DWTS Finale: Why I Love This Dancing Show

I have been incredibly excited about the Dancing With The Stars finale all day. So excited that at approximately 4:50pm when I ran into our CEO in the hall and she said how are you doing Analisa in a friendly way since she was leaving…naturally I responded by saying….

In a really great mood because Dancing With The Stars Finale is tonight.

I know. I know. I know. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME! It was like one of those moments that as it was happening I couldn't believe it was happening and then I even stunned myself trying to figure out how to recover. Luckily I thought to say: Do you watch the show? And even though she responded saying she didn't, she asked me about Amy Purdy, if she was still around and we talked about her dancing on her prosthetics.

BUT STILL. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME. I don't even know. I am so into this season that it is clearly making me delusional.

I know I am kind of in a bit of a minority of friends and people I know who watch this show other than my mom and honestly that is fine by me. It's Mom and me every Monday night, tuning in to watch this show. Not even Dad and Kristina watch it. They both have tried and both of their responses on watching are something along the lines of I tried I just can't get into it. 

But Mom and me. Lifelong fans. This is our thing.

Why? In 10 Reasons Here Goes:

1. We love dancing. Period. We love dancing and we love watching dancing.
2. We get to know the cast throughout the season and we slowly fall in love with them. And then we proceed to talk about them to each other like we know them. (Trying to one up each other) 
3. The show is like being at a party every Monday night. It's upbeat. It's peppy. It's reality TV fun.
4. After watching practically every season, we feel like we know the pros. And we love them too. 
5. We know Bruno is hilarious. We know Len is tough. We know you do not do any sort of lift in front of Carrie Ann or she will dock you. 
6. When each new season starts, it's like welcoming back old friends into the living room. 
7. The show is simple. People dance. They get judged. People vote. Contestants get voted off. Sometimes the results make us mad. Sometimes we agree. But it has a rhythm and it makes sense.
8. We hear songs that trigger memories of old dance team routines, dance recitals, carpool trips, the list goes on…and when it happens, it's fun for us.
9. Maybe we secretly wish we were out there dancing too? And though it would take a miracle, maybe someday we will be! 
10. At the end of the day, even when people are asking me why I am so into this show or have a funny look on their face when I mention it, I may rattle off my love of dancing, my love of reality TV but I know deep down it's because it's mom's and my show. 

And tonight, after reuniting with all of our faves, talking about the finale all day on the phone and over texts, and being the only two members of our family to watch, another season ends and another champion is crowned….and it's the couple we were rooting for….MAKS & MERYLl!   

Hooray!! Maks' 1st Mirror Ball Trophy! Our favorites all season!
We are PUMPED!!! 

And one last note before signing off my DWTS recapping until the Fall...because you all need to see this delightful dance number to my new favorite summer song Classic. I know deep down Gregg really enjoys the amount of time this song has been blared in the car and our apartment recently:

 Stay classic and keep dancing my friends! 

DWTS Semi-Finals aka The Greatest Hits of My Life

This morning I saw an advertisement that The Bachelorette begins next week….which I can't believe it's already time for another train wreck of a season to begin but it also means that DWTS is ending. I was highly confused and then they announced tonight is the Semi-Finals. I am still confused because The Bachelorette airs at the same as DWTS. 

Round 1:

Charlie White & Girl I Don't Know

• They danced to my most favorite Frank Sinatra song "New York, New York" 
• I was smiling so big as I sat all alone in my apartment. I mean look at these pictures and try not smiling:

 

It's Up to You New York, New York.
You can't not smile. You can't do it. 

Derek & Amy Purdy 

• They danced to another one of my top lifetime songs "You Can't Hurry Love" 
• Amy did this fast dance with her "running legs" and I sat the entire time with my mouth dropped. 

Then they announce that Meryl & Maks are in jeopardy. And Peeta and James are safe. WHAT!!! OUTRAGED. Even Charlie's face can't help matters. 

Peeta & James

• I will not admit I slightly enjoyed this dance being to Michael Jackson because I am outraged. 
• OUTRAGED. 
• They scored four 10s. I quit.

No not really. I don't quit. I am still here because here comes my favessssss…

Maks & Meryl 

• Elvis "You Ain't Nothin' But A Hound Dog" 
• It was precious. I loved it. It made me want to go jive around my apartment. 

Try looking at these and not want to hop and twirl around your own house. 

Then the pro stars danced to this song which is one of my new favorites on the radio and I nearly died. I will not even lie. I was absolutely 100% dancing around my living room by myself. And then I played the song again. And then I found it on You Tube because I couldn't find the DWTS performance clip. 

DYING!!!!

Round 2: DING DING DING! 

Mark & DJ Tanner 

• Danced to Janet Jackson "Nasty"
• PEOPLE I AM DYING!!!! These are all my favorite songs.
• DJ is not really doing Janet justice and that just upsets me.
• She got two 9's and 2 10's. One of the 10's from Len. My theory: It was already announced she is going to the finals so her scores are pointless so he gave her a 10. Len gives no one a 10.

Girl I Don't Know & Charlie White 

• Danced to "Mo' Money Mo' Problems"
• I spent most of the song trying to figure out what age I was when this song came out.
• Carrie Ann said "I Wanna Live In Charlie's World" -- me too! It's all smiles.
• He gets four 9's. I seriously am mad. MAD MAD MAD. 

 Derek & Amy Purdy

• Their jazz dance kind of reminded me of something out of Chicago. 

Peeta & James

• Dancing to Islands in the Stream. Only the #1 most performed song of Kristina and my childhood. And these two are dancing to it. I can't. Let's just fast forward to Maks & Meryl.

Okay finally they just said dance for the mirrorball next Tuesday. 

I am still confused by next week's schedule.

Maks & Meryl

• They danced the Viennese watch. They are perfection. 
• I really like Meryl's sparkly denim shirt and would kind of like one for myself. 

Final elimination time. 

• In my opinion with all three Olympians being in jeopardy is about as staged as Manziel being drafted so late in the draft. Ratings. Fixed. 
• Amy Purdy is safe and at that moment I know that Charlie White is going home. And I am deeply saddened. 
• And it is announced. It is final. Charlie and Girl I Don't Know are going home. And he is so gracious. And he announces he is Team Meryl. And he is even more precious. 

Schedule For Next Week:

• Monday: DWTS Freestyle dances at 7pm
• Monday: Bachelorette following. Not that anymore cares but this is good because I have a meeting from 6-8pm and have been freaking out about missing Bachelorette premiere. 
• Between these two shows, what in the world am I going to blog about???? Stay tuned.
• Tuesday: DWTS Finale. 

Sigh. Charlie White I heart you. I am going to go buy tickets to watch you dance on ice asap and attempt to drag Gregg. Sigh. Sad night.

My predication, final two will be Maks & Meryl and Derek & Amy. 

DWTS: Latin Night

It's latin night with Ricky Martin but he does not open the show with "Livin La Vida Loca" Come on Ricky. Give the people what they want. 

Derek and Amy- Rumba

• Amy starts talking about how her relationship with her boyfriend isn't going so well and how that is making doing the rumba "the love dance" difficult
• Translation: I am real surprised home girl is airing her dirty laundry on national primetime TV
• They danced to this slow version of "Come on Baby Light My Fire" and I kinda liked it. Mental note to figure out where that is from.
• Also, I hate the rumba. It bores me every year. 

Post commercial break- they are serving pina coladas to the judges. Then Tom Bergeron turned his upside down and it looked like it belonged in my old Fisher Price kitchen because it didn't spill. 

Peeta and James- Samba

• They are still discussing this potential couples thing. I am over it/them and their potential couple status. I smell stunt to get votes. 
• She is also dancing in glorified lingerie. I know these costumes are usually provocative but this is quite ridiculous. 

Val and Winnie Cooper- Salsa

• Apparently Winnie Cooper broke her rib this week.
• They did this scene where they showed graphics of the texts coming in that said 
• "Fractured"
• "Yeah, it's broken"
• Clever ABC. Way to mix it up.
• Then we see Winnie jumping rope 5 seconds after so I am quite confused.

I am also quite confused by how this 90s funk outfit translates to a Salsa. 

This just in: The guest judge next week is the Coach from Dance Moms. I may die. If you have never watched I think you should tune in just to see the train wreck that will be that. 

Tony and NeNe

• I'm not going to lie I fast forwarded. I am not sure what they even danced. 

Girl I Don't Know and Charlie 

• I really liked Charlie's dance and the judges didn't. I actually think they were mean to him. 
• I thought it was sweet to see Maks and Meryl getting excited for their dance.
• I also think Charlie in response to the rude comments Charlie is thinking: "I am an Olympian with a Gold medal. I'm going to live if I don't win the mirror ball trophy"
• He's #overit 

Mark and DJ Tanner 

• Apparently there is such a thing as "Dancing With The Stars" therapy. 

My thoughts on this can best be described by the one and only Jim Halpert. 

• I only half watched this dance. I was pretty bored and confused by the song.
• How did they get nicer comments from the judges than Charlie White? I smell favoritism. 

Maks and Meryl

• So good. I am obsessed. Obsessed with these people. 
• On an unrelated note, is this a wig or how does one get their hair like this:

And let's just all give a moment of thanksgiving that I was paying such close attention to the TV at this moment because I would've missed this gem right before commercial break:

NIKKI AND JUAN PABLO! BACK ON AN ABC SHOW. WHAT!!!!!

Team Dance #1: La Cupa de La Vida aka The Cup of Life

• Charlie White was precious. And I think he and NeNe are BFFs. And that's even more precious.
• And if that's not enough, you tell me you don't want to go to a dance club with this guy. I feel like I am watching Center Stage:

Team Dance #2: Livin La Vida Loca aka Living The Crazy Life 

• Since Amy Purdy hurt herself she was out- which meant they had to judge the dress rehearsal. I thought I was getting gipped. Going to admit I was wrong. I.was.wrong.
• Let's all just pause and see all the shirtless men. Okay glad we all had that moment together. 

Elimination Time

• ALLELUIA CHARLIE AND NO NAME GIRL ARE SAFE!!!! ALLELUIA! 
• In the spirit of Latin Night…..Adios Nene and Tony. 

'Til next week and the next Meryl and Maks dance. 

Dance Moms Coach. Going to be epic. 

DWTS: Party Anthem Night

Apparently it is 'Party Anthem Night.' I only figured this out during the judges critiquing Nene and seeing this giant red hair guy named REDFOO talking about 'Party Anthem Night.' I had to fast forward the beginning Party in the U-S-A number because it is 9:30 and I am just now eating dinner and watching DWTS. What does dinner and life at 9:30 look like:

Breakfast of champions right here. While Chloe watches intently and gives herself a bath.
In the words of Fergie, G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S.

Disclaimer: I don't know the actual names of any songs so I am just going to rattle them off the best I can to explain what they are. I am also really tired so I am literally flinging words on to my blog as I watch and try to go to sleep. Because I care that deeply for this show. 

Tony and Nene "Hot in Here" 

• Here we go again with Real Housewives of Dancing With The Stars Drama. I'm over it. I don't even understand what happened and I am over it. 
• Nene and Tony started out dancing in the middle of the audience and I actually highly enjoyed some of these audience members thinking they were on DWTA 'Dancing With The Audience'
• Erin Andrews may be slowly annoying me with her post-dance questions. 

Mark and DJ Tanner "I Don't Care, I Love It" 

• Can DJ stop talking about being a sexy girl and just dance? JUST. DANCE. DJ. 
• I liked DJ's dress. I'd like to know where to buy it. 
• I cannot take this REDFOO guy seriously. 

This just in…next week…Ricky Martin. I am 'Livin La Vida Loca about that. Wasn't he on last year? Ricky must love him some DWTS. 

Peeta and James "You're The One That I Want" Grease

• Just going into this dance I'm already nervous because I love this song and they better not ruin it.
• My conclusion: I didn't like it. I was disappointed. 
• REDFOO says the Quick step was "Quick." This guy. This guy is scoring contestants and determining the next champion of our beloved DWTS. I don't like it one bit. 

Promo on how intense DWTS is for the dancers…some things to note:

• I am pretty sure Meryl and Charlie literally have nothing to say and are trying to making something up. This is not intense for them. They just won gold in Russia. Again, I repeat, this is not intense for them. 
• I would give anything to be part of DWTS. Anything. Anything. And I'd never even complain in one of the promos. I would sit there and just freak out that I was there.
• I just looked up and noticed Macy's flags everywhere and I am super impressed with the marketing efforts behind the Macy's Stars of Dance….which I am now fast forwarding. Why? Please see above and note the time and what I am eating for dinner. No time for this. Must see Meryl and Maks. 

Val and Winnie Cooper "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"

• Once again, I love this song. Please don't disappoint me. But I think Val won't let me down. 
• It was good. More discussion of the journey of DWTS.
• REDFOO didn't even remember to score and just copied Carrie Ann.
• Did anyone notice Val give a shout out to Winnie's boyfriend? I totes thought he and Winnie were dating. Now I realize why he gave him a shout out. And did you see Winnie's face. I'm gonna guess there is trouble in paradise.

Maks and Meryl "I Feel So Close To You Right Now" 

• I'm not going to lie, I have always always always thought the judges are harder on Maks than anyone else. 
• I think Meryl could be the new official DWTS psychologist. She just analyzed Maks more in 10 seconds than anyone ever has the entire 13 seasons he has been on this show. 
• That dance was awesome. The second the they grabbed hands I knew it was going to be awesome.
• Len complimented Maks. That never happens. Never.Happens. Never.Happens. 
• REDFOO says "ET Phone Home." Once again. I am riveted. 
• PERFECT SCORE. FINALLY. 
• Confession: I hit rewind and watched it again. Yes, I am fast forwarding nonstop and through Macy's Stars of Dance but I rewatched this performance.  

Cheryl and Drew "Super Freak" 

• They are really going to do a tango immediately after Maks and Meryl? Is this a joke. 
• I didn't really watch this dance so I can't provide much commentary. Drew gets an E for Effort though. 

And then I fast forwarded through REDFOO's performance. I did it so fast I didn't know what happened and i didn't rewind to see what happened either. 

Girl I Don't Know and Charlie "Everybody Dance Now" 

• Charlie using curse words in his pre-footage. I never would've guessed Mr. Mary Poppins used curse words. 
• Hello flashback: I lip synced this in my 6th grade talent show. It was the performance of my life. 
• So cute. I heart Charlie. And glow sticks. And this song. And the black light meets neon ending. 

Derek and Amy "Shout"

• This is my Dad's favorite song in the world. He, Kristina and I may or may not have ended up on the floor at my wedding when it was time for "a little bit softer now…"
• I honestly could not stop watching Amy's legs. It was the first time we have seen them and I cannot believe they are not her real legs. It is overwhelmingly impressive.
• It was a good ending to the show.  

Elimination Time….I think this is actually the first elimination I have watched and I am not sure how but it is. So long to Cheryl and Drew. Drew was sweet. He will be missed.

Can we watch more of Maks and Meryl? Can we just have the Maks and Meryl show? I am still dying over their performance. You can watch it here if you missed it: 

Even if you didn't miss it…just watch it again. 

Cheers to Monday, Maks and Meryl!

Dancing With The Stars: Disney Night

Disney night should be renamed flashback night. Because apparently when I hear Disney songs, I flashback to all kinds of things in life.

Drew and Cheryl- Aladdin "You Ain't Never Had a Friend Like Me"

• Drew danced half this dance with his mouth open and I don't know why
• Lo and behold the Genie appears on the floor. That became more exciting than the dance.
• Flashback to Jafar. Now I remember why I don't like Aladdin.

Charlie and his no name partner- Mary Poppins "Supercalafragalisticixpialidoshus"

• Dancing fast with umbrellas. Charlie dropped the umbrella. But you can't be mad at him..because you can't be mad at Charlie. Try it...

See? Doesn't work.

• Flashback to high school dance team ribbon performances and having the fear of God put into me if I dropped the ribbon.
• Charlie makes me want to grab a top hat and cane and dance. 

Winnie Cooper and Val- Beauty and the Beast "Be Our Guest"

• Flashback to being 8 years old dancing with my waiter outfit marching up and down the aisles of for our opening recital dance Be Our Guest. My favorite dance routine ever. I want to be 8 again. 
• I love the Quickstep. I am dying to learn how to Quickstep. 
• I had forgotten how much I love this song. Now I remember. Gregg will wish I hadn't been reminded: 

• I felt like Beauty and the Beast came to life. They were super fun to watch.

Amy and Derek- Cinderella "So This is Love"

• As usual I am pretty amazed by Amy. 
• They had the mice at the end. And unlike seeing the Genie, seeing the mice made me want to watch Cinderella.  

Cody Simpson…guy I don't know and his partner I don't know- Lion King "Can't Wait To Be King"

• Homeboy starts off singing what I can only guess is a new hit off his album. I can also only guess that his girlfriend he had at the beginning is not happy either. 
• I'm not going to lie, I forgot this song existed.
• I fast forwarded the judges critique because I just don't care.

Nene and Tony- 101 Dalmations "Cruella DeVil" 

• So I think Nene liked Derek better as a partner than Tony. I am sensing some drama brewing. 
• I think Nene thinks this is RHOA. Not DWTS. I think she's confused. 
• After seeing Nene and Tony, I understand why Cruella DeVil was selected. 
• They started crying talking to Erin Andrews. And Erin Andrews seemed like a sass. I don't even know what to make of all of this. If I wanted RHODWTS I would've put on Bravo.

James Maslow and Peeta- Frozen "Let it Go"

• This is just a reminder to me that I need to see this movie. 
• While watching this I was trying to remember the name Travolta called the singer- yes, Adel Dazim. There we go.
• Then they reminded us Frozen is now available on DVD and I saw in a flash the entire reason for Disney night. 

Meryl and Maks- The Jungle Book "I Want To Be Like You"

• I've been staring at Maks all night without a shirt. Can we please just fast forward to them??
• I think this was a tricky song to do a Samba to and I was really impressed with it. 
• Basically I could just watch Meryl and Maks dance for an entire hour. 

DJ Tanner and Mark- The Little Mermaid "Under The Sea"

• I am just not feeling DJ as a dancer. She is lacking something/too stiff/not flowy/I don't know.
• At the end of watching this I realized this is actually how Ariel would've danced when she first got legs. Note that Ariel was not on DWTS. 

I realized this morning that Gregg walked in and I didn't even pay attention to who got eliminated. Clearly I knew my faves were safe and it's too early to care….

Good-bye Cody Simpson guy I don't know and partner I don't know.

I still love Meryl and Maks. The End. 

Dancing With The Stars Week 3

Monday bribery- the practice of giving yourself a reward for waking up and surviving a Monday. 

For instance, this past Monday was a Monday. But it did feel just a smidge better knowing that at the end I had a "TV watching, wine drinking, cheese eating" evening planned with my friend S who was in town this week. It was Monday bribery at its finest.

When we were making plans, S asked what good TV was on since we didn't have The Bachelor to watch…. Here's one thing I am extremely proud of and at the same time can never put on my resume... when people ask me what good TV is on I know good and well they are looking for mindless entertainment perhaps with a competition element based on real people…and I come through with a great list of options that make them think they have come to the right place every time. Proud.

On Monday night's agenda…..Dancing With The Stars.

I missed last week due to the Cher concert and I never got caught up. My friend M (who I also got hooked on The Bachelor) told me (via email) that she thinks the show is better live and I have to say, she is completely right. I've never formed those words but I have secretly always known them in my Dancing With The Stars heart. Long story short, I didn't catch up.

What happened this Monday?

Spoiler alert: The guy from Star Wars left voluntarily because he couldn't hack it anymore.

What else happened?

Well for starters this happened….

Home Happy Hours. Wine and cheese with S, Cheers! 

My un-PRO-fessional thoughts on DWTS:
Disclaimer- You may notice some people missing and that is because there are a lot of people I just don't care about right now. If you feel strongly that I missed someone you care passionately about, I am open to hearing your argument. 

Derek and Amy  

• They showed footage of how she learned to walk again by dancing with her Dad. I'm not going to say I got tears in my eyes and I am not going to say I didn't... 

Val and Winnie Cooper

• She performed a dance for her son Draco…who was precious. But the entire time I couldn't stop thinking of Draco Malfoy a la "Harry Potter" 
• I am also wondering if she and Val are the love connection couple to watch. 
• Oh and Winnie's son was crying when she was done because the music was so loud. She picked him up from the audience and he had a death grip on her and wouldn't let go. She had to carry him over to the judges while she got her scores. It was sad but funny at the same time.

Maks and Meryl

• Holy hotness their chemistry. And Meryl is an amazing dancer and amazing to watch.
• I still predict Final 2.

Pro dancer who I don't know her name and Charlie

• Charlie was precious dancing to "Happy"…I mean precious.
• He was also wearing "man-pris" aka "capris for men" as my dear friend J used to call them as we wandered around Europe studying abroad. 
• His hair has also really grown on me since I first saw it debuted at the Olympics. S didn't agree but I told her to just give it time…she'd come around just as I did. 

Mark and DJ Tanner

• Here's the thing- I thought DJ could dance. She's lacking the dancer flow. 
• I am also having trouble recalling any specific DJ Tanner dance scenes. Every time I try to recall something I have a flashback to Kelly Kapowski and then I'm like Nope! Wrong show!
• Regardless I really hope she stays around because every week is like a trip down memory lane:
• Aunt Becky and Kimmy Gibler came to visit at dress rehearsal
• Steve and Kimmy Gibler cheered DJ on in the ballroom.
• Mark and DJ danced to Elvis in honor of Full House. 
• S and I are holding out for an Uncle Jessie appearance in the near future. 

Cheryl and Drew Carey

• They were sweet. Drew Carey has lost a lot of weight. 
• He dedicated his dance to his son and the entire time he was only talking about his son, I kept trying to figure out if he was married..I am still not sure. 

'Til next Monday and next week's ballroom adventures….

start deciding now what your Monday bribery is going to be. 

Dancing With The Stars: Premiere and Predictions

Dancing With The Stars is back. Mom and I spent the entire evening calling back and forth about performances. I am trying to figure out how exactly I am going to discuss this…so we'll just go with a mash of random thoughts and predictions based on my experience being a loyal fan for many years.

Here's the thing with DWTS- it doesn't get good until a few more weeks. There are too many contestants right now...too many people I don't know and don't care about…and I have to wait through those until the people I do like perform. Here is the line-up if you want to click through and see the cast

Nene Leakes performs with Tony
Prediction: She'll be around for awhile until about the middle. Tony always gets stuck with these ladies. Only one season did he get Melissa Rycroft and that was by default and that's the only time he's been in the finals or won. This season appears it will be same ol' same ol' for Tony.

Winnie Cooper performs with Val (Maks' brother)
Disclaimer: I watched the Wonder Years but was never obsessed. Full House was more our show.
Prediction: She'll last as long as DJ Tanner. She may go home sooner since DJ Tanner may be a more popular adult and get more votes. But I was surprised that Winne Cooper was pretty good.

James Maslow performs with Peeta. 
Disclaimer: Who is this guy?
Prediction: They'll stay around for awhile because they intrigued the audience when they told us they went on a date. But then they are going to get boring.

Sean Avery performs with Karina. 
Disclaimer: The real issue is I have been mentally thinking this is a former Spurs player for a few weeks …either Sean Elliot or Avery Johnson…even though I knew I was wrong the entire time and then I see who it is and I am even more clueless.
Prediction: This person will be out in a week or two.

Billy Dee Williams performs with the girl (whose name I don't know) that performed with Bill Engvall last season. 
Prediction: He did a Star Wars routine to channel his past. He's the Billy Nye of this season and may be around another week.

Meryl Davis performs with Maks.
Disclaimer: I love Maks. And I am a new lover of ice dancing so obviously I love Meryl being his partner and they are already one of my favorites.
Prediction: They cha cha'd and it was amazing. They will win the season. The end.

DJ Tanner performs with Mark Ballas.
Disclaimer. I love Full House and I love DJ Tanner. I was trying to remember all the Tanner sister performances to remember if she was a good dancer. Another I was waiting to see.
Prediction: They'll go until Top 5 or Top 4.

Fun fact: DJ Tanner reveals that in real life she was broken up with by her boyfriend (some guy named Jeremy Miller) so he could go out with Winnie Cooper. In real life. 

Cody Simpson performs with Whitney.
Disclaimer: I do not know either of these people. Cody is a singer/songwriter from Australia whatever that means. Whitney is a new pro.
Prediction: This guy said he has a girlfriend. His partner is single. I'm just saying he'll be gone midway and his parting gift is a new girlfriend.

Raise your hand if at this point you started flipping between Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion show and DWTS premiere. Guilty. 

Drew Carey performs with Cheryl Burke.
Disclaimer: I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Cheryl ever since she and Drew Lachey won.
Prediction: People love Drew Carey. They are dancing on a Monopoly board. He's going to be around for awhile.

Amy Purdy performs with Derek.
Prediction: Here's the deal. They never give Derek bad partners therefore they are going far. I predict final three. My mind was also blown watching Amy perform because she has lost both her legs beneath her knees and was doing these dances with two prosthetic legs. Mind.blown.

Diana Nyad performs with newcomer Henry
How you know her: She is the woman who swam from Cuba to Florida last year. They even had her dance to "Beyond the Sea." I don't even know what to say to that...
Prediction: She gave it her all. Sadly, she'll be swimming home next week.

Charlie White performs with Sharna Burgess who I don't know
Disclaimer: I have been super excited to see Charlie perform. Because in case you missed it, I love ice dancing now and am obsessed with him.
Prediction: People are going to love seeing Charlie compete against Meryl and this is going to be a great story all.season.long. I can't predict how far he'll go because I can't figure out how good he is yet. But if he is good, Top 3 and then he and Meryl go head to head to win.

That's it. Premiere night down. What did I learn tonight? 

That you can realistically watch two shows at once with all the "filler stuff" they mix in DWTS.

After Real Housewives Reunion ended, I noticed there is a new show called Southern Charm on Bravo. It's official. I am addicted to horrible television. I hope this can be a safe place where you can admit it if you are too.