Julia's UNFILTERED Thoughts on the DWTS Season 22 Pros

It's been a few weeks since we posted on this blog, but we have a doosey for 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)