167 replies to this topic

[TWoP Lockley]

The 16th-season opener begins with 12 celebrities, including Jacoby Jones, Wynonna Judd, D.L. Hughley, Dorothy Hamill, Victor Ortiz and Kellie Pickler.

[trojan69]

Mr. Green puts the "Con" in rad. No gimmicks? Back to basics? Liar.

Kellie got screwed by the judging system. That was a very, very, good Cha Cha. It was worthy of an 8 anyday, anytime. She was two notches better than anyone else, but no separation is allowed with 7 as a ceiling for the first dancer out of the chute, and the automatic 6 anyone basically gets for being upright.

Cheryl looks like she aged 10 years with those bangs. Her hairstyle serves to emphasize her naturally chubby cheeks, and the unfortunate beginnings of a second chin. That look screams "I'm aging!" Most unfortunate - as is her pairing with DLH. Gonna be a short season yet again for her.

Andy got dicked. Right after overlooking that WJ failed to do even one standard dance move, they get sticky about smoothness? Really? I can't stand the guy, but that was a very credible first dance - particularly in Foxtrot.

WJ is the very definition of statuesque. Perhaps we can put her on dislpay at the statuary in the U.S. Capitol? Remove Davy Crockett and put in this crock of crap.

Edited by trojan69, Mar 18, 2013 @ 9:41 PM.

[dizzyd]

Boy, some of those were really bad, but I ploughed through it just so I could get my Tristan fix, hee, I can go to sleep happy. And who'd have thunk it but 2 of the contemporaries were among my favs of the night. Love Lisa, but I had to roll my eyes at the Gigster. Dorothy looks amazing. Zendaya so cute. Aly needs to secure her puppies better next time. But dang Jacoby, that was worth the pimp spot! And he's hilarious.

[jennifer6973]

What kind of world is it when Andy Dick has more rhythm then DL Hughley? (did DL say he was a Crip at one time, cause if so they are gonna take away his card)

[sintin]

Even though All Stars season quickly turned into a hot mess, I do think I was spoiled by the quality of the week one dances.

Kym and Ingo – they look lovely together, and anytime Kym is happy I’m happy. But Len’s reaction highlights the problem with introducing Contemporary as a WEEK ONE dance.
Zendaya and Val - Wow! I think her only issue will be that she might come across cocky to some, but I am so looking forward to her and Val growing as partners.
Sean: “I don’t discuss my private life” Right. That’s why you’re on the Bachelor. I’m not a fan, but at least he’s not giving off the asshole vibes that Jake Taylor did with Chelsie, so there’s that.
Cheryl and D.L. Cheryl just don’t give a damn. The judges obviously want them gone.

Woot! Tiara Lady got her closeup finally.


Andy Dick is gonna trip Brooke up so much, so there's one point in his favor.

[OwlsGo]

I liked Dorothy's contemporary better (Even if it was technically inferior) than Zendaya, who I feel will get Sabrina'd: hyped up too much, then ends up with an unceremonious early boot.

Andy's foxtrot wasn't terrible, but I didn't believe him when he said this bout of sobriety will be his last.

Kellie needs to work on her permagrin. Good technically, flat performance. I'd have given her an 8. Also, there are some girls that can rock short hair, but I don't think she's one of them.

Victor wasn't great, but I wasn't expecting much with Lindsay as his partner.

D.L.: Well, his line about marriage and putting his sons to bed were funny. It's truly insulting that he got a lower score than Andy, deserved or not.

Wynona looked very angry, for some reason. I laughed when Ashley Judd didn't do the phone signal when looking at the camera and nearly got into a fight with Naomi.

Lisa looks like Catherine O'Hara impersonating a real housewife. That deserved 5s.

Ingo will go far, I'd bet. This show's a good fit for him and I thought he was off to a good start.

Don't remember who else performed.

Edited by OwlsGo, Mar 18, 2013 @ 9:08 PM.

[vepyewwo]

Well, quite a good opening episode - a fairly decent standard of dancing overall for the first week. No one really blew me away but there was no outright duds either although DL was definitely the weakest. Not absolutely terrible but stiff and poor timing. Wynnona was poor too but I'm guessing she has one of the bigger fan bases.

So they want to change things up and introduce some new styles. They don't choose Lindy Hop or Charleston or something that at least has some relation to standard Ballroom and Latin dances - they pick contemporary, a style none of the pros or judges have a clue about. Of course.

The song choices are as bad as ever. Some of those foxtrots would have had so much more impact with more appropriate music. Also, enough with the booing of Len every time he says anything even slightly critical. I know the audience are probably being coached to do this but it is so irritating. Let the man talk (even if he does talk rubbish half the time!)

I loathe contemporary but actually quite enjoyed all 3 dances despite myself. Probably because it was more contemporary lite (DWTS style) rather than true contemporary. I thought Kym, Val and Tristan all did a really nice job with the choreo. I wonder if they got outside help.

How worried was Brooke when Andy Dick started talking about doing shots and getting obliterated?! He was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting and seems to be taking it quite seriously.

After week 1, I would say Zendaya and maybe Jacoby are the ones to watch. I'm also looking forward to seeing more of Ingo and Aly. I think Kellie will be really good but I didn't much like her routine this week, more because of the chorography than the dancing.

I think this season has a lot of potential. Let's hope the producers don't ruin it by throwing in last minute curve balls like last season - surfer flamenco anyone?!

[PetuniaP]

I squeed when Ingo Rademacher came onscreen. It's been years sine I've watched General Hospital but he's still sexy! I thought Andy Dick was the night's biggest revelation...I thought he was surprisingly good and his commitment to taking this seriously was touching. On the flip side watching 16 year old Zendaya dance squicked me out. Nothing at all against Val, who I thought was perfectly appropriate, but I think Zendaya is too young to compete on this sometimes very adult show.

Not loving Winona. She looks like the prow of a ship. I'm sure she'll get tons of votes and last forever but I didn't enjoy her dancing at all. Maybe Kellie Pickler, who already looks like one of the pros, can snag the country vote and oust Winona? Here's hoping.

Lisa Vanderpump and Dorothy Hamill are representing for the late 50 year olds! I thought they both looked fantastic and while Lisa needs to work much harder to improve, I found her fun to watch. Dorothy was adorable..pretty sure she'll be around for awhile.

Edited by PetuniaP, Mar 18, 2013 @ 9:18 PM.

[MusicaDolce]

I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed Andy Dick's dance. Not that it was great dancing, but he was just SO much better than I thought it would be - it turned out that DL was the trainwreck instead.

I can't even remember what Aly's actual dance was like because the entire time I was watching, I was afraid she was going to fall out of her top. Yikes. I thought they pushed the whole "Wow, Aly is showing her sexy side" too hard.

Did Carrie Ann use the word "amalgamation" when she was describing what the judges look for in contemporary dances? Looks like someone got herself a dictionary over the break!

[olivia1]

Loved Jacoby's cha cha, Andy seemed very humble and his foxtrot was pretty good for the first week, and I especially loved Dorothy and Tristan.

I did not love Val's bright yellow shoes and was unsurprised that Mark busted out his spats.

Not sure how I feel about Ingo, Wynona, or Sean.

Don't like the woman with the dog, DL sucked, Ally showed no personality, and didn't care for the Disney girl.

[vepyewwo]

Kellie needs to work on her permagrin. Good technically, flat performance. I'd have given her an 8. Also, there are some girls that can rock short hair, but I don't think she's one of them.

Just to point out, Kellie shaved her head last year to support a friend of hers who was getting chemo for breast cancer.

[spanana]

While Kellie should have been scored higher, I think it was the normal deal of underscoring the first person up. It happens practically every season. I'm sure she will be getting higher scores by next week.

Biggest revelation of the week is that my two favorite dances were Zendaya/Val and Dorothy/Tristan, both of which weren't even ballroom. I have to give it to Val. If he keeps this up this up, I will be fully in his corner. Yes, he has a talented dancer. But I thought his choreography was on point and they seem to have a very sweet partnership already.

FWIW, I don't think Zendaya comes across cocky at all. I think she looked genuinely scared beforehand and then afterwards just seemed elated. If anything I get the impression she hasn't gotten to spend much time with her "older" co-stars as yet because I really only saw her conversing with Val. But it kind of makes sense. She also has to do school everyday and probably doesn't get as much time to hang out. The biggest things she has working against her is that she is already getting blasted for being a ringer and the fact that at 16 she doesn't have a sob story to compete with many of her older competitors. Someone should remind them that Roshon stars on the same show as her and is a hip hop dancer as well, but that didn't mean he could do ballroom.

Aly has some potential. Her biggest isssue IMO is she isn't musical and it never really felt like she was dancing to the music.

It was pretty much all about the women for me. The only guy even on my radar is Ingo.

[stonehaven]

I love Dorothy Hamill and really want her to go far..Loved her dance...and found Andy Dick charming in his dance....What is wrong with me? The rest..eh...although my Mom thought Jacoby was drunk, I still enjoyed him though...
My biggest laugh of the night was the Judds apparently have been banished to near the back of the theatre...
Oh, Tom, so good to have you on my screen even if the camera lens washed you out every now and then.

[likeacarcrash]

That was a pretty great premiere -- the only person who was outright bad was D.L., and that didn't even look like a function of lack of ability. He just seemed terrified the whole way, ala Ty Murray in his first dance. If he stays, I think he has potential to get a lot better. I enjoyed just about everybody, even the ones I thought I'd hate (Lisa and the Bachelor). Nobody seemed hopeless, and nobody looks like they'll run away with the competition. That's my kind of season.

Edited by likeacarcrash, Mar 18, 2013 @ 9:16 PM.

[culturevulture73]

Not loving Winona. She looks like a prow of a ship.

Spot on. Also, she moved about as much. She and DL didn't seem to be doing much dancingwise.

I liked Andy way more than I thought (my previous exposure was his jackassery during Trading Spaces. Thankfully, that was it).

Kellie Pickler was way better than I thought she'd be, voted for her and the boxer Victor, who I was surprised I liked as well.

The football player was hunched over, audience, so please shut it.

Aly, don't let them put you in anything like that again. Yes, we see you now have cleavage. The dress also made you look gigantic. Fringe in front? Where is Tim Gunn to stop this madness?

Dorothy had a great start - I'm looking forward to her in a standard dance, not "contemporary." I'm also looking forward to the behind the scenes stuff tomorrow.

[QueenL]

Kellie was pretty good, but she's got to work on her transitions. There were moments where she was just standing there waiting. It wasn't as bad as some celebs in the past in that regard, but it was noticeable.

Also, I think that that's the first Cha-Cha I've ever seen on this show that didn't have a single New Yorker. Even the worst dancers have at least one half-assed New Yorker put in there. It is interesting, then, that Derek omitted that. Must have been difficult for her, which is surprising, because she seems to have some good talent. She has a nice, natural, confidence that translates well on the dance floor, I think.

Lindsay's dress was pretty, but that dance was rough and stumbly. Lisa's was even more stumbly. Dick's was the smoothest of the Foxtrots.

Ha at the beach scene in the beginning of the Ingo/Kym rehearsal footage. TPTB knows what one of the strong appeals of those two together are.

Damn, DL was atrocious. It did look completely under-rehearsed. If that's him giving it his all, then that's sad. I can't believe I was disappointed when Karina didn't get him as a partner, lol. My pre-show prediction of how good he'd be was way off.

Cheryl looked the best she's ever looked, though. Those bangs & that outfit color complimented her tremendously. I also liked her doing that style of Cha-Cha. Wish she had someone who could really perform it.

I liked that Zendaya and Val's Contemporary had a lot of synchronized work. It's harder to do, and they pulled it off well. It's also more appealing for me to watch.

Aly and Shawn don't seem remotely alike in presentation. That's a good thing, for the sake of comparisons. Crazy to think that Aly is only a year older than Shawn was during Shawn's first go round. Aly just seems so much more experienced and confidence. She and Mark had the most dynamic quality going on, next to Jacoby.

Speaking of Jacoby, there was actually some good Cha-Cha content going on in the first half. I also thought that the transition into the Ray Lewis dance was spot on. There was a lot of dancing going on, but I felt like it all kind of flowed together pretty well. His posture was better than I thought it would be (I'm not talking about the parts where they were intentionally getting down). There was a part where his hand was hanging down in an unfortunate looking position, which I think was a brain lapse, because in the New Yorkers, they looked fine. He definitely has an electric quality, so I'm liking him right now.


ETA: I agree about Aly's boobage. I never like that super pushed up, harsh look. I think that it always makes a person look fatter than they are, plus it's just unattractive. It's too harsh or something. The bowling ball look isn't a good one, yet celebs seem so obsessed with it.

Edited by QueenL, Mar 18, 2013 @ 9:27 PM.

[officetemp]

Everyone seems to have gone nuts in the spray tan booth. The spray tans were close to mid-season or end-of-season level rather than season premiere level.

Aly was showing some serious boobage there. Was afraid right from the very beginning that they'd be popping out with any type of strenuous movement.

Little bit confusing with all of the new pros. May take a while to learn all of the names.

Tuned in for Dorothy but pretty much enjoyed most of the competitors, though found myself cringing a little during Sean & Peta's dance (clomp, clomp, clomp!).

Victor & Lindsay seem to be real sweetie-pies. Wynonna has a pretty good sense of rhythm. Jacoby's funny as hell.

My guess on who'll get the MBT (not necessarily who I want to win--haven't made up my mind): Kellie & Derek or Jacoby & Karina.

Another thing: What's with all the hard times life stories? I thought they saved those things for the semi-finals? It got a little depressing after a while.

Edited by officetemp, Mar 18, 2013 @ 9:36 PM.

[alaspata]

Kellie: Definitely at a disadvantage going first, that was quite a good dance and should have gotten at least one 8 compared with everyone else.

Victor: Cute. Not too bad, better than Sugar Ray in his season.

Ingo: loved his dance and his partnership with Kym. I didn't get what Len was saying about his lack of dancing until Zendaya's performance though.

Lisa: Not bad, and Gleb is a hottie! Can we vote the dog off please?

D.L.: what a mess. And Cheryl, I just don't understand what you are trying to do on so many levels.

Zendaya: wow. That was a fabulous routine. Lol at Val telling her she was beautiful and then asking her age.

Sean: meh, but I don't remember it.

Aly: Good, but I was kinda surprised at her "friends" and thought they were going to pop out and say hi.

Dorothy: lovely routine indeed. Can't wait to see her perform ballroom dances.

Wynonna: had a couple of good moments, but in general was over scored. Should have gotten 5s.

Andy: I thought he was actually underscored. He did not suck as much as I thought he would. Should have been at least all 6s or at least one 7.

Jacoby: loved his routine as well, he has some potential. Pretty good for only having a week to actually practice the steps.

[Try Again]

Here are my rankings

1. Zendaya & Val: Wow is all I can say. I'm glad that she's able to utilize her long legs and not have them look awkward as we have seen with previous taller women. I'm praying that she definitely makes it all the way!

2. Kellie & Derek: I knew once they said she was going first, she would get hosed. Kellie definitely has the goods and I loved how natural she was with the movements.

3. Dorothy & Tristan: I love Dorothy's personality and spirit. Although it did seem a little safe I'm curious to see how she'll handle the latin dances.

4. Jacoby & Karina: I'll be honest that his posture wasn't the best, however he was entertaining.

5. Aly & Mark: I'm glad that she's out there having fun and getting into character. For some reason I wished she got someone else besides Mark. I feel bad that I keep comparing her with Shawn.

6. Ingo & Kym: Another solid routine. I didn't think it was as fluid as the judges claimed it to be.

7. Sean & Peta: Just when I thought I wanted The Bachelor out, I honestly think he will last a lot longer than I would've predicted.

8. Victor & Lindsay: Victor's personality and charm will keep him in the competition. Who know he could become the Ty Murray of the season and last longer than anyone expects him to.

10. Wyonna & Tony: Now Wyonna didn't really do much cha cha, however her personality definitely sold the dance. I guess Tony figured to go back with the safe choreography after winning his mirror ball trophy last year.

11. Andy & Sharna: Like I figured Andy wasn't a hot mess. I'm glad that he's taking it seriously without loosing his sense of humor. He will not be the first one eliminated!

12. D.L. & Cheryl: I knew this was going to be a disaster. He looked a hot ass mess lol. DWTS should've went with Steve Harvey or Cedric the Entertainer to represent the Kings of Comedy. If i'm not mistaken this might be Cheryl's shortest season ever!

[immaf]

The dog must go. If it wants to take its owner along with it, that's fine too. Her dancing was okay, but I didn't go for all the fake coyness. And did I mention that I couldn't stand the dog?

[protanto]

Not bad. Not bad at all. I haven't memorized the names of the stars yet. Some of them are really good.
- Val. I did not expect I'd like Val and his partner, but I loved their dance. This 16-year-old kid looks like a winner to me.
- Mark and Alexandra were good too, but she needs to loosen up a bit.
- Kym. Liked Kym and tnd her partner. He is strong and very sexy.
- Karina and Jacoby. - jeez, he is hot and despite all the criticism, I think he is my favorite...
- Gleb. The guy Gleb is definetely not Maks or Tristan. He needs to work out a bit more and get a session or two at a tanning booth before taking off his shirt, but otherwise he does look handsome and his elderly partner obviously enjoys drooling over him. I don't think she can or will dance.
- Peta and Sean. I am not impressed.
- Tony and Wynona. Her mom looks younger then Wynona.
- Andy and Sharna. I know he needs some money now. I feel for him.

Edited by protanto, Mar 18, 2013 @ 9:34 PM.

[ChicksDigScars]

Something is missing. Maybe it is Maks and the drama/sexual tension he brings, as well as the douchyness. The show was bland without him.

Val's going to have to watch it with the sex-ay, since his partner is jailabit. He seems intimidated by that fact, too. This should be fun.

Oh look. Derek gets a partner who can dance well and will get him to at least the semi's? I. Am. So. Shocked. Except not. I'm willing to bet that it's written in his contract. Ringers only, please.

Wow. D.L. Hughley has no rhythm. At all. And how smart is it for a professional athlete (under contract) to start participating in a full time dancing show, this soon after knee surgery? His team trainers HAD to sign off on it since Jones is under contract, so I guess he's okay, but if I were a Ravens fan, I'd be holding my breath every week. Personality wise, he's no Donald Driver, that's for sure.

[smiley13]

So Wynonna is going to be the one who gets the Kirstie treatment this season. They seemed afraid to judge her just like with Kirstie. She was not good.

DL sadly though was the worst IMO. The Disney girl was good, but I don't know her and don't "care" about her so she could do a perfect routine and I would not vote for her.

I enjoyed Aly, Dorothy and Jacoby. They were pretty harsh when scoring him compared to others.

[TheAnglican]

Hmm, that was an interesting premiere night. It was actually enjoyable to watch a bunch of newbies have at it again.

I see from the rehearsal footage that Kellie Pickler is going to take the "aw, shucks - little ol' country me" shtick as far as it can take her.

Victor Ortiz seems to be a doll. His partner is completely anodyne and nondescript. I miss Anna. :(

All of the contemporaries were really very good. I am hoping that the judges are right about Dorothy developing greater core strength as they go along, because I want her and Tristan to stick around as long as possible. And I'm so glad that Tristan was back looking yummy and happy again - I would really like to wipe all of the footage of his Week 1 dance with Pamela from my mind.

I thought Wynonna was overscored - it wasn't so much that she was horrible, but that she didn't look like she was trying.

Andy Dick was underscored. He did look sort of brittle out there, but I actually thought he showed some nice musicality in the routine. There were some moments when he was snapping the cane back and forth in perfect time to the stops in the music, and his footwork was actually pretty good. Sharna is the most promising of the three new pros and showed some welcome stage presence. Victor's partner and the new guy, not so much.

[miclogger]

OMG, the stupid dog! Is that a thing we're doing now, Dancing With The Stars, and their lap dogs? Cause otherwise, we get it, you've got a dog. Bugger off. I enjoyed Gleb's choreography, but just couldn't warm to Lisa at all...

Val can say he's got no contemporary experience as much as he wants to...but yeah he does. Come on, that's not the choreography of a guy who's never done contemporary before, sorry. I thought he did a great job, age appropriate song, costume, and choreography, which I think was everyone's fear when he got a 16 year old partner, that he couldn't do that.

I enjoyed Wynonna, for what her being there represented - she was working hard, and she's a big girl, and she got out there, put all her trust in Tony, and went for it. She won't get many more chances to do it, but bless her for taking advantage of the time she's got.

Add me to the camp that was way more charmed by Andy than they expected to be! He won't win, but as long as he can try hard, show some amount of improvement every week, and be funny in the interviews, he'll do alright by himself (see: Murray, Ty).

And Tristan! What a good dance that was - again, appropriately costumed, choreographed, and to appropriate music. Tristan! 'Bout time he gets some love!

[ari333]

The dog thing is just too precious. Please make it STOP.

My heart broke for Wynonna. She can't even get down the effing stairs well. Good on her for getting out there. Can't be easy. Hope she improves because my heart was kind of breaking for her. She has rhythm and sass and appeal, but her size is killing her. Is she the most overweight contestant after Chazz Bono? And Chazz is younger.

DL may have sucked out loud, but I'm not sure how he was so much worse than Andy and/or Wynonna and/or Lisa.

I was a bit squicked as well by Disney girl at 16. Sorry; but seriously I got the squicks.

Dorothy looks just so effing amazing,....athletic, graceful and gorgeous. WOW>

Pickler shocked me. She was charming and hot and danced really well. Color me fucking surprised as all get out.

Bachelor seems like a douche. Don't know him, so maybe that's an unfair assessment.

Victor is freakin adorable.

Andy seemed uncharacteristically sincere.

Sharna seems to have the most ooomph of the 3 new pros. Lindsay, imo too, is nondescript as mentioned. Gleb is purdy, but something is missing in the delivery. Side note: Mr. Ari calls Gleb, "Gern" - as in Gern Blanston [/Steve Martin] And yes, I'm a medium old fart fossil and Mr. Ari is a youngish medium fart fossil.

OMG who in hell did Aly piss off to the max in the wardrobe department? I'm not sure it could have been any more unflattering and unappealing (and precarious, boobage-wise) unless it had been the dreaded doll or the gorilla. yipes. It was "revenge" area of bad, on so many levels.

Edited by ari333, Mar 18, 2013 @ 9:50 PM.

[officetemp]

I miss Anna. :(

So do I!

[TiredMe]

What were they thinking putting Aly in that costume- she's a small girl and looked huge. Awful. I was really disappointed in her performance, I thought it was completely off.

I adore Dorothy Hamill and the fact that she's with Tristan makes it even easier to vote for her. Her body is slamming too. Go Dorothy!

Surprised by Andy Dick. I always thought he's been a jerk, but I loved his dig at Brooke...um, so you went there? Akward and awesome. She shouldn't have gone there IMO.

Sean was a bit clumpy, hope he improves. Ingo was impressive I thought, althought I hate contemporary. And if DL was a 4 then Wynona was no more than a 5. I liked her sassiness but thats about it.

And the new pro Sharna is stunning.

[JudeMorrigan]

I thought Jones' cha-cha was a hot mess. His footwork was terrible, I think he kept both knees bent the entire song, and the less said about his posture, the better. It was better than DL's, but that's not saying much.

[sintin]

I see from the rehearsal footage that Kellie Pickler is going to take the "aw, shucks - little ol' country me" shtick as far as it can take her.

Well it got her this far, so why stop now? Kellie is genuinely sweet and upbeat but with Derek I fear they'll beat that schtick into the ground.

I just rewatched Val and Zendaya's dance again on YouTube. I haven't done that for a week one dance in a long long time.

Aly falls victim to Mark's costuming so soon! I understand why he decked her out in the fringe...put the emphasis on her gyrating and not on her legs, but oh boy was it unflattering.

I was expecting 5s for Wynonna. Yeah, Andy was underscored compared to her, but you can already tell which couples the judges have no use for.

I was a bit squicked as well by Disney girl at 16. Sorry; but seriously I got the squicks.

There wasn't anything age inappropriate in that dance, IMO.

Edited by sintin, Mar 18, 2013 @ 9:47 PM.