I’m no dancer. I don’t even know if I know how to dance. I can follow choreography decently when following along to a video, but I’m not a dancer. I am however a fan of Dancing with the Stars. I’ve been watching it since I was in high school, maybe a little longer. I’ve watched at least sixteen seasons as they’ve aired and I’ve picked up on a few of the things the judges look for. I’m no pro, and I don’t really know what I’m talking about when it comes to dancing, but I do know my stars and even when I don’t, I love to get to know them. This is my attempt at reviewing the whole season as it airs–maybe a couple days later than it airs.
(Reviews out of Order, because I forgot I was going to do this
until halfway through the show)
Evanna Lynch and Keo Motsepe – Yay! Luna Lovegood! She’s one of my favorite characters of all times! I was so excited when I learned she’d be on DWTS this season! Not gonna lie though, I was a little bummed too. Keo seems like a great guy, but he tends not to do super well in DWTS. Maybe it’s his partners, maybe it’s not. To me it seems like as great of a dancer he is, he just doesn’t seem to be a great teacher. He did fairly well with Jodie Sweeton though, so here’s hoping he does well with Evanna, too!
I smiled when the music started playing! “Do You Believe in Magic?” A perfect song for a magical girl. While I loved the dance, it honestly didn’t seem very magical to me. Maybe it’s because I’m used to Aly & AJ version of the song, but I just couldn’t figure out if Evanna seemed slightly out of step or if it was my unfamiliarity with this version of this song. Either way, it just kind of seemed off. The judges loved it too, but they weren’t in total disagreement with me. They made no comments of her timing, but they did say she could use some work. She was made to dance, says me and the judges, but she’s definitely not a pro yet.
Judge’s Scores – 18 out of 30
Milo Manheim and Witney Carson – My siblings have been telling me to watch Zombies for months. They know I am a huge Disney fan, but I’m not a huge Zombie fan. They seem so over-rated, and that’s coming from someone who likes vampires and werewolves. ha, ha. Anyway, I wasn’t disinterested in learning Milo would be a contest, because I do know of him, but I wasn’t exactly interested either. Not for him at least. I love Witney! She’s one of my favorite pros, so I always get excited when she comes back as a pro!
Milo is a great dancer! I was impressed. Though, he did seem a little too stiff at times and a little zombie-ish at other times. The judges agreed. He did have a lot of control over his body. Not surprising when he’s so tall and like a foot taller than his partner. I’m sure we’ll see great things from him if he sticks around though.
Judge’s Scores – 20 out of 30
Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess – Bobby Bones is crazy! I love him and he’s crazy! That’s all I have to say about him and his dance! haha.
Judge’s Scores – 20 out of 30.
Juan Pablo Di Pace and Cheryl Burke – I’m just gonna say it. I am not a fan of Cheryl Burke. Even though I sort of know how to Cha Cha because she did a mini tutorial on Disney Channel back when The Suite Life of Zack & Cody had a dancing episode, I’m just not a fan of her. I am however a fan of Juan Pablo or as I know him, Fernando! I love all things Full and Fuller House! I was excited to learn he’d be on the show! I want to get to know him and see if he’s as lovable as Fernando is! So far, so great! He’s very charming and quite the hard worker. He takes Cheryl’s bossy and competitive nature and uses it to his advantage! You can see that in his dance. I can’t wait to see more from him!
Judge’s Scores – 22 out of 30
Nikki Glaser and Gleb Savchenko – I love Gleb! He’s so handsome and charming! I have no idea who this Nikki girl is, but she does seem funny and down-to-earth. I’m looking forward to getting to know her.
Unfortunately, I’ve got to agree with the judges. This dance was very sloppy and messy. I hope she doesn’t go home. I’d love to get to know her further.
Judge’s Scores – 17 out of 30
Mary Lou Retton and Sasha Farber – I love Sasha! He’s also very charming! I love his accent! ha, ha. I didn’t know who Mary Lou Retton was before this. I’m sure I’ve heard her name before, I love gymnastics and also cheer for the gymnasts, but I didn’t recognize her when they announced her. Her dance though was pretty great! Not perfect, not even my favorite, but good!
Judge’s Scores – 19 out of 30
Danelle Umstead and Artem Chigvintsev – I love Artem too! His accent is also great! ha, ha. I didn’t know who Danielle was before this episode, but dude she is so impressive! Snowboarding and now dancing while blind!? That’s insane! She is so cool!
Her dance was beautiful! Obviously, it wasn’t perfect, but it was very close, especially for someone who has to fully trust someone she’s only just met to guide her where she needs to be! Dude, so good!
Judge’s Scores – 18 out of 30
Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten – Alan is adorable. Alexis is very sweet. I’ve never heard of her and until her introduction video, I kept thinking she was Malese Jow from Nickelodeon’s Unfabulous and the CW’s The Vampire Diaries. Now that I know she’s an Instagram star, I’m actually a little bummed. I was looking forward to seeing Malese dance. Oh, well. I think it’s sweet that she’s doing this for her mom.
The dance was very well done. Again, not perfect. Not incredibly memorable, but good nonetheless. Wow, she really does look like Malese at certain angles! Ha, ha.
Judge’s Scores – 24 out of 30
John Schneider and Emma Slater – Yay! I love Emma and her British accent! (I’m obsessed with english and australian accents in case you can’t tell.) She is such a sweet girl! I know of John, but I know enough about him to say if I like him.
Oh, that was a fun dance! I love that the first dances are often based on their biggest roles! In this case, a Duke’s of Hazard tribute. He seemed like a country boy trying to dance to be honest. I mean, he definitely held himself high, but he does have a lot to learn! As the judges agree! It was a fun dance though!
Judge’s Scores – 18 out of 30
Tinashe and Brandon Armstrong – Ooh! A new pro! That’s always fun and a little scary! How will they do? Is this good for the star? I don’t know, but since I don’t know who she is, I’m more excited about meeting this new pro! He’s been on Trope for a long time, but it’s his first season as pro.
Her moves aren’t very sharp and yet they’re also somehow too stiff. The dance is fun, but nothing too memorable. She’s good. Not great, but she’s got potential. So does he. The judges approve. No negative comments from them. A few notes on Brandon’s choreography and Tinashe’s leg movement, but otherwise seemingly good comments.
Judge’s Scores – 23 out of 30
Nancy McKeon and Val Chmerkovskiy – I no idea who she is, but I love Val, so I’ll be cheering her on! She seems fun! I’m sure I’ll love her if she lasts.
She seemed lost for a moment, but otherwise, the dance is nice. Not perfect, but nothing too in your face wrong, at least not to someone who doesn’t know dance. The judges love her energy, but have comments for body contact. Even Len liked it.
Judge’s Scores – 18 out of 30
Grocery Store Joe and Jenna Johnson – I’m neither here nor there with Joe. I watched some of Bachelor in Paradise and loved him with Kendall, but I’m not super excited about him. I don’t know Jenna, but she’s engaged to Val, so I already like her.
He wants to be known as Dancing Joe now. He’s gonna have to survive this week and dance a lot better next week if that’s going to happen because he is not dancing Joe. He’s a very awkward dancer and it didn’t help that he danced to a song that kept repeating “I’m a fish out of water.” He’s so charming though. His smile might be his saving grace. The judges comment more on his charm than his dancing too. Even Len doesn’t want to critique his dancing. Poor guy seems so sad. Kendall in the crowd is adorable though.
Judge’s Scores – 14 out of 30 (Len does apologize before giving a 4)
DeMarcus Ware and Lindsay Arnold – Yay! I love Lindsay! (honestly, at this point, the pros are my stars. I barely know most of the stars these days) I know DeMarcus’ name, but I don’t actually know who he is.
He’s tall, muscular athlete’s body makes the dance a little awkward at first as usual, but the dance is otherwise pretty great. He’s got moves and his personality works great with Lindsay’s. I’m impressed. The judges seem to love his dance too. Let the scores speak.
Judge’s Scores – 23 out of 30
…
Most Memorable Dances of the Night – Evanna Lynch & Keo Motsepe and John Schneider and Emma Slater, not because they were perfect, but because they really brought out the stars that they are, not only by playing off their major roles, but also by making them comfortable.
Best Dance of the Night – I mean, DeMarcus Ware, man! The dude can dance! Apparently, most football players can! His was impressive though and I just love his and Lindsay’s energy!
Ranking from Highest to Lowest
- Demarcus & Lindsay – 23
- Tinashe & Brandon – 23
- Juan Pablo & Cheryl – 22
- Alexis & Alan – 21
- Bobby & Sharna – 20
- Milo & Witney – 20
- Mary Lou & Sasha – 19
- Danelle & Artem – 18
- Evanna & Leo – 18
- John & Emma – 18
- Nancy & Val – 18
- Nikki & Gleb – 17
- Joe & Jenna 14
Brittany Alexandria 