evander took most of my attn and I'm a straight female. Her body was fabbo. I really had to concentrate to watch Evander. I can cha cha and he can't.

The 'celeb' women wore too fluffy outfits. As mentioned previously, it's difficult to watch for footwork in those flowy gowns. Also, I think they all should have done the same dance. The judges need the opportunity to say waaaaay more than they got on the first show. They could dispense with that stupid visit in the waiting room and spend more time on the judges' opinions and help. Since there will be fewer dancers each week, will the judges have more time to talk?

Well, I cast my whopping one online vote for Joey. I was getting worried that maybe with all the pity voting for Evander that he may slip through the cracks.

But aren't these the types of long gowns the pros use when doing the traditional ballroom dance (meaning, waltz, fox-trot, etc not latin ballroom dances, in which everyone has shreds of fabric cut up to their hoo-has like the pro ladies last night did).

I am looking forward to seeing Rachel, Kelly and Trista (well I don't really look forward to seeing Trista anymore, really!) in some latin-style 'costumes'. They can't very get away with just twirl around-pose-twirl around-pose, can they? I did think Rachel was pretty graceful, being as she is so tall and big-boned and muscular. Trista surprised me by NOT being very graceful, actually.

I've seen the pros wear things even skimpier and flowier in professional competitions, so I don't believe it was done to distract from the celebrities.

latin costume
standard costumes

I’m right there with you mrsdalgleish. I’ve liked him since his Boston radio days, although I don’t watch “Funniest Home Videos” so maybe he’s annoying on that show?

Anyway for me Tom was the icing on the “Easy bake oven-cheeserfic-gaudy” cake. Add another vote to those who thought Joey and Ashly did the best , followed by Peterman and Charlotte.
I’m a huge ballroom dancing fan and have seen many of the professionals compete. I love Jonathan Roberts usually but I thought Rachel Hunter was a horrible partner. I expected his choreography to be more traditional but I have a feeling that Rachel had some problems in training so he just went with her basically just posing on his arm. I’m quite sure they got the high marks that they did because of his reputation.
Alec Mazo looked so damn pissed off when he and Kelly got their scores. He’s out for blood.
I swear if Trista Sutter and her “PEEENK” outfits win this thing I will throttle someone.

Especially if he did the choreography because that's what the middle judge was ragging on. I hope they have the Simon Cowell effect (where the people he's harshest to get the most votes). I also hope they come out scorching next week. Poor Kelly, she's the only one with a regular job among the celebrities (I think) and she has to put in all that dance practice plus her soap gig. Alec is going to run her into the ground practicing this week.

Our Season 1 winner, Bec Cartwright, was also the only competitor (IIRC) with a regular job. She also lived and worked in another city to the one in which DwtS was made and had to fly down each week to perform. I'm not sure if she rehearsed in Sydney (where she works and, presumably, lives) or in Melbourne (where the show was done), but that would have been pretty hard on her.

Hee. We thought the same thing for an Olympic Gold medallist speed skater but, alas, no.

Yeah, but Bradbury only won the gold medal 'cos the other 3 competitors fell over!

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, dance like a dromedary.

Cassius Clay: the Missing Verses.

That was one of the most lucky and/or surreal moments in the history of sport. I remember that race well: he was well behind the top 3 racers when they all crashed and he glided right by them. Then you see the others scrambling to get up and barely cross the finish.

Topic: Joey love? And Strictly Ballroom love in the same thread? I'm home!

Finally watched this last night (stupid job. I'd die without my TiVo) and I had so many comments. When Joey was dancing, all I could think was "Cha cha is about the hips. Move your ass, white boy!" (Before anyone screams, I'm the whitest of all white girls.) His partner is the cutest thing ever. And as a celebrity aside, her former ballroom partner, Rick Robinson, was my ballroom instructor.

Speaking of Rick, the problem I had whenever I took my ballroom tests is that I'm the same size as Rachel Hunter, which means I'm at least three inches taller than Rick. And in heels, five inches. It's awkward to dance that way. So even if her partner is 6'0", which is unlikely, since I've learned from experience that men tend to exaggerate their height by two inches, her shoes would have made her taller. Rick actually started bringing in the tallest guy from the University ballroom dance team to dance with me for my tests. So I think that the reason Rachel and her partner did more posing than dancing is that the actual dancing was awkward.

Evander wasn't doing the cha cha. He was hot, and if I ever see him at a club he and I aren't leaving the dance floor until they kick us off to mop it. It was dirty, funky and awesome, but it wasn't cha cha. However, if he'd had his shoulders back, it would have been close to cha cha. Edyta? Raving bitch, but fantastic dancer, and her butt was impossible not to look at.

The music? When I was dancing, I learned immediately that most pop songs are either cha cha or samba based. And if you take individual ballroom moves out on the club floor, it works, even in the unpartnered, "move the way you want to move" style used in clubs.

Trista? I didn't watch the Bachelor, ever, so I only know of her due to her vast media overexposure. And I'm amazed at how much I know about her, never having actually seen her on a show. Hate her. That Hansel & Gretel walk-off looked like they'd quit dancing before the song was over. Also, there's something about her face that makes her look very very old.

John O'Hurley was fine. Not bad, not great, just fine.

Dude, I love this show. It should have its own channel. They could show the Aussie versions, the Danish version, whatever other versions there are. All ballroom dancing, all the time. Every once in a while they could take a break to show old eps of PBS ballroom dance competitions, Melanie LaPatin's episode of What Not to Wear, and then every year they could show the Dancesport championships from Blackpool.

I liked it for the cheesey goodness, but my husband? Well, let's just say, I might be watching this one alone for the rest of the season.

I'm a frequent poster on another board and one of the Aussie members posted a video of the Aussie winner Tom Williams on his final night. It was a lot of fun and he was so sexy, it moved me to watch this one. I only hope someone on the American version turns out to be a fun to watch as Tom and his partner.

So far, I like Joey the best. I never watched Trista on anything, so I know nothing about her and therefore, she didn't irritate me as much as she did others. I'll have to wait and see her next week (if she's still there) to form a stronger opinion of her. Basically, I was more impressed with the male celebrities than the females.

BWAH!

I liked it even though I lunged for the mute button when they played the Commodore's "She's Once Twice, Three Times a Lady". Hate that song. I had to watch the show after suffering through Lost last season, and count me in as a fan of the Championship Ballroom Dancing comp. I think TomB is funny too.

Joey Mac was surprisingly good (because all I knew of him was that he was in NKOTB, and no, I couldn't name them if I tried. Pass the Geritol). He and his partner looked like not only could they both dance but were having fun.

John O'Hurley (and partner) were the next best in the I Actually Can Dance This and What The Hell, Let's Just Go For it. I tried to call in and vote for them but never got through which was really annoying because I've never voted. Usually I don't care.

I thought poor Kelly Monaco got hosed by the judges. It just reminds me of all the times I was chided to "smile". Gah. Sexist, much? I would bet good money her partner insisted on that stern demeanor, he seemed like a complete ass. What dance studio in SF do his parents run? The only one I know is Avenue Ballroom because I took classes there.

Rachel did seem a little mismatched to her partner. Boy, it's a sad day when she's considered a chunk.

I only know Trista due to the unrelenting media exposure but she seemed not bad. Not as fabulous as the judges seemed to think though.

Yay, for me not being the only person whose NKoTB 8 yr old dorky love came back with a serious kick. God if Joey-Joe didn't look HAWT. Unlike Jordan Knight, he grew up WELL. Why yes, the 8 yr old in me is STILL pissed about how bad Jordan looked/behaved on the Surreal Life. How'd you know?

And Joe's partner is cool b/c she is totally enamored with him, like I am. Heh.

Poor Kelly Monaco, man.

On the Velveeta Scale, not quite a 10 but still quite cheesy and dare I say, totally enjoyable? Between this, Hell's Kitchen, and Big Brother lurking on the horizon I'm all set for the summer. Woot!

Add me to the list that think Joe (sorry, I refuse to call him "Joey") should date his dance partner. I know he's married but the wifey claimed to have never heard of NKOTB before meeting him (apparently she was raised on Mars) so that's enough to go bye bye right there. How cute was Ashley to acknowledge her NKOTB love then complete her segment with a giggle?!

Kelly was hosed most definitely.

Trista, oh Trista, how did we know you'd show up in a pink dress? Famewhoreness aside, I think she did well.

If the tightened lips and stone faces during the evaluation were any indication, apparently none of the celebrities expected the judges to do any judging. "How dare they correct me!"

I just returned from Blackpool (for those of you outside the dance community, this is the single largest competition in the world), and immediately sat down to watch my recording of this cheese festival! What a laugh riot!

I'm having trouble believing that Ashly had a crush on Joe(y). Weren't NKOTB an early 80's thing? She's what, about 25 at most? So she had a prenatal crush on Joe(y)?

IMO, Rachel, Joe, John & Kelly actually danced; Evander stood still while Edyta danced all around him, and Trista never moved depsite Van Amstel Light's best efforts. It will be interesting to see what happens this week when the guys have to waltz! Edyta's strategy for EH simply won't work in what is considered to be a travelling dance (must move around the floor in a counter-clockwise direction).

Since I know (and work with) most of these pros on a regular basis, I'm convinced that most of them were edited to appear a certain way. They all have egos; you have to in order to be successful in a highly competitve, appearance-based industry. But most of them have impressive achievements under their belts. Jon Roberts IS 6' tall, and one (half) of the top 24 couples in the world in Int'l Latin. Louis Van Amstel IS a god in the dance world and has extensive experience in all forms of dance. Charlotte IS, although retired from competition, considered to be one of the greatest female standard dancers ever. I've never heard any of them actually voice such an opinion about themselves directly.

I kinda like their haughtiness (if that is the right word, which maybe it isn't exactly). I think it suits the 'sport', or the 'art' or however you want to term it.

I thought the pros did this moreso than the celebrities (who I thought were just nervous!), and it still didn't bother me. They are having to partner with novices, it must be quite a challenge.

NKOTB was in the 90s so it makes perfect sense.

Actually, I just checked their website. The band formed in 1986...a bit later than I thought, and earlier than the '90s. So, I guess Joe(y) was Ashly's prepubescent crush of the Bobby Sherman/Davey Jones variety.

Now you all can guess how old I am!!!

My point was that they hit it big in the 90s so it's not strange for a 25 year old to declare a crush. I was 10 when I first became aware of them and 13 when I finally gave in and declared my love for all things Jordan Knight. Then he was on Surreal Life and I went back to pretending that I never liked NKOTB. Much like my recent, "I don't love NSYNC. Shut up!"

I'm loving all these random celebrity talent shows. I said it in the other forum, bring back Circus of the Stars!

Exactly, NKOTB formed in 1986 (with Joe, but in 1984 without him). But they didn't hit the "big time" until 1988/9, when their "Hangin' Tough" album was released and you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing their music.

So sad that I know that. But I'm a font of information where they are concerned, unfortunately.

I went into this rooting for anyone but Joey, having met him twice a few years ago and gotten a bad impression both times. But I can't help it, I really think he did better than the others. I love this show. I keep getting sucked into reality shows, it hurts.

NKOTB was fully formed in the mid 80s (Joe was brought in when someone else left), but they only broke through in late 1988 and were HUGE until 1991. The lip synch fiasco broke in Jan 1992 and to me, never recovered from that. They officially disbanded in June of 1994. (You can tell how geeky that makes me.)

Topic: the repeat is on right now. And I must say Jonathan, Rachel's partner? Delish.

MarigoldSkye showed her knowledge as well.

Having just caught the encore airing, I had to change my opinions a bit.

Originally, I thought Joey and Ashley were far and away the best, but now I think John and partner definitely are tied for best if not better. Joey seemed a little more comfortable dancing, but John had a lot more crispness and deliberateness to his movements that Joey kind of lacked. And I liked John's choreography better (though I suppose that is the purview of their partners?)

On the first airing, I thought Evander was surprisingly good, but on re-watch, he didn't really move at all, did he? He was funky and sexy, yes, but in a dance club kind of way.

I definitely thought Kelly and her partner were hosed. I thought they were at least better than Evander and Edyta. I felt like they were the only two who attempted to actually waltz.

Trista and Rachael were okay for me. I actually thought Trista did a decent job, but that routine was so very busy. I totally agreed with female judge who said that it looked like Louis was throwing her around too much. It was like waltz on speed. I guess I just expect something classier and more elegant from the waltz.

I agree that Kelly and her partner were the only ones who actually attempted to waltz. The flowers comment should have been directed towards Rachel and her partner who had no more than 6 or 8 actual waltz steps in their routine. However, she did move beautifully and was very graceful in her leg and arm movements.

Louis really was throwing Trista around, it was like the Latin version of the waltz.

Kelly was completely hosed by the judges. The female judge said Kelly's carriage was stiff. Has she ever actually seen competitive ballroom dancing?

I did notice she was scooting her feet when she was in those uncomfortable poses though. And the poses did look stiff that way. But, yeah, they were harsher than I expected. 4's?

Good grief. I can't believe I watched this tonight. And I voted. But it caught me at a weak moment. I had actually just watched the movie Shall We Dance? and I was in the mood for some good ballroom dancing. I voted for J.Peterman and his partner. He had a lot of presence on the dance floor and I was feelin' it,dawg.

I'm 23 and NKOTB was big when I was in grade 5. My friends were crazy about them (not me though cuz I've always had fantastic taste in music *cough*). So Ashly would've been in grade 6 or 7 (middle school), so yea, her crush is legit.

I enjoyed the episode. It was fun to watch, especially the Joey Mac team. Kelly Monaco I thought was the best one there, but I didn't watch Trista's dance (STFU Trista and get off my tv!), so I don't know if her "Legendary" dancer was indeed as good as he claims to be.

ETA: oops, I thought "Kelly Monaco" was J. Peterman partner's nickname (Grace Kelly married the prince of Monaco, and I thought Char's name was Kelly, so hence "Kelly Monaco". Oops!). So, in this case, I didn't think Kelly Monaco danced well at all!