Dancing With the Stars Season 23 Premiere!
I have been a fan of Dancing with the Stars since the very 1st season. It keeps improving year over year and still is one of the hottest shows on TV and absolutely one I look forward to. This was the first premiere I wasn’t able to watch live due to a prior commitment but, you can look forward to regular blogs the rest of the season and live tweeting.
This season brings back some of our favorite pro’s including Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Emma Slater, Derek Hough, Cheryl Burke and Gleb Savchenko and it brings in Jenna Johnson a former troupe member for her first season as a pro.
I think the cast for this season is absolutely amazing and it promises to be another entertaining season. One thing I noticed on twitter is some of the cruel comments being made about some of the celebrities. Let’s all remember to practice kindness. Making comments about anyone’s appearance is just not nice but, remember you too will be in your 60’s one day and you will see changes in your body.
What an amazing opening number and a tremendous way to kick off the show!
Derek Hough & Marilu Henner
#TeamHennergy
Marilu has a lot of super positive energy and overall they did well, I think the first night always brings a level of nerves but she clearly has the desire to work hard and do well and I am sure Derek will bring out the best in Marilu’s skills.
Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe
Wow James is quite the survivor. He has a lot of heart and spirit and I am so excited he is paired with Sharna. After watching him dance I think he will be one of the ones to watch this season and it would be great to see Sharna win a mirror ball!
Lindsay Arnold & Calvin Johnson Jr
I thought Calvin showed some promise as a dancer and it will be fun to watch him grow this season. He definitely has a fun positive personality and I am sure Lindsay will bring out the best in him.
Artem Chigvintsev and Maureen McCormick
Maureen is so sweet and I love that she is paired with Artem. I think Artem will help increase her confidence as a dancer. There were a few nerves in play in their first dance but, I think it’s wonderful to see someone come on with such excitement and desire to make an imprint on the show.
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds & Allison Holker
I thought Babyface was good. He and Allison will be a fun partnership to watch this season. I think each week he will get more comfortable on the floor. He clearly has grace in his movement.
Amber Rose & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
I was so glad when Maks announced he would be back on the show he has been missed! I am excited about this partnership too. I think their combined personalities will be great. Maks is intense but, he is so kind. I hope Amber will have many princess moments this season. I thought they did well, nerves were showing in many of the couples but, it’s the first week.
Vanilla Ice & Witney Carson
This partnership will be a lot of fun given Witney’s abilities in hip hop First week was lacking content but I am sure Witney will find ways to integrate his style with the content each week. I think he could be a dark horse and may just surprise everyone as the season goes on.
Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko
One word for this couple is smoldering…holy smokes! They are absolutely going to be couple to watch this season. They have the passion, the skills and quite clearly are in it to win it.
Jake T Austin & Jenna Johnson
The Jive must be a tough first dance to do for a beginner dancer. I think it looked like Jake was chasing after Jenna through most of the dance but, I think if they can even out their energy and tempo and get in sync they will be better.
Rick Perry & Emma Slater
First of all I am so glad Emma is back, she was so missed last season. She is so sweet and has such positive energy. I must say I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw that Rick was on the show but, he has a desire to learn and enthusiasm which is key.
Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber
This partnership I was interested to see. I love Terra’s attitude and I think Sasha will do a good job with the challenge ahead of them. What a challenge they had the first week with the Jive. Terra clearly showed her joy in dancing and she should be proud!
Ryan Lochte & Cheryl Burke
I had mixed feelings about Ryan being given the chance to dance this season. I had always been a fan of his in the pool and was disappointed in his actions in Rio. However, I also know that nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes big and small and we all deserve redemption. If Ryan can find that on the dance floor then good for him. I thought what happened was absolutely awful and thankfully nobody got hurt. I know when you enter the studio you do go through metal detectors but, still must have been scary for everyone. I thought Ryan did a good job on the dance. He showed good presence and promise in this dance.
Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy
I was extremely excited to see this partnership announced because Val and Laurie both have insanely bright and positive personalities and I knew they would SHINE on the dance floor. It must not have been easy to take the stage after all that happened in the ballroom ahead of them but, Laurie took that stage like she owned that dance floor. I loved the look they shared before the music started it was like saying the journey starts now let’s do this! If they keep up performances like today this season they will be mirror ball champs hands down.
I am so excited for this season! After tonight’s performance I would say the 3 to watch couples would be: Val & Laurie, Sharna & James and Gleb and Jana but, bravo to all couples for week 1. It’s not easy to learn how to dance and everyone should be proud of their performances.
This week will be TV Theme night! Spoilers on dances/songs below:
*Jake T Austin & Jenna Johnson: Cha Cha to Go, Diego, Go! Theme
*Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds & Allison Holker: Argentine Tango to The X-Files Theme
*Marilu Henner & Derek Hough: Foxtrot to Taxi Theme
*Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy: Jive to Ducktails
*James Hinchcliffe & Sharna Burgess: Paso Doble to The Walking Dead
*Calvin Johnson Jr & Lindsay Arnold: Foxtrot to Family Matters Theme
*Terra Jole’ & Sasha Farber: Quickstep to Bewitched
*Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko: Tango to “I Don’t Want to Be” from One Tree Hill, performed by Gavin Degraw
*Ryan Lochte & Cheryl Burke: Quickstep to The Muppet Show Theme
*Maureen McCormick and Artem Chigvintsev: Quickstep to Brady Bunch Theme
*Rick Perry & Emma Slater: Quickstep to Green Acres Theme
*Amber Rose & Maksim Chmerkovskiy: Viennese Waltz to Game of Thrones Theme
*Vanilla Ice & Witney Carson: Foxtrot to “Love and Marriage” from Married with Children
On a style note: Ck out http://www.bebe.com/ for some really beautiful fall fashions!
Until next time,
Xoxo
Heather
of luck! -Heather
ampions in the ballroom as well including Bindi, Shawn and Emmitt.
Jive & Salsa “Little Bitty Pretty One”
pions are:
dvaltour.com/
cing ability and truly be the lead. Len said BRILLANT! Bruno said she is the Queen of the Jungle. Carrie Ann said she is unstoppable! Everyone is still trying to figure out if Alan and Paige are dating…too cute! If they are I think they would make an adorable couple.
perience. I can say from personal experience it’s very different taking individual dance and dancing with a partner. It might give an edge on some things like lines & musicality but, the movement with a partner is totally different. Their Argentine Tango was sexy as hell, lots of great lifts, a fun storyline and overall a great job! Bruno loved how nasty it was and said it was like watching 50 shades of Paige. Len liked it but, felt it was a little too sexy for his taste.
rather than just strike poses. Sharna and Hayley did a great job with the choreography. Overall they did a good job.
ome timing during the dance. Overall I thought it was fun, cute, and full of energy. Good job.
e wanted to be a Math teacher and then Tyra stole him for America’s Next Top Model. Nyle wants to stay on this platform because he feels he can make a larger impact for the deaf community. He was blindfolded for part of the dance. It was beautiful, moving, emotional, and impactful in so many ways. I absolutely loved it. Nyle said he likes to challenge himself and it truly came across so beautiful tonight.
few balance issues they saw in the dance.
elt a need to control something in her life. Her curiosity about weather developed into a passion. She started on GMA in 2011. Val said this was a fun & awesome season for him. I have loved their partnership. Their dance was light, fun, high energy, had a lot of content, and overall they did a great job. Ginger has grown so much this season as a dancer, she truly is able to get into the harder characters now and should be very proud of all she has accomplished with Val.
dance without hearing the music. This will be interesting. Nyle and Peta are always so amazing to watch.
s football career. He knows how to rise from being the underdog.
d choreography. It was light, elegant, you could tell Antonio put in more effort on the details. The judges acknowledged that they can tell he is putting in more effort. Len acknowledged the improvement in his footwork as well.
star shine at different times.
ch a great match as partners. Loved hearing Paige talking with confidence. I will say I cringed a bit when Mark was describing his vision for this week. I am not a fan whe
I think we are in for one red hot dance from Ginger and Val tonight. Ginger has such a fun, bubbly personality that this character was challenging. I would have the same problem being th
ver 20lbs since starting on the show. They have a fun partnership and they clearly work well together. Lindsa
y is so creative and I love that she doesn’t play it safe.
ce together. Jodie and Nyle did a very good job dancing together and it shows how well rehearsed they were. Great job! The only part that I found distracting was having the troupe involved. I love the troupe dancers I just think in this arrangement it should have the two couples because it was distracting, I watched it back a 2nd time and still felt that way.
to show off his experience and creativity as a dancer. I thought Ginger and Wanya did a good job dancing together and the part where Val opened his shirt to show off his abs and Wanya showed off the glittered ab shirt was too funny.
she brings a strong desire to do well and to learn and they are a real joy to watch. Absolutely loved their enthusiasm when their scores were announced.
I keep saying it but, Kim and Sasha are seriously the cutest partnership and you can tell they have formed a genuine friendship. I love how Sasha likes to keep things light and wants to use last week’s scores to fuel their drive for this week. This will be a fun week for them as they are dancing to a Jackson 5 song and Kim is friends with Janet.
ght a lot of flak last week because of his comment about Val being his biggest competition. He was able to clarify what he meant a bit more and he seemed to really take it to heart that people would be looking at him like he was cocky. I don’t think there is anything wrong with aspiring to be the best in whatever field it is you are in, it’s good to stay motivated by that.
glad that Antonio decided to stay in Los Angeles this week and really put everything into rehearsals. They seem to be back on track and I am glad he is taking advantage of having an amazing coach on the show.
usual humor and grace. I did wonder why Tom couldn’t have whispered something to her rather than bringing it up in such a public manner. The judges all liked it but, they noticed a few mistakes.
as such a big personality. He is very likeable and clearly works hard. I agreed with Carrie Ann that it was good but, she was wanting more. Wanya has the right attitude and you can tell he is very motivated.
eek’s scores and feedback had Ginger concerned and discouraged. Val dialed up the drive and intensity so he could help her have a breakout week. I personally love Val’s style, he wants what is best for his partner. When he said he always does this and doesn’t want to ruin the experience for her it made me sad in a way. Having a drive and a genuine care for your partner isn’t going to ruin the experience and Ginger is smart enough to see that. That is one of the things I have always admired about Val compared to some other pros on the show, you can tell he does everything out of pure love and care for his partner not for his own personal gain/credit etc.
ink Von is finally relaxing and allowing people to truly see his personality. I found myself finally routing for him the last 3 weeks. This dance should be fun and I think it’s a great idea that Witney had to incorporate lifts and take advantage of Von’s strengths this week.
hook her confidence last week being in jeopardy. It made me sad to hear her doubting herself and if people liked her and are voting for her. Paige you are amazing, be confident! You are beautiful, talented, sweet and truly kind and that is why people are rooting for you!
d sport and more than likely just needed a few minutes to himself after the tough comments he received from the judges last week but, instead they made him come off like a spoiled sport/brat. Kim does have an injury, a stress fracture. Kim is tough and wants to work hard and put on a great dance.
g her up, it seemed to be a seamless routine, lots of energy, lots of smiling, fun, great footwork considering her injury, I didn’t see that is affected her and it was a great way to open the show! The judges all loved it, Carrie Ann felt it was missing a little bit of energy.
herself up over the scores last week. She is a very talented teacher and absolutely shouldn’t take that personally. This week Von seemed to be very much in the zone, the last two weeks he has been really turning it around in my eyes, he seems to be letting his guard down and I have found myself routing for him. It seems he is more in it to win it than he had been 
the first few weeks.
ition. Nothing was fractured so if she can tolerate it they would allow her to dance. Jodie and Keo work so hard and really enjoy their partnership.
se, the lifts were amazing and they both truly told the story in the movement. I absolutely loved it and I am glad this partnership is back together. Jodie should be proud of herself, every week she truly improves and tonight she was brilliant. The judges all thought they did a great job!
rted out with a challenge because their original song got pulled due to legal reasons which set them back a few days because Mark had to start over on choreography. I love their partnership. This dance will be fun too because Paige will be able to show off some of her athletic abilities.
d great musicality, and Paige brings out this really fun side to Mark. I think they are doing an absolutely fabulous job and I truly think we will see Paige in the finals, she performs each and every week brilliantly and you can tell how much fun she is having on the show. Great job! Judges all loved it!
gdance
felt he wasn’t as crisp, that his frame was broken and that there was a section where they were out of sync. Len had some good/poor comments. When he made the comment that he shouldn’t compare himself to Val that it will annoy people that was a bit harsh. I am not sure exactly what the judges were trying to accomplish tonight, perhaps to rein in the confidence or something? If Nyle is striving to be as good as Val it’s good to have goals like that, I say Dream Big!
ch a fun pair this season. Ginger is just very sweet and down to earth and truly enjoys every minute of being on this show. I don’t understand how she does it most days getting up so early for GMA, flying back and forth, spending time with her sweet baby and rehearsing but, that just shows how dedicated she is to it. She took some time off this week and staye
at were backing her up. Carrie Ann liked it but, was wanting to see a bit more and pointed out how rehearsed she always is. Bruno
one you want to root for each week because you can tell how hard he is working, how much he wants to improve and he is truly on such a tough season because the talent is just crazy this season. This will be a challenge since Karina had never done this style either.
ores last week, he truly is a class act. It’s going to be fun to see him dance to an NSYNC song since he and Joey are good friends. Lindsay is such a fantastic choreographer and she is really able to demonstrate it more and more each week.
oot. Wanya is so much fun to watch, he has insane charisma and like I said above a ton of class. They both should be very happy with their performance tonight. The judges, Lance and Joey all loved it!
with her partners. I felt his attitude was unwarranted. Maybe he needs to step it up and give the experience on the show that much more.
is week.
gic spark between she and Von this season and I think Wanya’s personality and skills will make for a fun match up. He reminds me so much of Alfonso with his charisma.
h. I thought their dance was good, emotional, passionate, in character but, not much of it was done in hold. I personally have not learned this dance style yet in the lessons I have been taking but, going off what I have seen in past seasons and on the DWTS tours I was thinking that might be the biggest comment from the judges. Maks said it was a hard one that it was a great performance but, not a Viennese Waltz, lacking frame etc. Bruno thought they were on the money on the emotion of the dance and Carrie Ann loved it. Len agreed with Maks and he wanted to know why there wasn’t one step in hold. Maks reminded Keo of the height differences between him and Meryl Davis. My opinion is that Keo felt he was choreographing the best he could dealing with the height differences and I think he will continue to grow as a pro. Keo and Kim should be proud of a solid performance this week.
nts to go far in this competition and it is very evident in the hard work she demonstrates each and every week. I will miss seeing her and Val dancing together this week but, I think this partnership with Mark has some fun potential. Ginger’s husband, Ben is such a riot. I crack up each week with what they air in the packages from Ben. This week is a classic, Mark is like a glass of merlot and Val would be a dirty martini and then later Mark is the marrying type but, Val is more the Russian love slave. Too funny!
Season 1 I also am interested to see the stories that are portrayed in the packages each week. Often I take them with a grain of salt. This week there seemed to be a lot of emphasis on Antonio being late and not putting in the work. Over the seasons a lot of celebrities have had very challenging schedules but, still put in the work it’s part of the commitment to the show and if he truly is late all the time that is not only disrespectful to the experience but, to your partner as well.
ge’s dress tonight, it was beautiful! Paige is too cute and I bet it’s hard to channel your inner sexy for such an intimate dance in a room full of people with a new partner. I felt Sasha did a great job building that trust with Paige in this week. I LOVED their dance. It was beautiful, it told a story and had such elegance. Every week I am in awe of Paige that she can be such an tough fighter and yet so incredibly graceful. If I had to pick a top 3 today I would say for sure Paige will be in this for the long haul. She is beautiful inside and out and absolutely should be proud! Maks told her she is capable of winning but, was bothered by a lack of rumba content. Bruno and Carrie Ann really loved it! I thought Maks scored it too low, I understand his comments on the content but, the overall performance deserved at min straight 8’s at least.
Taking away nothing at all taking away from Witney. I have just been trying to put my finger on my thoughts on Von all season. Some partnerships have this amazing chemistry from the start, others it takes time to grow.
we are all in for seeing magic tonight.
loved it and said it was a total eclipse! Maks said best dance of the night & of the season and he still cannot figure out how it is possible for Nyle to perform so well. Bruno loved it. OMG seeing Nyle, Sharna and Peta all in tears too it was just so beautiful.
om 2 each week but, she needs a breakthrough to hopefully keep her in the competition and I know Val can do that. He is such a strong, amazing leader and I think he can help Jodie get out of her head a bit more this week.
be Doug, I do think he tries, I just think it’s not coming together for him to the point
nce was light, it was fun, had lots of content and filled with joy. Marla always pays attention to the details and clearly works on it. I would say Tiffany is probably beaming with pride for her mom right now. Tony’s pure joy is also so much fun to see. I love it when he gets great partners and can really demonstrate what an amazing teacher/dancer he is and his fun personality. The judges all had great feedback and suggestions.
ening herself up more and more each week. Her story wasn’t always perfect, she went through some tough times with drug and alcohol addiction when she was trying to numb the pain she was feeling inside. It’s a common issue for child actors. They live these bigger than life experiences and then the role ends and the world in a way gets quiet and they are still just a teen trying to grow up. Her most memorable year was this year when Fuller House came back in 2016. She has been sober now for 5 years. She is a Mom and it was great listening to her co-stars describe what a real person she is. The story of her mom saying that she had such a bright light when she was a kid and how she watched it become very dark really pulled at your heart strings.
