Due to the presidential debates this fall, television stations ABC & NBC will have a little schedule shift. Instead of the regular 2-hour showing of "Dancing with the Stars" (ABC) and "The Voice" (NBC), there is set to be a delay.. But what does this mean for "Dancing with the Stars"?
Producer Rob Wade chatted with TV Guide about the slight schedule shift for Week 3 of "Dancing with the Stars" and had this to say: "There are a lot of presidential debates in the first few weeks of the season, we've had to jump around our schedule a bit which left us with Week 3 being a one-hour show instead of the normal two-hour show." He included that, "There will be 12 dances crammed into one-hour, with twelve couples who will have to face off against each other..meaning that the couples will be split into 6 different powers."
The first presidential debate is scheduled for Monday, September 26th, with a vice presidential debate Tuesday, October 4th. The second presidential debate is scheduled for Sunday, October 9th and the third is scheduled for Wednesday, October 19th. The debates will interfere with The Voice's Monday and Tuesday's scheduled programming.
Twelve dances, one hour.... That's alright for us. Dancing with the Stars premieres Monday, September 12th on ABC and The Voice premieres Monday, September 19th, on NBC..
-Shay (@SharnaKeoLove on Twitter. Follow during Season 23 for exclusive blogs and also live tweet feeds during the Monday productions)
Hey guys it's Shay aka the News Reporter for The DWTS 2016 Social Square's blog!The frenzy has settled, the couples were CONFIRMED OFFICIALLY! Who are these couples you ask??? Let me tell you their NAMES!
They are:
Jake T. Austin (Actor, "The Fosters") with first time pro Jenna Johnson
Kenneth "BabyFace" Edmonds (R&B Artist) with Allison Holker
Marilu Henner (Actress, "Taxi") with Derek Hough
Laurie Hernandez (Olympic Gymnast) with Val Chmerkovskiy
James Hinchcliffe (Racecar Driver) with Sharna Burgess
Vanilla Ice (Rapper) with Witney Carson
Calvin Johnson (Wide Receiver - Detroit Lions) with Lindsay Arnold
Terra Jole (Reality Star "Little Women: LA") with Sasha Farber
Jana Kramer (Actress "One Tree Hill" & Country Artist) with Gleb Savenchko
Ryan Lochte (Olympic Swimmer) with Cheryl Burke
Maureen McCormick (Actress "The Brady Bunch" & Author) with Artem Chigvintsev
Rick Perry (Politician) with Emma Slater
Amber Rose (Model & Actress) with Maks Chmerkovskiy
Follow the Celebs:
Jana Kramer - KramerGirl
Amber Rose - DaRealAmberRose
Ryan Lochte - RyanLochte
Laurie Harnandez - LZHernandez02
Terra Jole - TerraJole
Calvin Johnson - CalvinJohnsonJr
Kenneth "BabyFace" Edmonds - Babyface
Vanilla Ice - VanillaIce
Marilu Henner - TheRealMarilu
Rick Perry - GovernorPerry
Maureen McCormick - MoMcCormick7
Jake T. Austin - JakeTAustin
James Hinchcliffe - HinchTown
NOTE: Pros NOT RETURNING: Karina Smirnoff, Keo Motsepe, Peta Murgatroyd *Expecting first baby with Maks Chmerkovskiy*, Tony Dovolani, Mark Ballas & Edyta Sliwinska .
New Pro: Jenna Johnson was promoted to PRO for the Season 23 run of the show. (Everyone's happy for her)
Only two of the thirteen couples were unveiled on a LIVE broadcast of Good Morning America on Tuesday August 30th, 2016: Val Chmerkovskiy & Laurie Hernandez + Cheryl Burke & Ryan Lochte.
Full cast reveal will take place on Wednesday, September 7th, 2016 LIVE on Good Morning America in New York City..
Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews return for HOSTS for Season 23...
Season 23 airs Monday, September 12th 2016 8/7c on ABC...
Are you ready to tango? I sure am..
This is a special news bulletin for Season 23 of Dancing with the Stars.. Have a great day!
Without Derek Hough in season 22 of Dancing With the Stars, some claimed that the show was not worth watching. Others said that the competition was so high that it was not a season to miss! Either way, whether good, bad, or even ugly (okay, maybe not that last part), there were those stand-out dances that made a lasting impression on the viewing audience. And, at least in my opinion, these are the most remarkable performances of the season! 10. Doug Flutie and Karina Smirnoff's Waltz
The story behind this Waltz is so heartbreaking and chilling. Having both of his parents die within seconds of each other, and telling a love story from that is both beautiful and tear-jerking. Doug's technique was not the best, but he and Karina truly glowed. It was one of the most remarkable Most Memorable Year Night performances of Dancing With the Stars!
9. Mischa Barton and Artem Chigvintsev's Cha-Cha-Cha
I feel bad for putting this dance on the list because it about how bad it was, but remember, this list only reflects the dances, the packages before the dances, the judging, the audience's reactions, and the drama behind everything. Personalities have nothing to do with it. But this, to me, was the week that Mischa broke. She did poorly the week before with her Tango, but everything was against her with this Cha-Cha-Cha. Not only was it awkward to watch, but it made her look like a robot. By this point, the audience could only think about her not being very fun, whether you agree with it or not.
8. TIE- Paige VanZant and Sasha Farber's Rumba AND Kim Fields and Keoikantse Motsepe's Viennese Waltz
These two dances are tied on this list because both of them had strong division with the opinions of judges Len and Maks against Carrie Ann and Bruno. For both performances, Len and Maks were seen as harsh by the majority of the viewing public because of their controversial comments about there not being enough content. And if you read our blog post from Switch-Up week. you would know that we were split on this, too! Either way, these performances were the talk of the week!
7. Jodie Sweetin and Keoikantse Motsepe/Nyle DiMarco and Peta Murgatroyd's Argentine Tango
As we all know, this was the very first dance on Dancing With the Stars to showcase two people of the same sexes perform together in hold, with gender dancing rules put to the side. I don't think too many people had a problem with it, but I'm sure some people did. I'm just glad that we now live in a society that this could be considered normal. Most of the reception for Nyle and Jodie's Argentine Tango was positive, praising DWTS's progression with social stuff. This was a first for the show, and I don't think it will be the last time we will see something like this!
6. Ginger Zee and Valentin Chmerkovskiy's Freestyle
If you do a Fred Astaire dance, know that the expectations for it will be high! And this dance, unfortunately, especially for a finale Freestyle, was overwhelmingly underwhelming. It wasn't bad. . . it just didn't work. Ginger was already controversial finalist, Val is and always will be controversial, and this dance was just one of those performances that look better in your head. Many Ginger and Val haters saw this as a desperate attempt by ABC to give Ginger the win, and a desperate attempt from Val to be someone that he is not. I personally do not think that, but a lot of people sure were vocal about it! To each their own. . .
5. Nyle DiMarco and Peta Muratroyd's Cha-Cha-Cha
We have seen so many inspirations on DWTS before, but seeing Nyle have some of the best musicality of the premiere while facing the obstacle of not being able to hear the music is just fascinating! This was the "wow" moment for people all over America, realizing that he is a force to be reckoned with! He's not just deaf, he's not just good-looking, he has performance quality for days!
4. Paige VanZant and Mark Ballas's Argentine Tango
This dance might have been just the hot and steamiest dance on the show, making pretty much everyone believe it would get a perfect score. But Len didn't think it was worthy of a ten! He said that it wasn't his taste, so he gave a 9. Fans were outraged, but at the end of the day, is one point less really all that detrimental when you have a huge fan base?
3. Jodie Sweetin and Keoikantse Motsepe's Jive
This was the moment we had all been waiting for for four seasons-- Keo's breakthrough dance! Jodie was just the partner to for Keo to show his full capabilities of what he can do! Of course credit has to Jodie as well, considering this was her first perfect score of the season, as well as Keo's first perfect score ever! It was just so much fun, and the perfect end note to end on before their elimination!
2. Geraldo Rivera and Edyta Śliwińska's Salsa
Just because Geraldo was out first does not mean he did not make an impact on the show! While in the middle of could be called the bloodiest (figuratively, of course) election of all of American history, Geraldo decides to go to political for his Salsa, while giving Democrats and Republicans alike a good laugh. Of course, the performance didn't sit too well with everybody, especially because former Mrs. Trump was on the sidelines watching every second of it. Nonetheless, it was very funny, and showed that he was having a good time on the show!
1. Wanyá Morris and Lindsay Arnold's Charleston
This was the very last dance that Wanyá did before he was eliminated. First of all, I consider this to be the most memorable dance of the season because of how much fun and how innovative on Lindsay's part it was. And second of all, this dance made his massive fan base believe that he was wrongly eliminated from the show, claiming that he was "robbed". Wanyá is considered one of the most robbed contestants in DWTS history, making his support even stronger. But he had a fantastic run, so that is something that both he and Lindsay should be massively proud of!
What do you think was the most memorable dance of season 22 of Dancing With the Stars! Are you ready for season 23, which is quickly approaching?
Make sure you follow The DWTS 2016 Community Square on Twitter at @DWTS2016, and follow Paul Bentley on Twitter at @TheBentleyNinja for more about Dancing With the Stars!
EMMA SLATER IS BACK. I REPEAT. EMMA SLATER IS BACK!.
Fresh off a two season hiatus... And adopting a new dog for her and Sasha to call their baby... We are full of happy feels that EMMA IS BACK! This is a huge celebration for the DWTS Community! LIKE HUGE!
Some snip-it's from the Dancing with the Stars Snapchat (DANCINGABC for those who want to see magical stuff), the people behind the snapchat account took a photo of "suspicious mysterious legs" and the guessing game started from there.. Fans of the show have threw names into the suspicion that it could be "JENNA" , "JOJO FLETCHER" and many others too. Then it clicked..... THE SUSPICIOUS MYSTERIOUS LEGS WERE EMMA'S LEGS!!!!!!!!!!! EMMA IS RETURNING. All our hopes and dreams of ESHA (Emma and Sasha) competing against each other for another hurrah have came true! Emma and Sasha first competed against each other in S17 of DWTS. Emma competed with comedian Bill Engvall, they placed fourth place overall with "Glee"s Amber Riley and Derek Hough taking the prize home. Sasha Farber competed with Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi of "Jersey Shore".. They finished eighth!
Since then, Emma has competed with popular social media star Hayes Grier in S21 which they finished eighth.
We can all breathe easier now that Emma Slater is strapping on some dancing shoes again and we can get back to smiling!
*I'm freaking out with happiness too. I'm hoping she gets a good person that can take her to the finish line. Some people are saying that UFC Champ Conor McGregor could be her celebrity partner.. Which is the second UFC fighter in one year, following UFC Champ Paige Vanzant who danced with Mark Ballas in S22..They finished SECOND. *
Hello Again. It's Shay. So, who's pumped for season 23? Let's talk about the rumors and the confirmations that are making their rounds on social media. First lets talk about the first wave of pro-dancers casting announcements that GOOD MORNING AMERICA revealed today. Dancing with the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy (via Video Call from Los Angeles) helped reveal some of the pros who'll compete to take home the Mirror Ball Trophy. Val revealed 8/13 names of the DWTS Pros returning.. Here's the current list:
Lindsay Arnold
Sharna Burgess
Witney Carson
Artem Chigvintsev
Val Chmerkovskiy
Sasha Farber
Allison Holker
Gleb Savenchko
Our question now, is "Who are the other five pros that will compete alongside the eight announced?".. That is our question and it's been grilling our minds for a while now since this morning. Could there be two new pros that are joining the star studded roster? I'm thinking so.. I'm trying not to get my hopes up right now at this time, but I'm really hoping that they give troupe member Brittany Cherry (Remember her from the last few seasons? She also was in the music video for Ed Sheeran's "Thinking out Loud"!) a well needed promotion to pro-dancer this season after all she did kill it with troupe these last few seasons though.. You gotta give Brittany a chance..
- Let's get down and dirty with these early confirmations now.. We're getting confirmation that Amber Rose is set to strap on some dancing shoes and hit the dance floor for season 23.. Some fans (I'm one of them) are not happy with the news so far. Amber Rose is most known as an activist, actress, model and fashion designer. She was married to rapper Wiz Khalifa for three years and has one child. She also has ties with the Kardashian family as well as she knows them fairly well. - We also are getting reports that Olympic Gymnast Laurie Hernandez who recently won medals Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. I'm digging it. I really want her to dance with pro Mark Ballas* (*meaning status TBD) because she would be the second of the "FInal Five" US Olympic Gymnasts to compete on the dazzled out dancing competition, succeeding Aly Raisman who competed with Mark many seasons ago. - We're also learning that "General Hospital"'s Robert P. Watkins (Dillon Quartermaine) is eyeing the Mirrorball Trophy. This would make him one of the many General Hospital alumni who've competed/to compete on the show. I"m kinda hoping he's with Witney but he could be with Lindsay. I don't know.. - We're also apparently getting reports that Emma Samms (General Hospital - Holly Scorpio) is also wanting to take a stab at the coveted MBT prize too. I don't know who she'd end up with for S23.. But I think she'll do a good job.. Maybe with Keo or Tony.. Who knows.... - Also, "Bachelorette" leading lady Joelle "JoJo" Fletcher is in talks to also strap some shoes on and shake what her mama gave her also. I'm praying that she takes this into consideration and says "I'm in!"..because she is set to walk down the aisle to her fiancée Jordan Rodgers. She'd need to get some killer dance moves to impress her hubby to be during their wedding! I'm down for this because I am a huge Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bachelor in Paradise fan and I absolutely want Fletcher to do this! - We also know that SHAY MITCHELL is rumored to be taking the floor soon too. I HOPE SHE DOES!!!!!!
There's been a lot of speculation as to if Shay Mitchell, star of Pretty Little Liars is to be part of the star studded cast of season 23..... Rumour has it, that according to Mitchell's Snapchat stories.. Her first one, on Monday she told us she's been working out a lot more recently... And that there'd be a reason to it once the end of the month rolls around. (The DWTS Season 23 cast reveal is Tuesday August 30th, if you're curious*).. She kept posting her snap stories on the popular social media hub of workouts and the hopes and dreams of many PLL x DWTS fans kept blossoming...
She was a fan favourite to do the reality dancing competition, and it was all after Janel Parrish (Of the same show) competed in season 19's edition with pro-dancer Val Chmerkovskiy. People kept wanting Shay Mitchell since Janel's season to be doing it. And if rumours are true, she could be doing it this upcoming season. But is it all true? Many fans of both shows are really hoping so too. It would be a dream come true for so many people in both the PLL fandom and the DWTS fandom....
Now what would their team name be if they're doing it together? Chmitchell? Vay? PrettyLittlefoxtrot? Shmerkovskiy? Who knows what they're going to do....or where Shay'll end up.. Nobody knows by all means....
For now...lets just be happy Val's actually returning.. And let's pray that Shay Mitchell is gonna kill it on DWTS..
Season 23 Cast Reveal will air early morning on GMA Tuesday, August 30th on ABC.
Season 23 airs Monday, September 12th at 8/7c on ABC.
- for now and I shall return....
Shay. (@SharnaKeoLove on Twitter)
-🅰
It's been a few weeks since we posted on this blog, but we have adooseyfor you today. I got the idea for this when I was editing the Thoughts on Jodie and Keo post and spent about half of it responding to the criticisms Keo was getting from viewers during the season/ This post is going to be me doing the same thing for all the pros and how they handled their assignments this season. Also I'm going to rank them. So the order they appear on this list will go from who I think did the least good of a job to who I think did the best. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THESE RANKINGS ARE BASED ON SEASON 22 ONLY. THINGS THESE PROS HAVE DONE IN THE PAST DID NOT AFFECT THEM. 12. Artem Chigvintsev As an emotionally fragile recovering drug addict, Mischa Barton was one of the toughest assignments this season, and in a group with so many talented dancers and fun personalities, it was clear she wouldn't have much time to play catch-up. So yeah, I think Mischa was likely to be kind of a lost cause no matter what, but having the least empathetic pro currently on Dancing With the Stars certainly didn't help the matter. To be fair, I did see Artem give Mischa a little bit of emotional support during her time on the show, but I think he has problems with adapting his teaching style to his celebrity. He does great at adapting the choreography to their strengths, but it seems he is stubborn in his methods when working with them. So while I don't think Mischa would have gotten much further with another partner, I do think she might have enjoyed herself more. At this point Artem just doesn't seem to have as strong a grasp on the "fun" aspect of this show as some other pros, but I have seen shades of it in him and I think once he really gets it we're going to see some amazing things. I'm hoping this coming season is a really good one for Artem, and he gets a partner that can open up that side of him more. I think the closest he's come to really opening up in a partnership Artem has had on this side of the pond was with Patti LaBelle (and it often seems in interviews she's the only one he's really liked-I feel bad for poor Lea Thompson whenever I see those comments) but I'd like to see it go even further. I'm hearing speculation Season 12 Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher might be on this coming season of DWTS and a lot of people seem to want her with Artem, but I'd rather she go with someone else because I want to see Artem partner a "bigger" personality to play off of. JoJo just seems kind of quiet. I guess we'll find out soon, though, because as of today (August 17) Artem is in the pro lineup for Season 23. 11. Val Chmerkovskiy I've made it quite clear on this blog how I felt about the way Val and partner Ginger were favored by the producers and ABC network this past season, and I wanted to make sure it didn't affect my rankings on this list, but the fact that it seems Val used this treatment to just skate along through the season certainly does affect my feelings about his outing as a pro in Season 22. I feel like in certain other seasons he was fighting harder because he knew it'd be an uphill battle to go far or win, but maybe this time he could see that the producers were going to do the work to make sure he and Ginger made it to the end so he just put less effort in. Now, I like Val when he's relaxed a lot more than when he's stressed out, but I wish he'd done more to really showcase Ginger this season. There were a couple of great numbers from them, but other than that not much stood out. The Freestyle in particular baffled me. It was nice that Val wanted to do something different, but there was a lot of filler, and why did he even put that tap dancing bit in there if neither of them knew how to? But I do have to say I think Val has gotten a lot better at tailoring his teaching methods to his partner in recent seasons. He's still too "my way or the highway" sometimes, but he seems to have a better understanding and sense of empathy toward them than he has in the past. Unsurprisingly, Val is coming back for Season 23, and apparently spoke to his new partner a few weeks ago. He also recently claimed on twitter that this would be his "best season ever" so I think he has a ringer. Whoever it is, I hope he works well with her and showcases her talents well (and no showmance, please). 10. Witney Carson When the Season 22 couples were first announced, Von Miller and Witney seemed like the most unfitting and random pairing of them all. And it was pretty weird at first; I think it took Witney a relatively long time to truly understand Von and what he was all about. As a result, Witney came across as not being invested in her partner which was a turn-off to me. I think she was invested to a degree (her fining and donation idea to make dance practice comparable to that of the NFL was brilliant) but she didn't seem to make too much of an effort to really connect with Von until close to the end; sometimes her comments toward him even felt judgemental. The last two weeks were great, though, and once Witney's level of enthusiasm matched Von's they were delightful to watch. I also have to applaud Witney for creating some entertaining dances out of tough assignments (the Flo Rida Foxtrot and the Elvis Salsa). Witney is scheduled to be a pro again for Season 23. I don't know who her partner is but I hope it's one of the older contestants. I think she'd do very well with an assignment like that. 9. Keo Motsepe I've already talked about Keo's Season 22 showing a lot, so I'll keep this brief. I thought he was good at the "care and support" aspect of being a pro and I appreciated he didn't seem to take it for granted like some other may have. His biggest downfall was his Standard Ballroom choreography, but some of his Latin dances were pretty awesome. So basically I wholeheartedly agree with some of the criticism he got, but other remarks made me scratch my head. To read more about what I though of Keo last season, check out this post. As I mentioned in the article I linked, based on the way that last package was edited I was pretty sure they were going to keep Keo on the pro roster for Season 23, but today I saw six male names on the list and his wasn't one of them. More on that below, but I think I'd like him to stick around and be in troupe. Last season showed Keo has some great assets as a pro, and I think some time in the troupe might allow him to work on some of his lesser skills. 8. Edyta Sliwinska Edyta has never made much of an impact on me to be honest. She's fine, but she just doesn't interest me as much as a lot of the other pros do. That said, I think she did alright this season considering her partner had a bum foot. She remained positive the whole time, and she clearly tried to choreograph around his limitations. The only thing that made me uncomfortable was her allowing Geraldo to theme the Salsa around Donald Trump. I mean, his ex-wife was there; it must have been very awkward for her. I haven't heard that Edyta is returning for Season 23, but I have heard there are a couple of female spots open, so maybe she will. 7. Tony Dovolani I can't think of anything bad Tony did last season, but I can't think of anything spectacular he did either. He was a good partner to Marla, providing good instruction and emotional support, and they had great chemistry out on the dance floor! I liked the Quickstep he came up with for her but I don't remember much about the other dances they did. I do think they deserved to go farther, but I can't say I really blame either of them for their elimination; I just think they kind of got lost in the shuffle, which likely had a lot to do with Marla not having nearly as large a fanbase as most of the other celebrity contestants. Sources that are usually reliable have said Tony is returning for Season 23, but I haven't heard anything from him or the show that confirms this or gives any hints as to who his partner might be. 6. Sharna Burgess From the looks of things pre-season, it seemed Sharna was in a good position, but it ended up being a tough one for her. She had a partner who wasn't committed enough and actually threw her under the bus for it. I for one don't think she did anything wrong in that situation, but she remedied it well. I liked most of her choreography fine, and she maintained a positive attitude even in the face of frustration. Sharna will be back for the new season, and I bet she's going to have a ringer seeing as the producers seem to really want her to win next (and have for the past couple of seasons). But I kind of hope she gets someone with potential who isn't technically a ringer. 5. Peta Murgatroyd This may seem like a somewhat low position for the winning pro to have, so let me explain. I think Peta was a wonderful partner for Nyle. She came up with innovative (and clearly effective) ways of teaching Nyle that were not auditory, She came up with interesting and entertaining choreography for their dances. She maintained a positive attitude and clearly provided great emotional support for her partner. And she did all of this while being pregnant for the first time! The only real issue I had with this partnership was that Peta didn't correct some of Nyle's errors (mainly in posture) and as a result, they sort of plateaued after a while. I mean, they were still very good and managed to win, but I wish she had really focused on fixing those technical issues. Obviously, Peta won't be back this season, as she is five months pregnant, and I wouldn't be surprised if we've seen the last of her on DWTS. This was was such a great season for her that would be very hard to top, so I can see her wanting to end her time as a pro with her win with Nyle. Okay, before I continue I feel the need to explain that these last four pros are in a class above the rest in my mind, and I could probably justify putting them in any order. These are the Season 22 pros I was blown away by, in one way or another. So keep in mind that while I'll still be ranking them, it's virtually a four-way tie for first between these people. 4. Sasha Farber I was so happy the producers of this show decided to do something smart for once and give Sasha a pro slot again, and let me tell you, he did not disappoint. For having never danced before, Kim managed to be a very good performer, and it was clear Sasha taught her well. The choreography was well suited to her and they were a great pair. I was also very impressed with how great Sasha did at emotionally supporting Kim, especially since she seemed to be one of the season's more sensitive contestants. I think the one little thing that he could have done better was maybe prepare her for the possibility of being eliminated. I heard she was very confident she was going to make the finale and had a bad reaction after being eliminated; she was very surprised and heartbroken. Other than that I think this was an excellent pro showing for Sasha. Originally, I was worried they might not bring Sasha back as a pro for Season 22 but according to the list he is, in fact, in the lineup, Needless to say, I am very excited about this and can't wait to see how he does in the fall! 3. Karina Smirnoff Karina is a seasoned pro on DWTS and it shows. She has great patience, choreography skills, and creativity. Because of this, she is able to successfully partner celebrities of many different age, ability, and personality types. This season she was with Doug, someone who was one of the oldest contestants of the season and was not as naturally talented as a lot of others. However, Karina managed to bring out the best in him by tailoring her choreography to his strengths (the most prominent example being their Paso Doble) and encouraging him even when he was very frustrated with himself. Karina was able to make DWTS a positive experience for Doug, even though he was clearly one of the least-skilled contestants, which is a sign of a truly great pro. Reason why she's not higher? Not really her fault, but the two above her produced some amazing choreography which Karina was unfortunately not able to hit this season. She's still awesome though. Karina's contract ended last season, and I haven't heard anything about her returning for Season 23 as of yet. I really hope she does come back because she is amazing, but if this was her DWTS swan song, it showed just how valuable she was as a pro on this show. 2. Mark Ballas I think Mark has been kind of underrated on this show. But now that Derek has left Dancing With the Stars a lot of his fans are suddenly flocking to Mark. It's nice to see him finally getting more support, even if it is blatantly obvious he's only the second choice for a lot of fans. This season he had Paige, who was clearly a ringer. However, he didn't rely only on her great dance skills to get by. Every week, he pushed the limits, trying to come up with something fresh, new, and innovative. He was also very patient with her, especially when she had trouble trusting him in the beginning. All of this paid off immensely, as they made it all the way to the end on a season with some of the toughest competition this show has seen in years. The reason he's not #1 is because he wasn't quite as gracious about the loss in the end as it would have been nice for him to be. Granted, he didn't bash anyone, but he was clearly pissed off. I know it must have been very hard for him and that was barely an issue, but I needed something to separate the top 2, and that was it I guess! I was wondering whether or not Mark would return this season, but apparently he is coming back! I heard he might have Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez as his partner, which might be pretty cool, though after having two gymnasts and a bunch of other young contestants in the past I think I'd perfer him with someone else. But really, I'm just glad he's back at all!
1. Lindsay Arnold While watching this season I kept forgetting this was only Lindsay's third outing as a pro because she came across as a more seasoned pro than a lot of the pros who have been doing this for years. She was kind, patient, creative, innovative......basically everything a pro on this show should be! I know she's had outside help with choreography in the past, and if she did this season as well, I'm fine with it; better to recognize you need help to make your celebrity shine and get it than insist on doing something you struggle with on your own. I can't think of anything Lindsay did this season that I didn't like, so that's why I put her on top of this list! Her partnership with Wanyá was wonderful, and I can't wait to see what she does on the show next! And yes, Lindsay will be back in the ballroom this fall for Season 23! Okay, so before I post this I wanted to elaborate a bit on the news we've been getting about the upcoming season. I already mentioned Laurie's possible participation, but there's been some interesting stuff up with the pros as well. An incomplete list of pro names was reported by @DWTSGossip on twitter today, and included: Allison Artem Gleb Lindsay Mark
Sasha Sharna Tony Val Witney There are at least two female spots left, and possibly a male one. Hmmmm In the meantime, I'm gonna freak out over the fact that they actually brought back Gleb! He was great on Strictly Come Dancing last season, so it's great that the DWTS producers finally realized they had given up someone special and have asked him to return! (Now we just need Chelsie, Tistan, and Emma to return! :P)
