Dancing with the Stars

[GeneChing]

'Dancing with the Stars' season 22 cast news 2016: Model, MMA fighter, famous '80s star to dance for Mirror Ball trophy?
Shiena Bernardino REPORTER 02 March 2016

More names had been included in the list of celebrity contestants in "Dancing with the Stars" season 22.


facebook.com/dancingwiththestars

One of the rumored additions to the next lineup of contestants in the long-running reality dance competition is activist/model Nyle DiMarco. The most recent winner of Tyra Banks' "America's Next Top Model," the deaf activist is rumored to be trading the runway for the ABC dancefloor to join "Fuller House" star Jodie Sweetin in vying for the coveted Mirror Ball trophy.

PureDWTS revealed that the winner of "America's Top Model" cycle 22 will be partnered with pro dancer Peta Murgatroyd. To help them communicate, an interpreter will join DiMarco and Murgatroyd's rehearsals. But speculations claim that the dancing partners will have a great time dancing together because the deaf model works very hard during each dancing session.

Meanwhile, another rumor claims that pro dancer Mark Ballas will attempt to get his third Mirror Ball award with the help of the 5'4" tall mixed martial arts athlete Paige VanZant.

The speculations about VanZant's participation in the dancing competition were fueled by a Twitter post where she revealed that she will be in Los Angeles to attend a series of "training and photo shoots."

Ballas and VanZant could be one of the duos to watch out for in "Dancing with the Stars" season 22 since the dancer and the MMA fighter are known to be very competitive. They could probably be a perfect pair because of Ballas is known to be an avid MMA fan.

Another report claims that "The Facts of Life" and "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kim Fields will also join "Dancing with the Stars" season 22.

Sources told ET Online about Fields' reported participation on the show. However, there is no word yet about whom Fields will be dancing with when the dance reality show returns.

The official list of celebrities and their pro partners will be revealed on "Good Morning America" on March 8.

We'll know for sure next week.

She seems to have better prospects there than Liddell did.

[GeneChing]

Paige VanZant to appear on 'Dancing with the Stars'


UFC women's strawweight Paige VanZant, 21, will trade in her MMA gloves for dancing shoes when she joins the 22nd season of the hit ABC show. Rod Mar for ESPN
1:10 PM ET
Brett Okamoto ESPN Staff Writer

UFC women's strawweight Paige VanZant will appear as a contestant in the 22nd season of "Dancing with the Stars."

ABC announced the full cast this week. In addition to VanZant, 21, the list includes former and current NFL players in Antonio Brown, Doug Flutie and Von Miller.

The show premieres on March 21 at 10 p.m. ET. VanZant is the third high-profile mixed martial artist to compete on the show. Previous seasons have featured former UFC champions Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell.

VanZant (6-2), who trains with Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California, signed with the UFC in 2014 and has compiled a 3-1 record in the Octagon. She is a longtime dancer and frequently posts videos of her second passion on social media.

She enters the competition fresh off the first loss of her UFC career in December, a fifth-round submission defeat to Rose Namajunas. She does not currently have a fight scheduled.

Paige is much easier on the eyes than Couture or Liddell, by any measure.

[GeneChing]

Anyone watching? Yea, me neither.

Lost in translation: MMA background hurting Paige VanZant on 'DWTS'
By Andreas Hale
March 23, 2016 6:08 PM
Cagewriter
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UFC strawweight contender Paige VanZant made her debut on Season 22 of “Dancing with the Stars” and impressed by finishing in a four-way tie for fourth place with a score of 21. Matched with pro dance partner Mark Ballas, VanZant’s foxtrot earned a trio of 7s from the judges and has seen the odds of her winning the contest improve from 10-1 to 2-1.


Paige VanZant and Dancing with the Stars partner Mark Ballas. (Getty Images)

“I was really nervous,” VanZant told MMA Junkie. “The foxtrot isn’t a dance I was particularly excited about because you’re not allowed to do lifts, you’re not allowed to do certain [other] things. You have to be traditional and be in the frame, with very specific footwork. So we couldn’t be wild and crazy and have a fun routine.”
Next week will find VanZant challenged with the salsa. “We have the salsa, and it’s just an amazing routine so far," VanZant said. "I’m excited to show off the super fun side of things. [Mark] definitely knows I have areas I need to improve on. There are still little things that are hard for me to break, being an MMA fighter.”

Although VanZant is taking an extended hiatus from competing in the Octagon, the Team Alpha Male fighter is staying on top of her training regime and squeezes workouts in during her downtime. Although it can be assumed that her MMA training may assist her in this competition, VanZant said that it doesn’t help much, if at all.

“Not a lot translates over very well,” VanZant said while citing that flexibility and cardio are two small things that help her through practice. "There are a lot of techniques that are completely different [from fighting] – keeping your head up, I’m having a hard time not keeping my shoulders forward. It’s hard to break that fighter’s stance. It’s been a little difficult for me to try to break.”

We’ll see if VanZant can continue to improve when she competes on Monday’s episode.

[GeneChing]

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[GeneChing]

I just made a new Paige VanZant thread, poached from our Paige-VanZant-vs-Felice-Herrig thread.

Paige VanZant Wins Big Despite ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Loss
Written by Tom Ngo
May 25th, 2016



Without question, Paige VanZant (pictured) is the best UFC fighter … to ever compete on “Dancing With The Stars.”
VanZant left UFC Hall of Famers Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, who appeared on previous seasons of the popular dancing show, in her rear-view mirror weeks ago when it comes to ballroom blitzing.
VanZant burst out of the tiny MMA bubble and onto the mainstream with her breathtaking performances on DWTS. Although VanZant and partner Mark Ballas came up short in Tuesday’s finals against Nyle Dimarco, the UFC strawweight was plastered on millions of television sets for 10 straight weeks.
Week after week, Americans who had no idea of who PVZ was prior to the show continued to vote for the cute blonde who happens to be a cage fighter by day.
Paige VanZant is now a household name. That’s something that would have taken forever, if ever, had she remained merely a mixed martial artist, and that by itself is worth more than some tacky mirror ball trophy to put on her mantle.
When outsiders think of female MMA fighters, a person like Cris “Cyborg” Justino surely comes to mind. Former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey certainly helped crush that stereotype before VanZant showed off her fancy feet, but Rousey has never come off as graceful or lovable.
VanZant broke down a huge barrier in showing the mainstream that MMA athletes aren’t brutal neanderthals. They can in fact look and act just like your hot next door neighbor.
On the power of her strong stint on DWTS, VanZant was signed to join the cast of the upcoming movie “Kickboxer: Retaliation,” the sequel to 1989’s “Kickboxer: Vengeanace” starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Unfortunately for fight fans, VanZant’s success outside of the cage might now affect the next time they’ll see her inside of it. The UFC was hoping to book her for their historic UFC 200 event on July 9, but her extended run on DWTS derailed that chatter long ago. Now that Hollywood is in play, “12 Gauge’s” return to the octagon is foggier than ever.
“I’m going to remember it forever,” a gracious VanZant said after Tuesday’s loss.
America won’t soon forget her, either.

[GeneChing]