The Dancing with the Stars Season Twenty première will be Monday, March 16th. There is no word yet as to the possible return of the results shows on Tuesdays.
The cast was announced this morning:
Patti LaBelle & Artem Chigvintsev … (singer)
Nastia Liukin & Derek Hough …(gymnast)
Charlotte McKinney & Keo Motsepe … (model; Carl’s, jr Superbowl commercial)
Willow Shields & Mark Ballas … (actress; “Hunger Games”)
Suzanne Somers & Tony Dovolani … (actress)
Rumer Willis & Val Chmerkovskiy … (actress; celebrity daughter)
Noah Galloway & Sharna Burgess … (disabled vet; motivational speaker/writer)
Robert Herjavec & Kym Johnson … (Shark!)
Riker Lynch & Allison Holker … (Disney kid; boy bandsman)
Redfoo & Emma Slater … (singer; guest judge last season)
Michael Sam & Peta Murgatroyd … (no longer a football player; presumably still gay)
Chris Soules & Witney Carson … (Bachelor; farmer; not known to be Norwegian)
(can’t get formatting to line up )
Maybe not the dazzling cast many of us were hoping for for the big anniversary, but reasonably decent. Except! Nastia Liukin & Derek Hough are such 'way-out-in-front favorites for the mirror ball that the competition aspect is going to be weak .
I thought Redfoo was hilarious, if useless, as a guest judge, so am looking forward to him; posssibly this season’s Tommy Chong. Sometimes you jump the shark. Sometimes the shark jumps you. So I’m looking forward to Robert Herjavec, as well. Models seldom do well on DWTS, so tune in early to see how Keo manages Charlotte McKinney’s … challenges.
Those hoping for the return of some of the fan-favorite pros are also disappointed, but we’ll be watching anyway .
I had to Google a bunch of these people to know who they are. My comments in bold:
Patti LaBelle & Artem Chigvintsev … (singer) - too old to be a real contender, but at least she’s a true "star"
Nastia Liukin & Derek Hough …(gymnast)
**- I also thought Derek was sitting out this season. Maybe Nastia’s appearance was contingent on being paired with him? I’ve often wondered if some “stars” make deals like that to be on the show. Of course, many of them just want the exposure no matter who they’re paired with.
**
Charlotte McKinney & Keo Motsepe … (model; Carl’s, jr Superbowl commercial)
**- I’m not familiar with her, but she’s nice eye candy. But the models often don’t last very long–even if they’re good dancers.
**
Willow Shields & Mark Ballas … (actress; “Hunger Games”) - Another young’un paired with Mark. I’d prefer all the contestants were at least a little older (like 18+), but maybe that’s just me.
Suzanne Somers & Tony Dovolani … (actress) - Be prepared for the endless “Thighmaster” jokes.
Rumer Willis & Val Chmerkovskiy … (actress; celebrity daughter) - "Dancing With The Children of the Stars"
Noah Galloway & Sharna Burgess … (disabled vet; motivational speaker/writer) - Missing an arm and a leg, but looks to be in very good physical shape. Could make for some interesting challenges.
Robert Herjavec & Kym Johnson … (Shark!)
**- nice to see Kym back!
**
Riker Lynch & Allison Holker … (Disney kid; boy bandsman) - boy band? bleh! And apparently he’s a cousin of Derek and Julianne–something more for the Hough haters to rally around.
Redfoo & Emma Slater … (singer; guest judge last season)
**- I agree Redfoo was hilarious as a judge. Looking forward to this pairing.
**
Michael Sam & Peta Murgatroyd … (no longer a football player; presumably still gay) - At least we’ll be spared a ‘romantic subplot’ with Peta this season.
Chris Soules & Witney Carson … (Bachelor; farmer; not known to be Norwegian) - Bachelor? bleh!
I, for one, like it when they have the full Tuesday results shows. Everything feels too rushed otherwise, and they often have some good musical performances and showcase dances on the results shows.
Sorry, but 14 years old is creepy in this situation (for her partner). Let’s keep it at 18 and older.
Vet and double amputee. You got balls, pal, but it’s just not going to happen. The above the knee amputation just puts you out of the dance mode even if you had both arms. More power to you, but it’s just not going to happen.
Suzanne Summers. Are those 8 mil thick industrial tights?
Bachelor. Ugh.
Bruce and Demi’s daughter. I guess you have your own life, but I’ve never heard of anything you’ve done. At least you’ve got raw talent. And you look scarily like you mom.
Olympic medalist. Puh-leeze. It’s really not fair to have a gymnast in with a bunch of amateurs.
Patti… everything is in slooooo-moooooo. The crowd loves you, and I’m sure you’ll be around for a few episodes, but time to go to bed. Tonight.
You couldn’t miss it. It was the intro for JailBait when Val was selected as the coach and Mark “volunteered”. Pretty much all the intros were cheese fests. Although I did chuckle at Big Tits’ intro with the melons and floodlights, etc.
All these pros taught at dance studios before they got famous on the show. Adult dancers teach kids classes every day. Its no big deal for them. I think Mark still occasionally works with an advanced group of kids at a school in Utah.
It is a little weird to actually dance a full routine with a 14 year old. Mark is a good choice. Val did great with Zendaya when she was 16.
I watched most of the dances today on youtube. Willow and Rumor were good. I’m excited to see the ex soldier amputee with Sharna. I think she’ll create amazing choreography that he can do with his prosthetic leg. I wonder why he doesn’t use a prosthetic arm???
Charlotte hasn’t much of a personality, struck me as a jerk. At least the Shark Tank guy looked like he was having fun. I"m guessing the first 3 out are Charlotte, Suzanne Summers, and Shark Tank
Okay, it’s a boring season and there is no interest at all.
Still, I loved Bruno’s little put-down of Charlotte. Second best thing of the night. Best thing was she is gone.
Actually I am torn. I like Keo. I think he deserves better partners. But it’s also possible he’s just not very good at bringing out their best, a thing the pros who’ve gotten to the finals have all been excellent at doing.
Sharna’s doing a great job with Noah. But it also feels like he’s not being scored on the same scale as the others. In any case, I hope they stick around for a while.
Charlotte had a bad attitude–you’d think these “celebrities” would have a better idea of what they’re getting themselves into.
Rumer is pretty impressive–she really puts her all into the dances. How many times did they replay that footage of her slamming her crotch into Val’s face?
Mark’s weird accent seems to be thicker this season. WTF was up with that costume? Ridiculous.
Rumor and Val’s Disco Salsa was very, very good. Best dance of the night.
I’m a little uncomfortable with Willow. She’s so hard on herself. A classic over achiever that just rips herself apart for any mistake. I wish she could just relax and enjoy the DWTS experience.
They are judging Noah on a different scale. But they did the same thing with Amy Purdy. They made allowances for her prosthetic and that it didn’t have the natural movement expected in dance. Amy had the advantage of a working knee. Noah’s prosthetic is above the knee and it limits his movements even more. He can’t do much with it except pick it up and swing it around.
Never the less, I alway look forward to seeing Noah and Sharna. She’s been very creative with her choreography and making it work for Noah.
)
.