Dancing with the Stars: Season 34, Week 1
Hello people we are back!
It has been a while since I really followed DWTS closely. The last season I reviewed was Jeannie Mai's during COVID, and then she had to withdraw. Around that time, I also moved continents so yeah with my favourite dropping out and being busy with other stuff, I ended up abandoning that season and subsequently only followed the show from afar.
A lot has changed since! We lost Len (RIP), Mark became an influencer for curly long-haired men, Rylee Arnold was a youth partner then became old enough to be a pro (crazy), Sasha and Emma broke up after famously getting engaged live, Emma moved on with Alan, Sasha dated one of his celeb partners briefly, the Sosa siblings moved over from SYTYCD, then Stephani was dropped, and now we also have a new pro.
Anyway yesterday a friend asked me if I was watching and we ended up watching together, so I now I'm back on this blog.
It was kinda weird seeing only two judges. I guess CAI's illness occurred too late for them to find a replacement. Some of the scoring segments were a bit uncoordinated and I wonder if it was because she wasn't there to keep them in line!
Most of the celebs had issues with pointing their feet. Which is quite normal for week 1.
So many dances wasted time walking down the stairs. Can we not.
I think a lot of people in this cast have the potential to do well and become good dancers (and some already are because of having actual ballroom background). It will depend on how good their pro is at pushing them and bringing out their best.
Scoring overall felt pretty fair. Derek and Bruno were quite clear they want to see more dance content and less show fluff. I can understand some audience's confusion or frustration around this, because this show as a whole has swung between being really strict on dance content and being more relaxed on being entertain-y with tricks and stuff. But this is what they decided this year and it was enforced quite consistently. Heck, if CAI or Len were around some of the "robbed" dances would have been scored EVEN LOWER for breaking hold and having lifts. The pros simply need to learn the game.
I feel like some dances in the second half scored 1-2 points higher than dances in the first half that were equally good, but that's just running order things that isn't a specific DWTS problem.
The new troupe seem great. They are all new faces to me but I'm already excited to see more of them. I'm just kinda done with this particular song. It was so overhyped, and then Tate's fans got sooo mad that it was "wasted" on "just some random club scene". Never mind that she's still one of the least established artists featured in that movie. Never mind that club scene ended up being the most viral part of the movie. Can you introduce me to Carlos Sainz? I'd love to see both Sr and Jr on this show (or the spanish version) some day. Anyway, I digress. I just needed an excuse to talk about Carlos Sainz.
It seemed like the celebs got to pick their songs for this week, and the producers assigned the dance styles.
And now the dance reviews!
note: scores are out of 20 instead of 30 due to CAI's absence. Individual scores are shown as Derek, Bruno.
Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa - Salsa - 5+5=10 Jordan was on the USA Women's Artistic Gymnastics team at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, winning the silver and gold team medals respectively. She may or may not have an individual floor bronze for 2024 as well, due to an unfortunate messy situation that is still under appeal.
I think this show is just going to get harder and harder for gymnasts because the bar has been set high. Ezra fell into the trap of putting too many tricks in to make a "wow" dance. I think he integrated the fluff moments better than some of the other pros who went down this route but that's also because it's easier to do with a dance like salsa. The actual samba parts were okay, but there was no moment that made me think "wow Jordan did great". She was okay. Body roll was stiff. Seemed a bit tense, which could have just been nerves from being first dance on opening night.
Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach - Cha Cha - 5+5 = 10 Yes, that Efron. Unlike his brother, Dylan has shunned performing arts activities and later found the limelight himself by winning the Traitors and posting thirst traps on socials (his own admission).
The dance was okay. I feel like Daniella was trying to play to the chimes in the music but it made for some awkward pauses that didn't flow well. It's also not quite the right song for cha cha. It's normally a samba song, but also on the faster end of samba so I get why they made it a cha cha instead. I also felt like Dylan was quite nervous and only warmed into it towards the end. He lacked sharpness and poise, but I can see him trying. I can see him being a fun one to watch if not the best dancer, depending on what Daniella can extract from him.
Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten - Cha cha - 6+6 = 12 Elaine is an actress from projects such as the 1998 version of The Parent Trap and Dynasty.
This dance was okay. Elaine was one of the better ones in terms of feeling relaxed and enjoying herself out there. Her left arm was kinda limp looking in some places which really drew my attention away from anything good she might have been doing though. Some moves lacked sharpness. Middle part of the choreography was weird - they had like two sways(????) - it was so awkward I'm not really sure what move that was supposed to be - before the hand claps and hip bumps. I wish that wasn't there because it broke up what was looking like a good dance. Decent amount of footwork in the choreo which she managed well, but has to straighten her legs more.
Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas - Tango - 7+8 = 15 Whitney comes from a group of moms that went viral of Tiktok and then had a reality show made about them. Think KUWTK but about Mormon wives. More pertinently, she has a degree in dance from BYU, which is in Utah, aka the one state where ballroom and latin are a major part of dance curricula. And even before that, she was competing against Pro Witney (Carson) in junior competitions. So yeah, she's probably the most ballroom-trained celeb to ever be on the show. For the sake of clarity, I'm now going to refer to her as Whitney L.
Now the tango was overall good, and one of the best dances on the night. Which is not surprising given her background. In fact, I feel more nitpicky about her because of her background. She let her elbows drop quite frequently, and her frame was upright for someone of that experience. If it was another celeb, I wouldn't make that frame comment on week 1. And Mark, for all the flair we know he can bring, just choreographed a normal, no-frills tango. Whether he's just experienced enough to know the game, had the "inside" knowledge of how Derek would have judged, he played his cards right this week.
Baron Davis and Britt Stewart - Cha Cha - 5+5 = 10 Baron is a former NBA player. Britt said in their rehearsal package that "athletes always do well". However, basketballers struggle more with this show from what I recall.
This dance was great fun and Baron did surprisingly well. He lacked precision, but had good timing and energy. They used MC Hammer "Can't Touch This" and he wore the MC Hammer pants, which, I get it, but it did him a disservice because I think he made a decent attempt at some hip action that was not visible thanks to those pants. They wasted a lot of time at the start just walking out then walking down the stairs. However, the MC Hammer moves were blended well into the dance, so it didn't bother me as much when they had that chorus dance break. He even did some fast footwork right after that which pleasantly surprised me. He seemed really comfortable out there so I think there is plenty of potential in this pairing.
Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy - Cha Cha - 7+6 = 13 Alix (sounds like it's said like "Alex") is a...makeup influencer? That became an actress and model? The package honestly didn't do a good job introducing her.
Now this dance was nice and clean. The song was kinda awkward for a cha cha but I can't really imagine what other style could fit with it, so I think Val did a good job with what he was handed. They wasted a lot of time with her coming down from the extra pedestal above the steps, but once on the floor there was actually a lot of footwork in that choreo and Alix handled it really well. Val's choreography has not been my favourite in the past, but I like what I saw here. Alix had really nice straight legs and seems very precise. However, I can't really get a read on her energy - she seemed really closed off and cold. Also, although I complimented her footwork, it maybe didn't seem as impressive because Val contained the dance to a limited area. That felt a bit too safe given that they came right after Baron, who also done the fast footwork but used more of the dance floor, albeit with less finesse. That said, Val, being an experienced pro, played his cards right, and ultimately came up with a straightforward technical dance once they got past the showy intro. Now that his partner has shown potential, I hope he gets bolder with choreography, and also helps her bring her personality out more.
Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold - Tango - 5+5 = 10 Scott is from the acapella group Pentatonix, which is one of those groups where I know of them and their discography but not the individual members. Their cover of Abracadabra got the attention of Lady Gaga herself hence the song choice.
Now people are BIG MAD about this score!!! Because they liked the dance!!! But look, the best part of the dance was when they hit the chorus, broke hold, and did a show dance that was completely non-tango. It was good. It was entertaining. It was not tango. The actual tango parts, his frame was not good and his fans lacked sharpness. I completely understand why the judges scored this the way they did. I think Scott has potential but Rylee needs to up her choreography game and not fall into the trap of having too much fluff.
Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov - Tango - 6+6 = 12 Danielle is best known for playing Topanga from Boy Meets World. A show that was quite a big thing when it was airing and that I didn't watch so I can't tell you any more. To avoid confusion with Daniella the pro, I will be referring to celeb Danielle as Danielle F.
I was a bit surprised both judges gave 6, because I thought there would be at least one 5. Most noticeably, Danielle F's arms were really weak and kept dropping. There are visible moments where Pasha kind jerks his own arms to remind her of her frame. But not for the first time, a no-frills dance got rewarded for the content it was able to pack in.
Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik - Salsa - 6+6 = 12 Jen is also from the same mormon moms group and show as Whitney. No secret dance degree afaik. I think they are trying to make a thing outta it here like when they had Charlie and Meryl compete in the same season, or Carlos and Alexa, but two moms from a mormon community doesn't hit the same as a husband vs wife competition or two skating partners who have worked together since they were kids and achieved Olympic success together now competing against each other.
Our new pro Jan is most recognised for as a backup dancer on T Swift's Eras Tour. He's also worked with other music artists. Unfortunately for him, his first impression is also throwing in too much fluff. I think 80% of this dance was lifts. The bits of salsa I did see, Jen looked pretty good. But there wasn't much salsa to see. I think it would have only been a 5+5 if it was earlier in the running order. Jen seemed much more comfortable than Jordan, who was the only other salsa, so 12 seems fair compared to that 10. But this dance was much more fluffy than Scott's, so 12 seems a bit high to that 10. Maybe 11 would have been the right score.
Corey Feldman and Jenna Johnson - Tango - 4+5 = 9 Corey is an actor and musician whose films were all before my time. He mentioned in his package that he has scoliosis, which impacts his frame. Jenna seemed really patient with him and looks like she's become a good teacher. Honestly I don't remember much of her as a pro. I had to google who her partners were and I was like, "I literally don't remember any of you". I didn't watch the sports mini season where she won. Nev's season was the one I dropped out of halfway.
The non-tango dance break in this song was kept just about short enough, though it still disrupted the flow of the dance. Corey had obviously problems with his frame, and was also very stompy with his feet. He is putting a lot of effort into this and comments online seems very endeared. I don't really know what his fan base is like, but if he captures enough voters, he might go further than people think.
Lauren Jauregui and Brandon Armstrong - Tango - 7+6 = 13 Lauren is from the (former?) girl group Fifth Harmony, making it 3/5 members now. I never really followed this group but if I recall, Normani was seen as one of the better dancers while Ally was mocked for being the worst dancer, so everyone else we get from now on will be right down the middle. Also, last time I watched this show closely, Jeannie said Brandon was single, and in the 5 years since, he got married at some point, so congratulations!
Lauren had the most consistent frame of all the tangos. Was it the best? No, but she was able to maintain hers throughout and her arms were fairly high. Whitney L and Danielle F will need to take notes for their future standard dances as both of them let their arms drop more than once. This dance was going fairly well and then they had that dance break. Luckily this one was only about 4-6 counts long. But again, it broke the flow. They might have eaked out one extra point without it.
Andy Richter and Emma Slater - Cha Cha - 5+4 = 9 Andy is an actor from movies like Elf and Arrested Development. Both of which I have heard of but not watched. Someone out there is yelling about how I could not have watched such "classics". I'm not the most well-versed in pop culture okay. Sue me.
He had fun. He was never going to be a celeb we expect finesse from. Emma gave him a choreo that he could keep up with and honestly, he had more cha cha content than some others had of their styles. He was okay on single-count steps and then double-count steps would trip him up. Like Corey, I can see him pulling voters in just for having a positive attitude. Those two may also be the go-to for people who want to rebuke against having such an experienced cast member such as Whitney L.
Hilaria Baldwin and Gleb Shevchenko - Cha Cha - 7+7 = 14 Hilaria is a yoga instructor, studio chain owner, and fitness influencer. Also wife of actor Alec Baldwin. She has some "dance experience" that was glossed over but internet search says this does include ballroom, and she was even on NYU's competitive ballroom team.
This dance was really good, no frills or fluff, just straight cha cha that Hilaria handled really well. I don't remember ANY of Gleb's former partners but do remember he had gained a rep for leaning into showmance and not choreographing technical dances. Well he's been handed a good dancer here and gave her a worthy routine to show it. Hilaria had the best lines of the women who did latin this week and also seemed the most aware of her arms.
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson - Jive - 8+7 = 15 Robert Irwin is a wildlife conservation advocate, son of Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter and brother of former DWTS winner Bindi.
When they said their first dance would be a jive, I was like "please don't be Crocodile Rock again" because that would just be too on the nose. Especially when that was Bindi's first dance too. He did really well for jive, which is a hard dance for week 1. He had a good bounce, but felt like he was very crouched in his stance, like a wound spring that wasn't releasing all its energy. I also think Witney went down the fluff trap, only about 50% jive, but managed to choreograph better transitions between the jive and non-jive parts. And there were some parts where they slowed the choreo down because of certain accents in the song, but it come across weird to me. I think Robert has good stage presence and a partner who has shown she can be a good teacher and choreographer. It's hard to judge someone's potential based on jive, but this should also be a good pairing that can go far.
Overall scores and final thoughts
15/20 - Robert, Whitney L
12/20 - Danielle F, Elaine, Jen
10/20 - Baron, Dylan, Scott, Jordan
Everyone looks quite compact because there were only 2 judges, but I would say that also fairly represents their capability and potential. Everyone who got 10-13 is fairly well matched and I think the pros will make the difference. I would be worried about Jordan because I'm not certain of Ezra's capabilities as a pro, plus she might have been forgotten after going first. Rylee is the other pro with a question mark over her head, but I think Scott still made a bigger impression with his non-tango Lady Gaga dance break.
There was a big gaff in the scoring for Whitney L when Bruno held up a 7 paddle, read out a 7, but the 8 score came up on screen. Apparently, he had submitted 8 to the producer, then picked up the wrong paddle. Maybe he changed his mind? But it certainly didn't help with the perception that Whitney is being pushed to win this, given her background and being paired with a pro like Mark. This also ended up being tied highest score with a fan favourite and just 1 point above the next highest scores, which didn't help either. But look, on the night, this was the best dance. So I have no problems with where it is placed.
I've read some criticism that Mark only comes back now when the show offers him a "good" - i.e. dance-trained - partner. Which seems a bit overblown since it's only been twice. I also don't think Charli was as big a ringer as Whitney L. We will see if it becomes more of a pattern. I suspect the show wants to chase more Emmys and giving Mark already trained partners means he can spend less time teaching and more time developing potential Emmys. But that's also a waste, because he is one of the better teachers amongst the male pros and could work really well with an untrained celeb.
Also, everyone is piling on Whitney L's experience because the show was so open about it, yet Hilaria's gets glossed over. Elaine was also in a professional dance company at one point, although I can't find information if that included ballroom. I understand if people don't want such a trained celeb taking part, but why is only Whitney L targeted?
That's all from me. I'm glad my friend dragged me back into this because this season seems to have a very strong midpack.
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