#danelle umstead

[dwtsforever]

Season 27 cast

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 27, Week 1, Night 1 Recap/Season Predictions

So here we are. Another premiere of DWTS has passed and honestly, I’m quite pleased with what we saw. No one was truly bad. The only bad dance came from Joe and it didn’t start out bad (but when it got bad, it got really bad). This is going to be a tough season to call, but I think I’ve got a potential order worked out in my head. As far as this post is going to go, I will place each couple where I feel they will end up in the season. I will talk about their dance from last night as well as talk about what may be in store for them.  I will be going in reverse order.

13. Nikki and Gleb- Nikki did not have the worst dance last night. It was actually decent. And it probably would have been better without the injury. Unfortunately, I just don’t think fans will rally behind her like they will for Joe and her she already came in with a questionable fanbase. Gleb also didn’t really do any favors for her with the choreography, so I feel they will be the first eliminated.

12. Joe and Jenna- The only reason I put Joe above Nikki was because of how defeated he looked last night. After the dance, you could tell that he knew that he blew it. It was all over his face. Then with each of the comments from the judges, you could see him sinking further and further into himself. So I think people will vote for him purely because of that. Going forward? I still don’t think he’s going to be a good dancer. And the Bachelor fanbase may be large. But I don’t really see him being able to compete scorewise. So he’ll probably be second out.

9-11 are giving me a lot of trouble. So for these three spots, the three in them are completely interchangeable.

11. John and Emma- John was pretty decent last night. Though I’m not really sure why anyone was exactly surprised by this. Emma is his partner and she has had less to work with than a 50 year old singer that still looks to be in shape. This was a respectable foxtrot. John’s biggest issue was his head placement. He was jutting his chin out super far and it made his posture comical. The reason I have him so low though is because he wasn’t as charismatic as many of Emma’s other partners have been. He might be able to beat the 9th and 10th place finishers with his built in fanbase, but it will be difficult. Especially since one of them has an overlapping fanbase to some degree.

10. Nancy and Val- Nancy is the one with the overlapping fanbase. So Nancy’s quickstep was decent as well. Her frame was off though and she seemed to have really bad nerves. I kind of expected for it to be better. With that said, I think Nancy runs the risk of fading into the background this season. And while she won’t be bad, I don’t see her getting to the same level of the stars I have in the top 8. And she’s in 10th because when it comes down to it, I don’t think that she will be able to beat the couple in 9th place.

9. Danelle and Artem- One thing I will say about this dance was how amazing it was. The bond that these two have created is so clearly evident. She has to put so much trust into Artem to help her around the floor. And Artem was so good at being her rock. I can’t imagine what must have been going through Danelle’s head before they started to dance. I know she had to be super nervous. The dance itself and the technique wasn’t half bad. Her biggest issue is her shoulders. Danelle is actually someone I could see going super far. But based on what everyone showed last night, I think this is a safe place to put her for now.

8. Alexis and Alan- Alexis did a great job with her jive. She is a very talented dancer and everything that Alan gave her to do, looked good on her. Even the part that she messed up still looked good. My issue with Alexis really had to do with the fact that she dances very lightly. It makes it hard for a dance to really have an impact when you dance like that. And considering the fact that she’s a model/social media personality, young, quiet, shy/reserved and pretty, she is already going to have a difficult time connecting with the general public. If she can come out of her shell more and if Alan can work on her dancing with more impact, this might be enough to get her to last longer. Because I think she’ll deserve to stay around and I like her and them together.

7. Evanna and Keo- The judges were really stingy with the scores for this particular dance. While it wasn’t perfect, it was actually one of the top 6 dances of the night. I personally felt that they should have gotten a 21. Evanna is good and Keo gave her some pretty decent choreo. Probably his best work since season 22. I do need him to scale back his dancing just a bit to match Evanna’s energy better. I do think they have the potential to go really far. And if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t be shocked to see them end up in the top 5. She seems relatable and she just has a feel good vibe about her. With that and Keo’s enthusiasm, they could be ones to watch.

6. Bobby and Sharna- I almost put these two in 8th but I felt that 6th was better. I don’t dislike Bobby. I think he’s cool. I think he’s fun. But I also feel like he might get to be annoying. And that will be their downfall. I’m also not sure how great of a dancer that he’s going to be. His jive was fine though you could tell that it really wasn’t natural for him.

5. Mary Lou and Sasha- Time to preface this. Because I know people are going to act up about me putting Mary Lou in 5th. I’m not cosigning her statements on the Nassar case because of her placement. I’m going by how well she danced, how big her name is, how much people still love her and how I feel she will do in future weeks. And let’s face it. She’s going to be good. That cha-cha was good. Even the faults weren’t all that bad. She has a problem with musicality though. It may not be as bad as Aly where she literally couldn’t count the music. But it will still be a problem. Also, she was a bit too boom kack (s/o to Laurieanne Gibson) for my liking.

4. Milo and Witney- This might be a reach but hear me out. Disney stars typically do well on this show as long as they’re decent dancers and have pretty okay attitudes. Milo is going to be a great dancer and has a fantastic attitude. If that cha-cha was any indicator of what they have up their sleeves for the rest of the season, then I’m excited. Milo moves with a sense of maturity that I’m not used to seeing come from teenage boys. The tall ones with long limbs especially have difficulty with this. There were very few instances of awkwardness in his movements. The fact that he kept his legs in control for the majority of the dance shocked me. Since I was once a tall teenage boy with long limbs, I know just how hard it is to not have awkward moments with those limbs. I also know how much you want to dance small so that you don’t accidentally hurt someone or hit something. But he was super comfortable with it all. I’m a fan.

3. Juan and Cheryl- I actually didn’t really care for this salsa. I recognize that it was good, but I wanted more from them. Maybe the song kept them from going all out. I’m not sure. But knowing Juan’s background, I know he has a lot to offer. And he can really have some showstopping routines. I think they’ll make it to the finals though. Cheryl’s fanbase is still very dedicated and large. Juan has his own fanbase. Jodie got 6th and Candace got 3rd. I don’t expect too much worse from him. He can dance. And he seems to be a very chill and laid back guy. I won’t hold this dance against them, but I need for Cheryl to really bring it tonight and next week.

2. Tinashe and Brandon- So my preseason favorites did not disappoint me. I’m super happy about that. This was almost the perfect debut dance. The biggest issue for me had nothing to do with Tinashe or Brandon. It was the song. The song seemed to really limit them. I thought Brandon came out the gate swinging with his choreo. And while there were a few problems, I actually thought that he proved that he can be exactly what the show has been trying to look for in the male pros since it was clear that Derek and Mark weren’t going to stick around. As far as their future on the show goes, Tinashe has everything to make the finals and even win. And with her pro wanting to prove himself and show he has what it takes, I don’t think she’ll suffer the same fate as Heather or Normani. And she is incredibly gifted.

1. DeMarcus and Lindsay- This wasn’t my favorite dance of the night, but it was very close to the top of the list for me. Beyond some more fine tuning of arms and legs, DeMarcus has got it. He’s charismatic. He can dance. He has a great partnership with Lindsay. He has pretty good technique already. He’s got two football fanbases behind him (Broncos and the massive Cowboys fanbase). Many people have said this and I echo their sentiments completely. This is DeMarcus’s MBT to lose at this point.

Whew. That took a long time. Anyway, those are my thoughts on the show and my predictions. Let me know what you all thought and I’ll be back tonight for a my normal recap.

[cusick-mcallister]

[jjennaj]

‘Dancing With the Stars’: I’m Rooting For The Underdog

Great dancers are fun to watch on ‘DWTS,’ but there’s no journey

[EXCERPT]

While I am not a Bachelor fan, Joe is winning me over. I understand why Bachelor Nation is voting hard for him. He's hardworking, humble and I love that it's a team effort with his girlfriend, Kendall Long, helping him practice in the off-hours. And lift or no lift, there were some really pretty moments in his Foxtrot with Jenna Johnson this week — the level of improvement was real.

[dwtspd]

DWTS S27 Week ONE!!! Nights 1+2 review

Man, when I saw Tom I suddenly felt like it had been AGES since I watched this show, then I realised, I didn’t even watch the athlete season. My friends told me it’s not worth it so I will probably never watch it.

Idk how the two-night thing is gonna work out so this is a combined post.

Night 1

Mary Lou Retton and Sasha Farber - Cha cha okay, was that video package kinda short? Also maybe it’s cos I’m not American but I’m soooo over all the “yay USA” themed dances. Anyhows, Mary Lou is a former US gymnast who won gold in 1984, the first US woman to do so. No mention of her current embroilment in the USAgym-gate. Okay, she can definitely remember steps. She needs to work on timing and also getting those latin shapes. 6-7-6 T19 huh that’s kinda harsh?? Might have been 1-2 pts higher if she went later I think.

Milo Manheim and Witney Carson - Cha cha Sorry Milo, but Zombies aiiiin’t that great. In case anyone doesn’t know, Zombies is a cheesy af DCOM musical. I really like his energy though. “Tell me about yourself.” “I’m still in school.” I love that. It’s quite refreshing cos we don’t get young male contestants as often as the girls. Whoa, he has those hips! I don’t think his limbs were as messy as the judges made it sound. His legs looked a little awkward during the cha-cha walks. That aside, this dance was so fun to watch! 7-6-7 T20 “That’s good, that’s good!” Witney tells him. Again, I think he could get a tad higher scores if he went later.

Evanna Lynch and Keo Motsepe - Foxtrot OMG Keo’s reaction was priceless. Evanna probably needs no introduction, but anyway, Luna Lovegood. She wanted to go to dance college, but was rejected so DWTS was the next best thing. I think the song did them in, but I found some of her movements too sharp for a foxtrot. She has nice frame and did something weird with her hand once. Definitely has potential. 7-5-6 T18 oooooh Len that was harsh. Tom, the correct term is he who shall not be named.

Speaking of, I like the new green glitter score background.

Danelle Umstead and Artem Chigvintsev - Foxtrot Danelle is a blind alpine skier but gosh she has good footwork and lots of grace. Her shoulders came up a bit and I think she had to adjust her footing going into the spin. When I saw the opening, I was like “Artem is making her walk down the steps to him??!!” At least they went down together. I think her and Artem will be a very nice, friendly, genuine partnership. 6-6-6 T18

Side note: I really didn’t need to hear “Rise Up” again.

Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess - Jive Bobby is...a lot of things. I’ll say entertainer. His main schtick right now is his country radio show. Guy has boundless energy, I’ll give him that. Jive suits him. He had to point his feet, and the footwork was real rough. If he was judged for enthusiasm though, he’d get a perfect score. 7-6-7 T20 yeah that’s too high. I think the judges got a little high off his energy. I think he should be sitting at a 16-17.

Juan Pablo Di Pace and Cheryl Burke - Salsa Juan Pablo is an actor most recently from Fuller House and Mamma Mia. Uh huh, here’s the sexy hot couple of the season right here. It took really long to get into actual salsa though. Some of the moves looked unpolished and uncertain, but he had a sense of timing and can move. his. hips. 7-7-8 T22 haha we all knew Bruno would like it.

Ayyyy hey Rashad! Apparently he’s going into hosting, showing us the DWTS BTS web series. Go support that guy, he’s an all-round all-star.

Nikki Glaser and Gleb Savchenko - Salsa Nikki is a comedian and entertainer. She told Gleb he looks like he should be emerging from a pool, which I’m pretty sure he has done before for some modelling thing. Apparently she got injured over the weekend. Could have affected the performance. She seemed fine in rehearsal but looked really ginger and reserved while dancing. Her limbs looked awkward. Arms were kept really close to her body and her legs...I don’t know any other way to describe it except “baby giraffe”. 6-5-6 T17

Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten - Jive Alexis is an instagram influencer and model. She’s doing the show for her late mother who enjoyed it. Okay I’ll say it here, she is the one to beat technique-wise. My only complain is she could be more bouncy. Everything else was spot on IMO. I think her possible downfall would be her sketchy voting base. Lots of insta followers doesn’t necessarily mean they will vote. We’ve seen that with past social media stars. 7-7-7 T21 I think she should be equal with Juan Pablo honestly.

John Schneider and Emma Slater I’ve never heard of his Dukes of Hazard show but his name sounds familiar. He’s done so many things, I’ve probably seen him somewhere. Well he certainly has the right attitude. His dancing was...here and there. Some times I was like ‘oh, that’s not bad’ and then i’d be like ‘okay that needs improvement’. I think he’s good enough and charming enough to appeal to the DWTS demo though. 7-5-6 T18

Tinashe and Brandon Armstrong - Jive Tinashe is a singer...who I’ve never heard of. But I live under a rock. Brandon is newly promoted and awwww he’s so adorable. He gave her lots of content which she handled fairly well. She was very clean but I feel like it was toooo clean. Like you know how if you strip water of too many minerals it’ll just burn your tongue. I feel like sometimes I was watching a stick figure dance. Could have used more bounce. CAI’s comment didn’t make sense. 8-7-8 T23

Nancy McKeon and Val Chmerkovskiy - Quickstep Nancy was an actor from a show called The Facts of Life which probably pre-dates me. She has the facial expressions!!! Quickstep on week 1 is no joke but she kept up for most of it. Yup she was wobbly at times, because she was lacking the contact in hold with Val, but that seems to be a Thing TM with all his partners so it’s more Val’s fault. For a while I was like “omg is Val choreographing a solid routine with moves in hold??” and then they broke hold. I’m surprised Len didn’t call that out. Nancy was reall animated in that section though. 6-6-6 T18

Joe Amabile/”Grocery Store Joe” and Jenna Johnson - Quickstep Joe is from the Bachelor franchise and got his nickname because he owns a grocery store. He wants to become Dancing Joe now. He’s kinda cute, sorta charming in a slightly-awkward-little-self-depreciative way. Very likeable guy. I think with his personality and the bachelor backing, he’ll stick around for a while. Yeah that definitely wasn’t the best dance. He was flat footed, made mistakes, getting QS definitely didn’t help either. Can see he is trying to stay positive. 5-4-5 T14

Demarcus Ware and Lindsey Arnold Soon to be NFL hall of fame inductee. Has won the Super Bowl. You know, I hate American football as a sport, but these NFL guys always come in and work hard and it pays off. Demarcus can move and seems to have hella groove, with personality to boot. He’ll have to clean up some lines, but I can see him growing a lot on this show. Such a delight! 8-7-8 T23

Night 2

Ohhhhhh I love that opening number!! I can see why it’s not a premiere opener but wowwwww.

Okay so apparently the bottom half after judges score and votes from night 1 will have to dance again. Everyone else would have rehearsed a second dance for nothing...I guess. I feel like maybe they should have let everyone dance their second dance, but only score those in jeopardy.

Rashad out there with a message for Demarcus. I was kinda waiting for that the first night.

Safe - Demarcus, Tinashe, and...JOE!!!!!! That was the chillest reaction to a (not so) surprise safe.

Jeopardy - Nancy

DWTS Jr pros dance and make me feel old. Jake Monreal!!! And okay, JT Church has some ballroom moves. There’s one brunette guy (not Sage) who has nice hair. And the blond boy looks a little familiar but I can’t put my finger on it.

Safe - Juan Pablo, Bobby

Jeopardy - Nikki, John, Alexis

Alexis and Bobby’s placements are telling about the voters.

Okay. I watched the two episodes back to back. People I forgot about by the time I started night 2: Mary Lou, John, Danelle, Nancy. Also I knew Tinashe, Evanna and Juan Pablo were there but I kinda forgot how their dances looked.

Lmao Milo and Tom. “Why are you so scared about what I’m gonna ask you?”

Amy Purdy with a message for Danelle. She looks so different than I remember.

Safe - Milo, Evanna

Jeopardy - Danelle, Mary Lou

Okay so summary Top 7: Demarcus, Milo, Juan Pablo, Bobby, Evanna, Tinashe, Joe Bottom 6: Alexis, Danelle, John, Nikki, Nancy, Mary Lou

So they are bringing back the Judge’s choice encore from when they had result shows. This week: Demarcus.

They introduced the Junior stars. I’m having a hard time remembering who is who but: - JT’s “OH MY GOSH” when his pro-skateboarding partner did a trick - Mackenzie Ziegler is not a “pop star” she’s as good as a pro dancer. WHO’S BRIGHT IDEA WAS IT TO MAKE HER A CONTESTANT???!?!?

Can they intro the Jr pros too? All the cast of Juniors including the adult pros do a dance number and all I get from it is that red latin shoes are not in style.

Okay so we don’t have time for 6 dances or something so John is safe and won’t have to dance for his life any more.

Couples will dance the same style as night 1, but the choreo and song will be different.

Mary Lou and Sasha - cha cha okay I dunno what their rehearsal strategy was, but this dance felt very basic and less rehearsed than their first. She was more precise and controlled, but seemed to have less energy in it. 7-7-7 T21

Danelle and Artem - foxtrot the rehearsal vids seem to imply the couples were only given Monday night to come up with their second numbers. If so it must have disadvantaged Danelle. She was more timid and reserved. 6-6-6 T18

Nikki and Gleb - salsa She looked more confident this time. Legs less giraffe-y. Her arms were still awkward. 6-6-6 T18

Alexis and Alan - jive Ooooohhh this was good. Her technique was good again, but I think the mood of this dance suited her far better. I think she had a lot more energy and personality in this performance. 7-8-8 T23 Len says it is the best dance of the night and I agree as does Bruno.

Nancy and Val - quickstep Oh dang, the shorter dress exposed Nancy’s shortcomings. Her lines were wonky and she still looked a little unstable sometimes in hold, which was easier to see in this costume. It also made her look like Tweety Bird tumbled dry, They stayed in hold this time though. 7-7-7 T21 that seems generous.

Okay so Mackenzie Ziegler sings. She has a decent voice. Gotta set herself apart from her sister I guess.

Online voting for night 2 was open for...10 minutes? And I wager only US east coasters could vote.

Results time! (finally.)

Safe - Danelle, Alexis (yay!), Mary Lou

Nikki vs Nancy...Eliminated: Nikki. no surprise.

My favourites are Milo and Alexis. Also rooting for Danelle on a slightly lower tier. Surprisingly, Evanna isn’t really on the forefront of my mind.

Also, whether or not the couple danced on the second night might affect their memorability. Like, Bobby make an impact night 1, but after night 2 I kinda forgot about him. The only person who didn’t perform night 2 who I remember is Milo. Everyone else I was like “oh wait, who’s here again?”

[dwtscommissioner]

DWTS: Season 27 Premiere Night 1

We are back in the ballroom with a full cast!! Great premiere episode!

Mary Lou Retton & Sasha Farber – Cha Cha – As a little girl I loved Mary Lou. Watching her in the Olympics made me want to be a gymnast but I was not athletic at all. I think this is a great start for her and Sasha. I was surprised that Len was the one giving out a score higher than the other 2. I always feel bad for the first couple because I always think they get underscored. I hope she’s  around for a while. I want to see her journey. 6, 7, 6 = 19

Milo Manheim & Witney Carson – Cha Cha – I had no idea who this kid was until tonight. I read a review that said he’s the son of actress Camryn Manheim. I had no idea!!! He was a nice surprise when he started dancing. Milo could be fantastic and might win this thing if he can control those long limbs! I love how everyone is making a big deal out of Witney “walking” him through the cha cha in the package. It was the first day and good teachers would start with walking through the steps.  7, 6, 7 = 20

Evanna Lynch and Keo Motsepe – Foxtrot – I’m probably one of the only people who hasn’t seen all the Harry Potter movies and didn’t really know who Evanna was before this. Keo seemed so excited to be her partner and it was adorable. I thought she did a good job for the first dance and Len was a bit too harsh on her. I mean of course there are always things to work on but a 5 was just too low. Come on Grumpy Goodman! CAI was right about her shoulders and she does need to control them. I loved their outfits too!  7, 5, 6 = 18

Danelle Umstead and Artem Chigvintsev – Foxtrot – Danelle is incredible. It is scary enough to dance when you can see the steps your teacher is telling you to do. That was amazing. They have a great partnership which is what they need to get through this. She does need to relax her shoulders but who wouldn’t hold tension their first time dancing in front of a crowd when you are blind. Danelle is fantastic, has already had me in tears and I can’t wait to see her journey. 6, 6, 6 = 18

Bobby Bones & Sharna Burgess – Jive – I have never heard of this guy! By looking at him I thought he would be almost like Andy Dick and kind of awkward on his first dance. I was really impressed with how he moved and he did a good job. I think he got a too little excited when he finished the dance and I hope Sharna is okay.  7, 6, 7 = 20

Juan Pablo Di Pace and Cheryl Burke -  Salsa – These two have amazing chemistry and he definitely knows how to move. Cheryl is one of my fave all time pros. I definitely want him to stay around for a while. In fact I think Cheryl could win with him. I had a feeling he’d be good but He’s even better than I thought. He just needs to clean up his movements and he’s golden. 7, 7, 8 = 22

Nikki Glaser and Gleb Savchenko – Salsa – I think for someone who was scared to dance in public this was good. I think the judges were a bit harsh on her. She does need to let go and really embrace the dance but for a first time it wasn’t horrible. 6, 5, 6 = 17

Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten – Jive – Another “star” I have no idea who she is. I am happy that Alan is a pro again. Alexis had a great start. She needs to clean up her movements some but with 12.3 million followers she will probably win.  7, 7, 7 = 21

John Schneider and Emma Slater – Foxtrot – As a 3/4 year old, I was in love with “Bo Duke.” I even told my mom to name my baby brother “Bo”… she refused. That was probably for the best. I did get to meet him years later and he was very lovely. I was excited to see him on the show this year but as with any star I am excited for I worry they will be awful. He was pretty good. The foxtrot is a hard dance to start the season with and Len is much harsher on the ballroom dances than he is the Latin dances. 7, 5, 6 = 18

Tinashe and Brandon Armstrong – Jive – These contestants are making me feel old because I don’t know this performer either. I did know all the articts she said she went on tour with though. I always love seeing how excited a new pro is. I think Brandon lucked out in getting a great partner. They were fantastic and might just be the couple to beat this year. Once she refines everything she’s going to be on fiiiiiiiire. 8, 7, 8 = 23

Nancy McKeon and Val Chmerkovskiy – Quickstep – Another of my faves from childhood. I loved “Facts of Life” while growing up. Jo was my fave girl because she didn’t take any crap. Bruno is ridiculous about her facial expressions… Ricki Lake was the worst with it and Nancy was nowhere near Ricki’s facial expressions. Nancy did a good job for her first dance. She just needs to trust herself, her body and the dance a bit more. 6, 6, 6  = 18

Joe Amabile and Jenna Johnson –Quickstep – I don’t watch The Bachelorette anymore so I don’t know Joe. I think his nerves got the best of him and this was a really hard dance to start the show off with. He did get off in his moves and messed up a bit. I do think the 4 was way too harsh but he was the weakest dancer of the night. He will probably be the first person gone. Sorry Joe. 5, 4, 5 = 14

DeMarcus Ware and Lindsay Arnold – Cha Cha – I have to say it… I LOVE FOOTBALL PLAYERS ON THIS SHOW!!!!!  They are always so good and have great personalities. I am going to have to change my votes! I was throwing them toward John just for nostalgia but oh boy… DeMarcus is fantastic. I want him to win!!!  8, 7, 8 = 23

 It was a great opening night!! We had some surprises and some disappointments. I’ve voted, I hope you did too. I really enjoy this cast! Let me know your thoughts!!

[xthisswiftbeat13x]

@taylorswift Check out Danelle Umstead on Dancing With The Stars! 🌟 She’s blind and KILLING it to your song! ❤️❤️

@taylornation

[mirrorballdeathmatch]

Week 1 Leaderboard

(1) Tinashe & Brandon (23)

(1) DeMarcus & Lindsay (23)

(3) Juan & Cheryl (22)

(4) Alexis & Alan (21)

(5) Bobby & Sharna (20)

(5) Milo & Witney (20)

(7) Mary Lou & Sasha (19)

(8) Danelle & Artem (18)

(8) John & Emma (18)

(8) Nancy & Val (18)

(8) Evanna & Keo (18)

(12) Nikki & Gleb (17)

(11) Joe & Jenna (14)