Dancing with the Stars Season 13 (1 Viewer)

[Nelson Au]

The new season starts September 19, 2011. The new cast announced last night: David Arquette: Actor and Movie Producer. Partner: Lacey Schwimmer Ron Artest: NBA Player. Partner: Anna Trebunskaya Chaz Bono: Transgender Activist and Spokesperson. Partner: Karina Smirnoff Elisabetta Canalis: Model. Partner: Derek Hough Kristin Cavallari: The Hills Star / Actress. Partner: Mark Ballas Nancy Grace: CNN Hostess. Partner: Tony Dovolani Rob Kardashian: Reality Television Star. Partner: Peta Murgatroyd Carson Kressley: Fashion Entrepreneur and Designer. Partner: Kym Johnson Ricki Lake: Actress and Talk Show Host. Partner: Tristan MacManus J.R. Martinez: Actor. Partner: Cheryl Burke Chynna Phillips: Actress and Singer. Partner: Valentin Chmerkovskiy Hope Solo: US Soccer Goalie. Partner: Maksim Chmerkovskiy (sorry if the list is hard to read, I couldn't get it to list as a table) Not too sure about this season's cast. Not too many I'd have any interest in seeing win. They do seem to like to pick cast members from All My Children. I don't care much for Nancy Grace, so poor Tony could be out early on. Chaz Bono could be interesting. Not so surprised they paired Derek Hough and Mark Ballas with the hot young actresses. Maybe Clooney's ex will surprise.

 

[Patrick Sun]

*scrape* *scrape* what's that? That's the Mouse scraping the bottom of the barrel for "stars".

 

[DaveHof]

*scrape* *scrape* what's that? That's the Mouse scraping the bottom of the barrel for "stars".

The show was never about getting big names. There have been plenty of people I had never heard of before they appeared on DWTS - Chelsea Kane, Kyle Massey, Gilles Marini - who I really enjoyed watching. My problem with the last few seasons is their desire to go tabloid to boost the ratings. I guess they couldn't pin down Casey Anthony and Moammar Quadafi. Other observations: What a shock that Derek Hough gets paired with the hottest babe in the cast. If she has any moves at all she'll probably win. And poor Tony Dovolani - I think he served his sentence in hell after getting Kate Gosselin a couple of seasons ago, and now he's stuck with Nancy Grace. And I'm also not happy that the most talented of the female pros on the show has been saddled with a partner that all but guarantees a very short season. Poor Karina. The Cheryl Burke -J.R. Martinez pairing should be interesting to watch, and since I could watch the drop-dead gorgeous Anna Trebunskaya dance with a hat rack and be happy, I really hope Ron Artest has some skills so she'll stick around for awhile.

 

[Malcolm R]

*scrape* *scrape* what's that? That's the Mouse scraping the bottom of the barrel for "stars".

Agreed. They need to change the misleading title of this show to "Dancing with D-Listers and Wannabes." But as Dave points out, the caliber of the so-called "stars" doesn't seem to affect ratings. For some inexplicable reason, people still watch this.

 

[DaveHof]

Turns out, the celebrity - pro pairings listed above were not accurate (thankfully!) Here's the actual list: 12. Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas 11. Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus 10. Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke 9. Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani 8. Elisabetta Canalis and Val Chmerkovskiy 7. JR Martinez and Karina Smirnoff 6. Ron Artest and Peta Murgatroyd 5. Ricki Lake and Derek Hough 4. David Arquette and Kym Johnson 3. Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer 2. Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy 1. Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks for the correction, I grabbed them from wikipedia yesterday. I think the pairings are better. The new guy gets Nancy Grace. And Derek and Ricki Lake? Well, maybe she's got a shot now. Well, it's true what was posted above, the tabloid part of the equation is becoming a larger factor when casting, not sure if that had to do with Palin or the former Senator a few seasons back. But it seems fairly evened mix of film and TV actors, athletes, famous people for being famous, and TV celebs. You can't call Donny Osmond or Marie Osmond D listers though. And Arquette isn't a has been, is he? This show is so popular to a certain demographic, there seems to e a growing list of people who really want to be on the show. My sense is that it went from the first year of lesser known stars who didn't have anything to loose to becoming poplar enough to attract many more mainstream people. I like to watch for the competition. I guess the same reason people like Survivor, though I have no interest in that show. This show has the athletic angle and the artistry and the professional female dancers for the male viewers.

 

[DaveHof]

I like to watch for the competition. I guess the same reason people like Survivor, though I have no interest in that show. This show has the athletic angle and the artistry and the professional female dancers for the male viewers.

Me, too. You don't hear about a large demographic of straight males that watch DWTS, but in addition to enjoying the dancing and getting to know the personalities involved, I would argue that this show features more female eye candy that any other TV series since the original Charlie's Angels. Anna Trebunskaya, Cheryl Burke, Karina Smirnoff, Chelsea Hightower (who I will miss this season) and Kym Johnson are just gorgeous. I think Anna and Carson Kressley might have a shot, but Derek and Ricki should be the favorites.

 

[Nelson Au]

Interesting start. My guess Ron is first to go.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas Hope she had more musicality Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus Yowie... Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke Eh... Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani Not bad, let's see if she's got some Latin dance moves too... Elisabetta Canalis and Val Chmerkovskiy Dance partner let her down, not a natural performer. JR Martinez and Karina Smirnoff Good athletic moves and light on his feet. Ron Artest and Peta Murgatroyd Train-wreck. Ricki Lake and Derek Hough Meh. Really wants it too much, not sure if she can back it up on the dance floor. David Arquette and Kym Johnson Surprised me with his "want it" attitude Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer Okay, but a little weird to watch. Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy Has potential, might be too much for Maksim, though. Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya Entertaining, but light on technique.

 

[Nelson Au]

I agree with your summation Pat. I'll add that it seemed that Val had more to prove to his older brother then his attention to his partner, which is what you were eluding to.

 

[Nelson Au]

Shocking third week results show. On the surface, Chaz was the weakest dancer with the lowest score this week, but was saved. Similarly, Nancy Grace seemed like a potential to go home. But three of the dancers with a lot of potential were in jeopardy. Hope, Kristin and Carson. But all the dancers have potential. Too bad for Kristin. I suspect she just wasn't as popular.

 

[DaveHof]

It happens every so often. But it really is time for Chaz to go home. Not only is his dancing atrocious, but he doesn't even look like he wants to be there.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I wonder if this is the earliest that Mark Ballas and partner have been kicked to the curb in a season.

 

[Nelson Au]

I think Chaz redeemed himself. And I was sure Grace was heading out, but it was Carson! I guess from a technical point, he was the weakest. But he was the most flamboyant and audience favorite.

 

[Malcolm R]

But he was the most flamboyant and audience favorite.

I've read that all over the place, but if he was an "audience favorite," wouldn't he still be there? Doesn't the audience vote on these?

 

[Nelson Au]

You are absolutely right. Carson, while very entertaining, just didn't get enough votes to stay on. And he knew he wasn't a very good dancer. So I think it was a just vote. I just thought that Grace might not have enough of a fan base to save her compared to Carson.

 

[Nelson Au]

The judges were tough last night. It is the point now where they separate the real competitors from the lesser dancers. This could be it for Chaz. And Nancy, Hope, and David could all be in danger tonight. Looks like a race between JR and Ricki. I'm thinking JR could do it and would be nice for Karina to take the trophy. I wonder if Mak's blow up at the judges will cost Hope another week of competition or help.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I don't have any problem with the criticisms. It's a 2-person race, with some also-ran for the 3rd spot in the finals, probably going to be David. Don't really like watching any of the rest slumber around on the dance floor at this phase of the contest.

 

[Nelson Au]

Well, still a two person race? Probably, but JR's Ghostbusters routine wasn't well received. The Kardashian kid is the sleeper of the group. So I think it's become a 3 person race now with Ricki to wrap up the three. Too bad for David, didn't think he'd go this week.

 

[Nelson Au]

Hmm, tonight's show will be interesting. Likely it's Nancy Grace going home. Maks and Hope came back with a roar last night and J.R. just blew everyone away. But Rob is slowly and quietly making his way to the top. If he beats out Hope next week, and I think it's possible, he's definitely a wild card. Ricki is hanging in, but it looks like Derek might not be able to keep Ricki on top if J.R. can maintain his level of performance.