Monday, March 28, 2016

It’s a TIE!! Wanya & Lindsay, Ginger & Val, and Nyle & Peta are the High-Scorers! – DWTS S22, Wk01


It’s a TIE!! 

Wanya & Lindsay, Ginger & Val,

and Nyle & Peta

All Meet at the Top of Season 

22’s Premiere Leader Board!!




Dancing With The StarsSeason 22 Premiere proved an absolutely wonderful night of predicted Splendor and Success, mixed in with a surprising amount of Where-did-that-even-come-from?!-Dancing!!  

A truly FABULOUS Season Opener!  

By evening's end, one of the greatest (and perhaps even the most telling) results of the entire glittering affair was that of these three Contenders who battled their way to the Top of the Leader Board, tying with final scores of 8,7,8!

With such a high standard of dancing ALREADY gliding its way across the Ballroom Floor this Season, these same Triumphant Three rose through the ranks with shocking and unexpected achievement, overcoming the most incredible of odds ... even, in Nyle's case, seemingly impossible ones!


 
Wanya & Lindsay:
 
Wanya & Lindsay
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Dancing the Cha-Cha to “Motownphilly” by (Who else?) Boyz II Men, Wanya Morris and his Professional partner, Lindsay Arnold, took to the Ballroom’s Dance Floor with spectacular results!

Wanya & Lindsay
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


“There was more packed into that than Bruno's [Tonioli's] Make-up Bag!” exclaimed returning Head Judge, Len Goodman, upon witnessing the out-of-left-field Performance.

Wanya & Lindsay
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


(I’m sorry but I’m just going to have to take a quick pause here to say, Hey! Alright, Lenny’s back!!  … Yes! Yes!!! YES!!!  Okay, <Squealing, Clapping Hands> now, where was I?)

Oh, yes! …

Well said, Len; and I could not have expressed it better myself!!
A delectable packaging (Thanks to Pro Lindsay’s ever-improving Choreographing and Tutoring abilities!) of Great Rhythms, Terrific Showmanship, and plenty of Fun and Swag, this Routine served as an almost unbelievable peek into the high-hoofing talent clearly residing with Wanya and a presumably exhilarating foretelling of the exceptional dancing to come!

Wanya & Lindsay
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


A positively remarkable first showing overall, and I simply cannot WAIT to see more!

Wanya & Lindsay
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Well done, Wanya, and keep it up (!) ‘cause you’re “Doin’ Just Fine”!!
 
 

Ginger & Val:
 
Ginger & Val
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Thrilling on Monday night’s Dance Floor, GMA’s Ginger Zee, along with her Pro partner, former Mirror Ball Champion, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, proved one of Season 22’s Predictable (… or should I say, “Forecasted”) Pairs, dancing a Fun and Fabulous Jive to “Move (You’re Steppin’ on My Heart)” - Great song title, BTW! - by Henry Krieger.

Ginger & Val
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


An overall gratifying Routine, Ginger’s Kicks and Flicks, while less than “sharp”, were inarguably “fair” and more so, pleasing, having been delightfully enveloped with a natural Showman’s air and Performance Level.

Ginger & Val
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Great Musicality was also displayed by the endeared Meteorologist during this Routine, although one or two moments of the Dance did equally serve to showcase Ginger’s Lack of Frame and Faltering Lines.

Now, now, don’t go blowing your tops just yet, all you “Ginger Roots” (“Ginger Fans”) out there!

For, in the end, by the show’s conclusion, I had deftly found Ginger’s Jive to have remained very near the head of the evening’s Performances, reigning as one of Week 01’s better Dance Routines!  (High praise indeed, mind you, as Wk 01’s Competition was shockingly steep and exciting!)

Ginger & Val
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Still, it cannot be refuted that her Jiving - however brilliant - was a far cry from “Amazing”, thereby making Panel Judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s comparison of Ginger’s Week 01 Jive to that of DWTS’ Reigning Mirror Ball Champion, Bindi Irwin’s, utterly ridiculous and absurd!!

The entire, presiding Season 22 cast, as a whole, for that matter, seem to jointly serve in the Spectacle, with fellow Judges Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli offering what could easily be deemed as an UNJUST amount of praise and gushing, and with Host Tom Bergeron even going as far as to ask Ginger’s fellow Good Moring America Cast Members to stand up from within the Ballroom’s Live Audience and voice their thoughts on Carrie Ann’s Ginger/Bindi comparison!   

… Good grief, folks, are you kidding me with all of this?!   It was a sub-par, Week 01 Jive, NOT the best thing to hit the Glitter Dome since its first, official order of One-size-fits-all-Dance Shoes and Sequins!

I mean, c’mon, seriously now, all that Forced Fawning just didn’t make sense!! … Or does it??

Hmmm … Do I maybe detect just a hint of ABC Family Nepotism making its rounds?
 

Ginger & Val
DWTS Season 22, Week 01

 


Nyle & Peta:
 
Nyle & Peta
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Ladies and Gentlemen, coming out and merely EXPLODING on Week 01’s Dance Floor,



Nyle & Peta
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


it’s Actor/Model, Nyle DiMarco, and his (Crazy good!) Professional partner, Peta Murgatroyd, dancing a too-good-to-be-true Cha-Cha to “Cake by the Ocean” by DNCE!


Nyle & Peta
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


In a First-Night showing that left me quite literally speechless (albeit and thankfully not for long!), 
this next Performer overcame the most impossible, even (seemingly) insurmountable of odds, reigning as Monday night's inarguable and ULTIMATE victor, despite being Deaf.


Nyle & Peta
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Exquisite Frame, Fabulous Charisma, and an overall sense of Musicality and Rhythm that served as the exhilarating personification of the word “Incredible”, this dance by Nyle was unquestionably the absolute BEST of the Evening! … … And now throw 
back in the added fact that he is also Deaf!

Nyle & Peta
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


“Shut up!” duly exclaimed Panel Judge, Bruno Tonioli, having just been blown clean away, along with the REST of the Ballroom and countless Viewers watching from their homes.  “Are you for real?!!”

Nyle & Peta
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Upon getting up, walking over, and pointedly poking Nyle in the chest, Bruno declared to the world at large that he was, and also adding, “You could be America’s Next Top Dancer!”

Nyle & Peta
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Judge Carrie Ann Inaba seemed equally impressed, stating that DiMarco had brought the Rhythm to life” and noting his uncanny ability to have danced “in the pocket of the Beat”!

Nyle & Peta
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


 “It was Terrific,” echoed Head Judge, Len Goodman, before clarifying, “I wasn’t sure about it to begin with; but, once you got into it … it just got better and better!”

Nyle & Peta
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


All good thoughts and well-deserved speeches, to be sure, although I could have forgone some of Len’s criticisms! … That said, however, what I really don’t understand is the uncalled for “7” Len so unceremoniously plopped in the middle of Nyle’s scoring!!

A “7”, Lenny?!!!  REALLY???  C’mon, now, you know that wasn’t right!!


See videos (3) below to watch Nyle & Peta's Cha-cha, Ginger & & Val's Jive, and Wanya & Lindsay's Cha-cha on Week 01 of DWTS, Courtesy of Dancing With The Stars' great YouTube channel!    









Von & Witney – Review of DWTS Season 22, Week 01


DWTS Season 22, Week 01

REVIEW:  Von & Witney



Von & Witney
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Dancing the Foxtrot to “My House” by Flo Rida (Seriously, who even picked that song for a Foxtrot Routine?!), it’s Super Bowl Champion and MVP, Von Miller, along with his Professional partner (and the cutest Cheerleader EVER!), Witney “The Small but Mighty” Carson!

Von & Witney
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Alri-i-i-ight!  Let’s hear it for TeamBlondeMiller, folks, who came out exhilaratingly Solid and Strong within last Monday’s already incredibly close (for the most part) competition, officially closing down Week 01 as one of Season 22’s better Competing Couples!!

Von & Witney
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


A (in a word) Charming Performance, Von took to the Ballroom Dance Floor (or rather, “leapt onto”, in this particular case!) with one truly Fabulous Foxtrot, effectively carried out by his Fantastically Firm Frame, his Terrific Footwork, and his endearing sense of Showmanship and Charisma in general, being all very neatly wrapped within the folds of Witney’s delightfully Hip hop-esque Choreography!

Von & Witney
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Not that it was ALL fun and games for the veteran Pro of 4 Seasons, who had skillfully managed to pull off the near impossible task of marrying Modern Swag with 
Traditional Steps and Technique … much to Returning Judge, Len Goodman’s, voiced-pleasure when he said, “… What I liked [was that] you didn’t take the ‘Soft’ option! You kept in Hold; you did a lot of that Dance in Hold; you could’ve just gone out and done all that ‘Funky Stuff’ too; but, no! You didn’t! You went for it in the proper way; well done!”

Von & Witney
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


“There’s just like all kinds of good happening tonight!” Judge Carrie Ann Inaba had additionally noted of the Performance, “… Antonio [Brown] might have been have been, kind of like, ‘Fire-y’ and kinda wild, [but] what I love about you [is that] you’re ‘Soft and Silky’!”

Von & Witney
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


“You gotta be careful,” Carrie Ann then went on to warn, “because you guys have a HUGE height difference; but, you worked it out great!”

(Oka-a-ay … So, “work” THAT one out for us, Carrie Ann, if you would: Do Von & Witney “gotta be careful” concerning their height difference, or have they already “worked it out great”??? 
And PLEASE, make up your mind this time before you speak!)

In the end, despite some of the idiotic observations made by Carrie Ann, and being hideously capped off by one rather ill-founded “6”, bestowed upon by Len, Von & Witney’s Foxtrot successfully left its viewers (Myself most definitely included!) with a distinct and gratifying feeling of fun, closing down the Season’s first Show in all the right ways! 

Von & Witney
DWTS Season 22, Week 01

Von & Witney
DWTS Season 22, Week 01



See video (below) to watch Von & Witney's Foxtrot on Week 01 of DWTS, Courtesy of Dancing With The Stars' great YouTube channel!    




Jodie & Keo – Review of DWTS Season 22, Week 01


DWTS Season 22, Week 01

REVIEW:  Jodie & Keo



Dancing a Terrifically Tenacious Tango to “Confident” by Demi Lavato, Jodie Sweetin and her Professional partner, Keo Motsepe, took to the Ballroom’s already hot and happening Dance Floor of Week 01!

Jodie & Keo
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Ah, the smell of Sweet Success!!  (Get it?)

Jodie & Keo
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


I gotta say, it’s looking mighty good for DWTS’ endeared Keo and his making it past Week 04 this Season ‘cause this girl can dance!

Jodie & Keo
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Excellent Lines, Great Frame, Furious Footwork, and a Strong Attitude all came together for Jodie during this Performance, thereby cementing her more-than-impressive Standing as a formidable Contender within this Season!

Jodie & Keo
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Seriously now, who saw this coming?! 

Who could have even GUESSED that Television’s beloved Stephanie Tanner would just show up on Dancing With The Stars and coolly submit one of the better Dances of the evening?!  … 

Jodie & Keo
DWTS Season 22, Week 01



“Hot Dog”!!

Not that, apparently, everyone watching could appreciate this anomaly! …

Judge Carrie Ann Inaba noted of Sweetin’s Execution that, while admittedly very good, it was marred by her own Jaw, which, according to Carrie Ann, affected a “glued-on look” and “a Snarl”.

Wait, what?!  THAT’S what you’re taking from all this amazing, Ballroom Excellence 
being displayed right in front of you? … Poor Jodie’s Jaw-line???

<Pffffffttt> “How Rude”! 


Jodie & Keo
DWTS Season 22, Week 01



See video (below) to watch Jodie & Keo's Tango on Week 01 of DWTS, Courtesy of Dancing With The Stars' great YouTube channel! 




Paige & Mark – Review of DWTS Season 22, Week 01


DWTS Season 22, Week 01

REVIEW:  Paige & Mark




Paige & Mark
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Presenting a Fantastic Foxtrot to “Ain’t Got Far to Go” by Jess Glynne, MMA Fighter, Paige VanZant, and her Professional partner, 2-time former Mirror Ball Champion, Mark Ballas, made their Ballroom Debut!

Paige & Mark
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Ladies and Gentlemen, I-I-I-T-T'S TI-I-I-I-ME (!!  Pardons, Bruce, couldn't resist!) … to discuss the Pint-sized Paige’s terrific, first, Performing impression!

Paige & Mark
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


A delightfully Sassy and supremely Sweet Number, Paige’s execution of this stereotypically “Ballas-fied” Foxtrot was, in a word, Enchanting, leaving its viewers with a very pleasing sense of likeability overall for this (already) Dazzling Duo, and, more still, impatiently hungering for more Dances such as this one!

Paige & Mark
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Successfully achieving her stated goals of <Ahem!> tapping into her feminine side, VanZant additionally went on to display a wonderful panache for Showmanship, as well as a formidable ability to be Light on her Feet, and a natural and fabulous Musicality!!

Paige & Mark
DWTS Season 22, Week 01


Plus, and this following fact cannot be passed over too quickly (or worse, ignored!), as any DWTS Alum will tell you, Mark is BACK, and seemingly better than ever, as his Choreographical Genius was clearly on full throttle, leading up to Monday night’s Performance, making THIS newest explosive Couple certainly one of the ones to <Ahem!!> beat within the coming Weeks!   

Paige & Mark
DWTS Season 22, Week 01



See video (below) to watch Paige & Mark's Foxtrot on Week 01 of DWTS, Courtesy of Dancing With The Stars' great YouTube channel!