3 Reasons Why I'm Shutting Down DWTS Ringer Talk

We are less than a week away from the Season 18 premiere of Dancing With the Stars and the ringer talk has begun. My Twitter feed exploded with questions after PureDWTS wrote an insightful article about Danica McKellar's past ballroom experience. They took the time to dig up extensive evidence of her training where she looks good out on that dance floor. Danica is also seen in her latest ABC video acting a little naive when it comes to being led around the ballroom.

Remember, we are in Season 18 of the show and even Conrad Green, producer of DWTS, has admitted it's harder to cast the show at this point. So fair or not regarding Danica's very specific ballroom training, I go back to these three reasons why I'm just shutting down the ringer talk.

1. It's Exhausting: We've discussed it ad nauseum some seasons on AfterBuzz TV.  I think we wind up talking circles around the topic and we get nowhere. If you look back at Season 16 and the whole Zendaya debate, the argument reached a fever pitch with everyone taking sides. In the end, Zendaya didn't win.

2. It's a TV show: ABC is trying to deliver an entertaining show each week. They bring on celebrities with many different levels of dance training to draw an audience. Last season, we had a mix of trained dancers like Corbin Bleu, natural movers like Jack Osbourne and Amber Riley and lovable personalities like Bill Engvall in the Final Four. Again, the best-trained dancer did not win.

3. It Comes Down to that Freestyle Dance: When it comes to final votes for the average audience member, they vote on the Freestyle Dance. The best dancer may have worked hard all season and been at the top of the leaderboard most weeks, but if that Freestyle Dance doesn't deliver…they don't go home with the Mirror Ball Trophy.

I know you won't all agree with me on this, so help me see the flip side of the coin. Feel free to comment below. I will respond to all comments here, but I won't be able to respond to comments on Twitter. There are so many of you on Twitter and it's impossible to do without annoying my other followers who aren't DWTS fans. As always, please be respectful of others and their opinions. Thanks!

AfterBuzz TV DWTS: Julz Tocker

Hello, Everyone! It was so great to be back in studio with the entire DWTS AfterBuzz TV team. I missed them and I missed you.

I see your comments coming in, so I want to clarify a few things so they make sense to you.

--Sean Cheesman/Derek Hough choreography: I was in NO way implying Derek copied Sean. There are a ton of differences to the routine. The beginning table work reminded me of Sean's choreography, but you can clearly see the the direction each choreographer took. Watch Sean's routine here.

--Debbie Allen: Were you just as shocked as I was to learn about Corbin's dance experience with Debbie Allen? Ms. Allen's school is legendary for producing quality dancers, so I know it shouldn't surprise me…but…wow! It explains a lot about this season.

--Predictions:  We made predictions for next week's possible winner, but as I like to say, "it ain't over until that freestyle hits the floor." I'm expecting top level choreography from Karina and Derek, so it should be a great night of dance. If fans are voting for the best dancer, Corbin or Amber will be the winners. If fans rally around their favorite dancer based on story, Jack or Bill could have a serious shot. (Although I think the judges' scores will not allow this scenario to happen, but we know stranger things have happened.)

--Victor Ortiz: If you missed his appearance last season, you can watch how he mauled the pillows on the AfterBuzz couch during the interview. The chat room fans call it the "Victor Ortiz couch."

We loved having Julz Tocker back in studio. His energy and insight always bring so much to the table. It was really appreciated!

If you missed the show, you can listen here or watch below:

AfterBuzz TV DWTS: Toni Basil & Sonny Pederson

Another week and more controversy. Could this season get any crazier? I'm not sure we all successfully answered the true reason behind Len's personal vendetta against Derek, but it's glaring at this point. It's no longer a cute TV story that creates controversy once a season. If you want to be consistent on your judging, you have to do it for every pro even if they have a dancer with less talent. The only thing I'm hearing now as a viewer is Len's criticism of Derek. I rarely hear him offer constructive comments on how Amber is doing. How do you solve this before the end of the season? Tell me what you think in the comments below.

I loved having Anna and Toni Basil in studio. Two amazing women with strong opinions, does it get any better? Toni is always someone who tells it like it is. That's exactly what I want to hear on the judging panel on DWTS. Sonny Pedersen had some great insight on the show as well. 

I missed being in studio, but work in Detroit kept me from being there in person. I will be back in studio next week with our guest Witney Carson.

DWTS Season 17: The End of the Ringer Debate

Don't ever count out athletes like Keyshawn Johnson in this competition.

Since we are only eight days away from the Season 17 launch of Dancing With the Stars. I'd like this to the last time we talk about ringers this season. Last season was filled with talk about the lovely Zendaya and her "ringer" status. It's just a waste of time talking about this since the alleged ringer doesn't always win. Let's talk about dance and choreography and personality--things that matter to the show. There will always be some producer manipulation behind the scenes, but arguing about it is just exhausting.

Yep, that's Snooki during her gymnastic and cheerleading days.

Here's a sample of a few of the contestants who have had dance or movement training prior to joining the cast.

Start by watching the incredible Valerie Harper in this production number. It isn't available for embedding, but it's definitely worth watching.

Elizabeth Berkley:


Amber Riley:


Christina Milian:


Bill Nye, The Science Guy:


Corbin Bleu:


DWTS on AfterBuzz TV premieres on Tuesday, Sept. 17 with me, Anna Trebunskaya, Suri Serano and Jake DuPree at 8 p.m. PT. Watch here. 

DWTS Season 17: Initial Cast Thoughts

If my Twitter feed was an indication of what is to come for Season 17 of Dancing With the Stars, I am in for a busy fall. TMZ leaked a few of the celeb names today: Valerie Harper, Leah Remini, Elizabeth Berkeley, Snooki, Amber Riley, and Christina Milian. I've said it before and I will say it again, TMZ is pretty good about fact checking, so this list should be your six female celebs for the season.

Once it was revealed that Tristan MacManus was paired with Valerie, the tweets began. Many of the tweets were people who were angry that he was matched with a 74-year-old woman battling terminal brain cancer. Really? Doctors told her she would be dead by June and miraculously, she's still with us and is tackling DWTS. I don't know about you, but that's kind of awesome...and inspirational.

Re: Tristan--The gift of working with someone bravely fighting a terminal illness is greater than a mirrored ball trophy. #DWTS
— Kristyn Burtt (@KristynBurtt) August 28, 2013

Look, I get it: We all love Tristan and we want to see him win. It was disappointing to see him have to drop out in Season 16 when Dorothy Hamill was injured. Then it was a bummer to see him injured during the finale and he couldn't have one last dance with her. (Bravo to Henry Byalikov for stepping in!)

I'm just not going to get my panties in a bunch over this. I'm going to look at it from the Sharna Burgess School of Opportunity. I love what she did with Andy Dick last season, it was fun and moving to watch his journey. I'm going to take that same approach with Tristan and Valerie. I have a lot of faith in his talent, don't you?

So let's kick off this season on a positive note. I know you guys won't always agree with me, but I love to hear your opinions as long as it's handled with mutual respect. I love a good dance debate!

Here's to a great Season 17. I'm excited by the cast so far and we've already booked our first guest for DWTS on AfterBuzz TV. Hooray!

I would love to hear from you....hit me up with your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.