DWTS Pre-Semi Finals Wrap Up
I figured I would do something different this week rather than the usual recap. It’s crazy we are already heading into the Semi-Finals in Season 24!
First I would like to say that is was sad to see Nick/Peta, Nancy/Artem and Bonner/Sharna go home the last two weeks. I really thought we would see Nancy/Artem in the Semi-Finals and I have to wonder if the packages had anything to do with it but, then again this season has been the one of surprise eliminations. I had the pleasure of meeting all 3 of them when I went to the live show a few weeks ago and all of them were kind, had a lot of heart and really wanted to give it their all. I felt the judges were far too harsh on Bonner last week and some statements just should not have been said.
As a fan of the show since Season 1 I really look forward to when I can attend a live show and see how the stars interact or don’t interact with the fans. I think it can be very telling overall.
We are down to the final 4 teams:
David & Lindsay #teamLadyAndTheGramp:
I have gone back and forth on David all season. I didn’t like the week where he seemed dismissive of Lindsay but I think he really came out with his best performance last week to Humble & Kind. That dance allowed us to feel the emotion and truly did highlight the friendship that has developed. Let’s face it this show is just as much about the relationship, the emotion and how a star/team makes you feel when you see them dance. I think they stand a shot at making it to the final 3.
Simone Biles & Sasha Farber #teamGoldenGiggles
I know this might not be a popular opinion but, I think it might be time for Simone to go. I think her attitude and comments back to the judges last week showed her age & maturity level. Yes she is an amazing superstar Olympic athlete but, fame can be fleeting. I agree 100% with what the judges keep saying as I have felt it all season. In this competition it’s not enough to just come out and nail a performance you have to have fans invest in you & root for you. The difference for me between she and Laurie last season is we all could feel the emotion from Laurie, we could relate to her. Remember the dance after her Grandma passed away and the dance to Chicago? She hadn’t had all the life experiences either but, she opened her heart and allowed the audience in. Simone has the talent no question but, to win DWTS you need to have audience totally invested.
Normani Kordei & Val Chmerkovskiy: #teamValMani
I think Normani has peaked at the exact right time this season. She has opened up week after week & allowed us into her heart, her life experience and showed off another level of her amazing talent. It’s been nice to watch the friendship/partnership develop between she and Val and I truly think she deserves to be in the finals. The contemporary dance last week was one of the most raw, emotional and powerful displayed on the show. The trio dance was a ton of fun. I am excited to see what they bring this week.
Rashad Jennings & Emma Slater #teamShadSquad
Rashad has truly blown me away this season and he and Emma absolutely deserve to be in the finals. I am not only really excited for Emma because she finally has an amazing partner that has allowed her to show off her fantastic skills but, mostly because this partnership is just perfection. Rashad is just one of those truly genuine, kind and caring individuals that I am truly honored to have met. He literally took time with everyone that wanted to speak to him, get a picture etc. and was incredibly down to earth and humble. He has grown as a dancer from week 1, he has taped into the magic formula of getting into character, being truly raw & emotional when the dance calls for it and brings the passion and intensity when it’s needed. I thought they were fantastic last week and the trio dance was excellent.
Final thoughts:
I think it should be Val and Normani & Emma & Rashad in the final 2. I think both are absolutely tremendous, they both have the total package and I would be happy to see either team win. I think Rashad might have a slight edge with viewers in that he came into the competition with no dance experience and developed and grew through the season but, I think Normani might have had the experience but, I think she showed growth in allowing people into her story.
Who’s excited for the DWTS Hot Summer Nights Tour? Buy your tickets, you will not be disappointed! They always have a great VIP experience too!
Until next time,
XOXO
Heather
Having VIP and meeting the professional dancers of DWTS was honestly a dream come true. They were the nicest people and just amazing. I met Val, Laurie and Artem in the meet and greet and I was just in shock. I could not believe I was standing in front of them! They gave the absolute best hugs I did not want to let them go! Emma & Lindsay were mingling and honestly they were the sweetest! They talked to me for so long and it was so nice of them! Meeting them was such a dream come true…I cried so much! Getting this chance I felt so blessed and I just could not thank Heather enough for the opportunity! Doing this meet & greet I know for sure I will do it again on the next tour! Thank you Heather for giving me the opportunity to meet my idols!
My favorite part of my first VIP experience was for sure meeting the pros! Especially Emma Slater and Val Chmerkovskiy! They have been such role models in my life and to finally meet them was amazing! They were two of the nicest people I have ever met! I was very surprised as how nice and humble the pros are! I knew they were nice but, honestly I did not think they would be the most amazing people! I am so proud to call all of the pros my idols!
Hi guys! So happy to be featured in this guest blog by Heather, it’s amazing and such a pleasure! I’m going to be telling you all about my amazing experience doing the DWTS We Came To Dance Tour VIP. First of all, I have to thank Heather again for this opportunity to meet my favorite dancers and watch an incredible show up so close. It was the best time of my life, and I loved every second of it. Forever grateful for that experience and to have met the wonderful person that’s Heather. 
Afterwards, it was time for the mingle with Hayley & Lindsay! So glad they added this to the VIPs because it gives you so much time to be able to really chat with them and take individual pictures. I was beyond happy that Hayley was in my mingle because I really wanted her there. I got to talk to her multiple times and take pics with her, and sometimes we’d just go back if nobody was talking to her. One of my favorite moments talking to Hayley was telling her about me and Erica’s name in the jive she does, and her laugh is the cutest thing. She really made this VIP experience so special. Lindsay was super sweet to meet again, and when she was leaving she even helped give my gift to Laurie. I loved how interactive they were with fans! Both the m&g and mingle was absolutely perfect, even better than I expected. Moments I’ll treasure forever! 
We got to sit in the second row right in the middle, and I had such a perfect view. It was unbelievable how close I was, and the whole show there was so much contact made between me and the dancers. You can also hear things they say when you’re so close up, and it was just wonderful. The show was absolutely perfect, everything to the costumes, dances, voiceovers, made this show incredible and really made me connect with them more. My first VIP experience was just indescribable and made me so happy, I smile just thinking about it. Thank you once again to Heather, the whole cast, and friends who experienced this with me. If you can, definitely get VIP or just general tickets to the show because wherever you sit, it’ll be an amazing time for you. January 21st, 2017 is a day I’ll remember always! XO -Sandra
I am attending 5 shows on this tour and have one more to go in Costa Mesa on the last night of the tour and did VIP for each. If you want to learn about their amazing VIP experience check out this link: 
This year’s tour really focused on each dancer’s story and it was so beautifully put together. You would find yourself laughing, in tears, with goosebumps and just sitting on the edge of your seat. To highlight just a sample: Val and Laurie perform a few of their favorite dances from the season, there is a section on favorite movie dances that is just fun and stunning at the same time, special dances for just the men and just the women and a lovely moment as Emma shares the story of her engagement. The girls and Artem perform a fun Spice Girls number that will really take you back. I loved the opening & closing numbers and the piece they all participate in on how they put together the dances each week. There is also a section after intermission that will leave you in stitches it is so hilarious. 
Jenna Johnson performs a really amazing number to Seduces Me that is just breathtaking. Sharna & Val perform a high energy jive that just totally rocks and Sharna performs a steamy tango with Alan that I just loved! Alan and the ladies perform a special number that will leave every man in the room jealous of him. Artem and Gleb heat up the stage in their respective pieces that tell their stories. Lindsay hits all the right notes in her dances too including the one she dedicates to her Dad…Crazy Train. Keo also has some moving pieces to his life story and a rumba with Emma. Jenna and Artem perform a special piece from La La Land that is visually and emotionally stunning. The contemporary numbers that Jenna & Artem and Hayley and Val do are so beautiful and passionate. The number that makes me cry and I get goosebumps every night is Sharna’s story. I don’t want to spoil it for those that have not yet seen it but, it’s a story some can really relate to and will pull at your heart strings for sure. This was just a quick highlight of my thoughts. All of the performances are just amazing!
VIP Shout Out! I was thrilled to see that we have one of VIP Nation’s best hosts Anthony Jones for this tour! He also did the Maks & Val Tour this summer. He is not only a really nice guy, he gets it and works to post pictures as quick as he can (remember we all have to be patient), he checks the photos after he takes them and truly cares about the customers. High-five Anthony when you see him in your city because he really is a rock star for the fan experiences!
Now on to the good stuff! After check in we were directed upstairs. For this venue the layout was a bit odd compared to other venues I have been to but, they have to work with the space the building offers. We didn’t wait very long at all when they started telling Group A to line up. A few minutes later we saw Keo and Alan coming our way, it was their turn to do the Meet & Mingle! It appears that it’s all rotating like last tour (2 in the Meet & Mingle and 4 in the photos with Val & Laurie being consistent ). To give you an idea for our cast photo we had Val, Laurie, Sharna & Gleb. I will update this after each show to give you all an idea:
The photos were wonderful as always, it was my first time meeting Laurie & Gleb and it was so fantastic to see Val & Sharna. Anthony takes great care in taking the photos for us. The staff is also very kind, nobody is yelling at you it’s a pleasant experience. You do have to leave your purse, bags and anything else on you at the table and you cannot ask for autographs etc. at the cast photo portion. This year too it was one professional photo taken by Anthony, no selfie options in the main photo. You could however do selfies with the dancers in the Meet & Mingle. The green screen operator for this city wasn’t the best at taking the shots and they were having issues with the Wi-Fi not being fast enough so the green screen pictures were very hit or miss on if you got them in your email. However, Anthony with VIP Nation being the rock star host that he is, is already on it for us! I noticed today in the photos link there is one for the Meet & Greet pictures and then one for the Photo booth. That was smart thinking to just upload them all vs having issues city to city with Wi-Fi. After the photos were done and the dancers all left to get ready for the show you could go to the merchandise stand and do some crowd free shopping which was also nice.
Please note on the pics: the itinerary says up within to 2 weeks. I know it’s super hard to be patient but, I know Anthony will post as quickly as he can. He is one of the best in speed to get them posted.
You will get to see a few of the best dances of our Mirrorball Champions Val & Laurie and a few other truly amazing performances by the cast from this season. However, my lips are sealed on more details for now so you can be surprised and enjoy the shows in your city.
It sounds like this tour will be even more incredible than the last so definitely don’t miss out!
I have been a fan of this show ever since Season 1 and I have to say this season will be a hard one to top. The entire cast truly came in with a great attitude and really put in the effort. It was hard not to fall in love with the personalities and stories of each of our stars this season. There were so many shining stars.
I want to give a huge shout out to the Season 23 Dance Troupe: Brittany Cherry, Alan Bersten, Hayley Erbert, 
On to the finale:
It was too fun to watch Maureen McCormick live her huge fan dream of dancing with Babyface, Ryan, Artem, Keo and Dennis tonight. Maureen was one that I truly felt grew a lot this season. It’s always fun when a star is also a fan of the show because it allows us at home to live it through their eyes.
I loved the friendship that developed between Vanilla Ice and Rick Perry this season. Vanilla’s performance was a fun blast from the past and even though they might not have been the strongest dancers the partnerships between Witney/Vanilla and Emma/Rick were fun to watch all season and both did work hard.
Sharna Burgess & James Hinchcliffe 
The gift that James gave to Sharna of the race suit he wore the first time he raced again after his accident was truly sweet. Sharna truly put together the most amazing piece to close the chapter on James’s survival journey. They performed a fusion dance of Foxtrot & Viennese Waltz. It was absolutely beautiful. James demonstrated all the grace in his movements and it again highlighted the beautiful friendship that developed between them this season. It was stunning.
Calvin & Lindsay 
Calvin & Lindsay did a Jive & Quickstep fusion. Calvin and Lindsay almost developed a big brother/little sister relationship this season. Calvin should be so happy with his journey this season. He grew immensely and I think kept his attitude on the fun this entire season. He was a joy to watch! Their fusion dance was a lot of fun, high energy and again showed off all the great dance qualities that Calvin brought to the floor.
Laurie Hernandez & Val Chmerkovskiy 
Val and Laurie had a Foxtrot & Argentine Tango Fusion dance. Their package was so adorable. It was sad hearing them talk about this season ending. I think Val was a tremendous positive influence on Laurie. Laurie grew so much before our eyes and is truly a remarkable young lady. Their fusion dance was incredible. Laurie had that fire, pure determination and the look of champion in her eyes when they started that fusion dance. I do disagree with those that felt Laurie had an edge this season because of gymnastics. Laurie was the first gymnast that didn’t use the tricks in the dances this season. I can speak from personal experience at a lower level. I was a cheerleader and when I started taking ballroom & latin dance lessons it is totally different and definitely not easy to learn to dance with a partner.
More on the finale…
ce number was also choreographed by the amazing Mandy Moore. This was truly remarkable. It was creative, it was a technical and visual delight the way she was able to bring the story into motion using the special screen to make the young girl’s dream a reality. It truly was an absolute Masterpiece!
Sharna & James and Val & Laurie were the final two couples and truly they were both so good it could have been a tie this season. Each partnership just had that special something. The talent, the creativity of Val & Sharna with their respective partners was just unstoppable this year. I would have been absolutely thrilled if their partnership had won.
