So with the Olympics in Rio drawing to a close this coming Sunday (and the pros starting to meet their partners later this week), there’s obviously been speculation that we’re going to see some Olympians on the show this season – seems like Ryan Lochte & Simone Biles are the two most talked-about when it comes to casting rumors.  Which got the Pure Angels thinking about all the previous Olympians we’ve seen on the show, and how well (or not well…) they did.  So why not take a look back at every Olympian (from both the summer AND winter games) that’s ever done DWTS, and see how they stack up? 

The main rankings are mine, but Heidi, Vogue, & I all had slightly different rankings when it came to the top 10 – so you can see their individual top 10’s at the bottom.  I’ve included videos of a few of the dances we mention, to jog memories – lord knows ours needed jogging from time to time 😯

Interesting patterns?  Gymnasts and skaters seemed to fare the best, and tennis players and boxers tended not to leave much of an impression on any the three of us.  I think we all universally agreed on at least the bottom 2 on the list – they were THAT bad 🙁 Read more..

A couple of seasons ago, I created a set of criteria with which to measure the benefits some dancers on DWTS have compared to the other dancers.  That is, ringers versus non-ringers.  I attempted to be as logical and scientific as possible, although it’s impossible to remove all subjectivity from the issue.  But it’s far better than simply saying “so and so isn’t a ringer, IMO”.  In your opinion?  If your opinion is purely subjective with no effort at logical or rational thought, then what good is it?? 

No good at all, actually.  The original series sprung from an effort to debunk the old, tired and stupid claim that the only reason Derek does well is because he gets all the good partners and no one else gets them.  Utter BS, of course.  It would be a good idea to read that series before starting this one as I can’t guarantee that I’ll include all the same rationale this second time around and I don’t take well to discussing a subject with someone who is so rude as to not read the blogs.  Read more..

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I'm a nerd and proud of it.  Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-)  I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too.  So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-)  It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back.  And I'm cynical and jaded too.  But I do love DWTS. :-) 

With all of the coverage of the upcoming all-star season we’ve been doing, we realize it can get a little hard to keep up and remember who’s said yes, who’s said no, who’s just a maybe, etc.  So for the sake of maintaining everyone’s sanity and trying to keep at least some degree of organization, here’s a handy list of what celebs we’ve been covering as it pertains to the all-star season, broken down by their original season, along with a brief summary of where they stand.  We’ll keep this post stuck to the main page until the cast announcement, and we’ll post updates in redas they come in. 

Trista Sutter – a few interesting tweets that seemed to imply she was heading somewhere to do something secret, but now says she is definitely not taking part in the all-star season 🙁Kelly Monaco – hinted at a GH fan event that she was “going to need fans’ help with something that’s getting announced next Friday!” 

Jerry Springer – said he may do SOMETHING for the show and would love to be in the audience, but wouldn’t dance againMario Lopez – spilled the beans about being asked to do the all-star season on Live with Kelly way back in May, and was thinking about it; however, he now says he’s “too busy” and “doesn’t think he’ll be able to do it” – mentioned as a rumored candidate to host X-factorJoey Lawrence – asked fans on Twitter to vote for him to get on the all-star season

Recently, PureDWTS reader and Louie Vito fan Byrl reported to us that Louie said he was “available” and still had “something to prove” if he was asked to do Dancing With The Stars again.  In a new interview with Yahoo TV, he tells them practically the same.  Louis would love to do the show again since he’s older and could handle the pressure better.  Plus it would help his snowboarding.  Here is more…

You came in sixth place on Season 9 of “Dancing With the Stars.”  With the “DWTS” All Stars season coming up, would you compete again if they asked? 

LV: “DWTS” was a great experience.  I was so far out of my comfort zone that it actually made my snowboarding easy.  If I could go out and dance in front of 22 million plus people every week, doing something I didn’t have much confidence in, live audience, live judges, and wearing clothes I wouldn’t even wear on Halloween, how wouldn’t it help my snowboarding, which I am confident doing, know what the judges want to see, and wear what I want to wear?  I would love to do it again especially since I am a little older now — I just turned 21 when I was on last time — and know how to deal with the pressure a little better. 

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Just a music and dancing fan here ....and a lover of life, nature, animals, and spending as much time as possible camping in our travel trailer.  Favorite Quote at the moment: "Sing like no one is listening.  Love like you've never been hurt.  Dance like nobody's watching, and live like it's heaven on earth."  ~ William Purkey.  Follow me at: Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.  To view my photography site, see Lisa Kay Photography. 

We had a fan named Byrl write to us about Season 9 contestant Louie Vito.  Recently, he asked him if he would be interested in returning for the All-Star edition of Dancing With The Stars.  Louie told him that he was “available” and still had “something to prove”.  Furthermore, he’s in prime shape.  Here are some highlights from what Bryl wrote to us below in catching us up on ‘all things’ Louie Vito since he was on Dancing With The Stars in Season 9. 

Byrl: Louie Vito is on the verge of being #1 in the world of Half Pipe Snowboarding.  Last year he changed up his training and reported in at WinningFactor.com.  He was there for 5 weeks.  When he reported in, the owner told Louie he was not in shape at all when Louie thought he was.  Louie was chasing everybody and this included NFL Football players and towards the end of the 5 week training program everybody was chasing Louie.  He had bypassed them all. 

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Louie Vito embodies style, power, skill and determination.  Vito has won four of the past five U.S. Grand Prix Overall Championships, four X Games medals, two time Winter Dew Tour Cup Overall Champion and has made the podium at seventeen of the last twenty major contests since the Vancouver Winter Olympics.  With his remarkable presence on the half pipe and endeavor…s off the mountain, he has cemented his place as one of the greatest snowboarders of his generation. 

Vito is currently the reigning Winter Dew Tour Overall Champion and U.S. Grand Prix Overall Champion.  When Vito is not landing arduous “double corks” and 1080s he is working on his endurance and strength training.  Vito recently showed how important a strong body can be in snowboarding when he was selected for the prestigious ESPN Magazine’s “Body Issue.”  Also, recently Vito was chosen to be the face of competitive snowboarding for Red Bull. 

On being invited to do the Dancing With The Stars All Stars…. 

…he told me in a message, that “I am available and I have something to prove.  I am still in my prime” and he knows that he will do better than he did before.  One thing about it Chelsie Hightower would not have to worry about him being in physical shape. 

Thanks Byrl!  Keep us posted on Louie!! 

Picture above courtesy of Zimbio Pictures. 

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Just a music and dancing fan here ....and a lover of life, nature, animals, and spending as much time as possible camping in our travel trailer.  Favorite Quote at the moment: "Sing like no one is listening.  Love like you've never been hurt.  Dance like nobody's watching, and live like it's heaven on earth."  ~ William Purkey.  Follow me at: Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.  To view my photography site, see Lisa Kay Photography. 

This is the 3rd and final part of the series where I take a look at the partners the pros have had and their “ringer” status.  Part 1 discusses how I define a ringer – you can find it here —> I’m a Ringer??Part 2 discusses the female pros and their partners and how I labeled them – I think it’s pretty clear that they’ve not been quite as blessed as the men.  Reasons for that should be self evident – female celebrities are more likely to have some sort of dance experience, even if it is taking ballet or tap as a child.  NOTE: This was mostly written before the pairings were announced for Season 14 – those pairings certainly change the game for lots of pros.  Lots of potential ringers on this season. 

I strongly recommend you read the first two parts before you comment – I don’t want to have to reiterate everything I wrote MONTHS ago.  🙂 Also, be wise and don’t complain about the length, admit that you didn’t read it all, and then argue with me – that will just earn you scorn and an eye roll.  I know this is long – I considered breaking it into two parts, but then I figured it’s still long in two parts.  People will either be interested or they won’t. ::: shrug::: Also take note that I, personally, don’t care about ringers themselves.  I think a season without them is deadly.  What I DO care about is hypocrisy, revisionist history and the fairy tales that some like to spread about who has had ringers and who hasn’t. 

From where I sit, there are two types of ringers – and then there’s just being blessed.  Fanbase ringer (ie.  Donny Osmond, etc.)  or Experience Ringer (Mel B, Nicole, Sabrina, etc.),  and lucky get (Lalia, Brooke, Gilles, JR).  Just because someone happens to be a great dancer doesn’t mean they are a ringer.  When someone is blessed with a partner who can dance, it doesn’t mean they were handed a ringer.  That particular argument is so illogical that it’s hard for me to take seriously.  If they actually seriously auditioned people to be on this show by making them dance with a pro for an hour or two, it would be understandable.  But they don’t stand people in a room with a pro dancer and then say, “wow, she’s got some moves, let’s give her to Maks” or “she sucks, lets give her to Tony.”  It doesn’t work that way.  If it did, they wouldn’t be able to get people on the show.  And can you imagine a pro like Tony sticking around if that was the approach they took? 

As it happens, and as many people connected to the show have reiterated, the process of how a pro gets a celebrity often has to do with height, personality, looks, chemistry and the cast as a whole…and this becomes obvious as the show progresses.  They are actually quite good at matching people up.  I would imagine they give this a lot of consideration as it impacts, or has the potential to impact, ratings.  You’re going to try to avoid having a bunch of pairings that make people go “eeewww” or get seriously pissed off.  I think you need to limit that to one couple per season.  Can you imagine what it would be like for every pro on a season to have a partnership similar to that of Hope and Maks??  I would want to stab my eyes out with a fork if they were ALL like that and there was no Carson/Anna or David/Kym.  Seriously – think about it.  So, it may be good to have ONE Maks/Hope – gives people (me and Courtney) something to talk about, rant about, get passionate about, etc. ( This is separate from a discussion of whether Maks finally went too far or not – I don’t think that’s what the producers intended.)  Read more..

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I'm a nerd and proud of it.  Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-)  I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too.  So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-)  It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back.  And I'm cynical and jaded too.  But I do love DWTS. :-) 

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m just ready for the cast announcement so we can get all of this speculating over & done with!  But to help us get a handle on who might be in and out, let’s take a look at what combination of “casting types” we might get this season. 

Advantages: The winningest of the 12 types, their obvious advantage is their athleticism – you won’t see these guys struggling with strength or endurance moves.  In addition, the same tireless work ethic that helped them medal in the Olympics will likely carry them through the toils of the competition.  They also seem to be adored by the masses, as many are seen as “hero” figures – which translates into a formidable voting fanbase. 

Disadvantages: For those specializing in sports that are less “artistic” (i.e. swimming, running, volleyball), it might be a bit hard to really get into the character of the dance and truly perform to the crowd.  Previously incurred injuries (or the fear of incurring an injury that might hinder their participation in subsequent competitions in their sport, a la Misty May-Treanor) may also slow them down & limit their mobility. 

Possible candidates this season: The only semi-legitmate Olympian prospect I think we’ve heard is Bruce Jenner – and I would like to think that TPTB would have mercy and not subject us to back-to-back seasons of Kardashians in the audience 😀

Advantages: As with the Olympians, their athleticism & work ethic make them well-suited to the competition.  An edge they might have over their Olympic counterparts: sports like football, auto racing, & mixed martial arts tend to have a larger, more mainstream following than some of the Olympic sports. 

Disadvantages: Again, a lack of “artistic” experience & previous injury (especially with the football players, who have really taken a beating over the years).  Some of the more muscular athletes in hard-hitting sports may also have difficulty with the refined, precise moves of some of the dances. 

Possible candidates this season: Vince Young tweeted that he had been asked to the do the show, then suspiciously deleted the tweet.  Guilty much?  😉 We’ve also heard Annika Sorenstam’s name in the mix. 

This is going to be quick, not much commentary, just the facts.  Or rather, the videos.  I’ve found myself much busier than I plan to be… But, to get us ready for the fun Group Dance, I’m searching for the videos of the group dances from past seasons.  When possible, I’ll post the practice sessions, also. 

As many of you may have noticed, costumes aren’t the only things that get reused on DWTS – songs get recycled as well, sometimes ad infinitum!  After oodles of requests from you guys for a feature like this, I’ve finally carved out the time to sit down and make it happen 🙂 Marianya actually used to do these posts awhile back – if you go to the search bar and type in “dance comparison”, you’ll see several editions she did for season 10.  Heidi & I are going to try and do it as well as she did, but you know us – if it doesn’t involve snark, we probably have the attention span of goldfish.  🙂

Battle of Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love”

This was actually the VERY FIRST song ever used on DWTS, when Joey McIntyre & Ashly Costa (née Delgrosso) danced their cha-cha to it back in season 1…

After that, it didn’t pop until again until 10 seasons later, as the opening pro number for the 200th episode results show in season 11:

And of course, most recently, Kristin chose it as her “most memorable year” song for her samba with Mark:

Court’s take: I was pleasantly surprised at how the band managed to tweak the beat to feel more “samba-y” for Kristin, but as much as she tried to shake her booty and flip her hair – she just didn’t manage to fully embody Beyonce’s swag.  Loved Joey & Ashly’s attitude for their cha-cha, although in retrospect Joey was probably not as good as I thought he was back then – the standard of competition has definitely gone up in 13 seasons 😉 But for me the real standout was the 200th episode pro dance; loved the fact that we saw multiple styles in it (cha-cha, quickstep, a little bit of samba) as well as a TON of pros from the past coming, almost literally, out of the woodwork – all the usual suspects, as well as some rarer ones like Anna D., Corky, Ashly, & even Inna (remember her?)  While they may have a bit of an unfair edge…gotta give it to the pros in this one.  That dance was HOT. 

Battle of No Doubt’s “It’s My Life”

First, Louie Vito had it for his foxtrot with Chelsie in season 9:

And of course, our favorite fashionista, Carson, tangoed to it with Anna for his “most memorable year” dance:

Court’s take: Poor Louie never stood a chance against the fabulousity of Carson 😛 Plus the song just feels better as a tango for me. 

Battle of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon”

Fittingly, it was astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s foxtrot with Ashly in season 10…

And then Rob honored his late dad with the song when he foxtrotted with Cheryl to it this week:

Court’s take: While I thought Buzz was adorable, his age kinda limited his range of motion – and by extension, the tempo of the music he danced to.  It just felt so slooooow.  I actually really enjoyed Rob’s – it was light and carefree, and Rob looked like he really connected to the song and enjoyed himself. 

This is Part 2 in what will likely be a 3-part series.  If you want to read Part 1, you can find it here —> I’m a Ringer?? 

Well, let me tell you, researching these former contestants was not particularly enjoyable.  But, I felt like some research had to go into this in order to try to be somewhat informed and to remove some of the subjectivity.  Not all of it can be removed, but I tried. 

How did I get my results? 

For each celebrity who was *possibly* experienced or popular, I focused research on their web sites (if available), their Wiki pages, and YouTube videos.  Then there were google searches.  Yikes.  If a celebrity was clearly not a ringer in any way shape or form (ie Football players, rodeo riders, race car drivers) I did not look into their background any further.  I did spend some time on this, but since I have another job that takes my time, it’s possible I missed something.  🙂 BUT, just because you don’t agree with my rankings, it doesn’t mean I DID miss something.  Just sayin’.  🙂

Determining if someone is actually a fanbase ringer is rather difficult as well.  My metric for that determination is: Is this person well known and well loved by the biggest DWTS demographic – that is women aged about 30 to 65.  These are the people most likely to watch the show and vote.  Where it gets tricky is guys like Joey Lawrence and Ian Zeiring – it’s guys like this that caused me the most pain.  Why?  Well, because my brain is saying, “Nah” but my gut is saying “Just because you’re not a fan doesn’t mean they don’t have sizable fanbases.  🙂 So, at the end of the day, I decided for my purposes that for them to be a fanbase ringer, it had to be OBVIOUS.  That is – if I know they’re super popular, then they probably really are.  If I don’t really know much about them….then they probably aren’t.  I fit the demographic, after all.  🙂 Read more..

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I'm a nerd and proud of it.  Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-)  I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too.  So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-)  It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back.  And I'm cynical and jaded too.  But I do love DWTS. :-)