This week, we decided to talk about a topic often neglected by the media, but a topic near and dear to our hearts – the DWTS Troupe.  Besides giving us a Dancing With the Stars style introduction to Tristan MacManus, the 3 seasons with this cast of characters have been an amazing combination of electric energy, surprising talent, and extraordinary quantities of fun.  Each Troupe member has amazing credentials and is a true pro in every sense of the word.  We love each and every one of them (past and present), and in this particular blog entry, we are going to tell you exactly why we adore them (in no particular order). 

Sasha Farber – Here you have a wild, wacky, and incredibly gifted package of unbelievable energy, unquestionable talent, and unstoppable charisma.  We saw something amazing in Burn the Floor: The New Show ‘Floor Play’ where Sasha took on many roles and played them convincingly – from the suave leading man to the imp that got away with everything.  He was (and is) a showstopping bundle of more talent than we can possibly describe. The backflips?  Unreal.  The stage presence?  Off the charts.  His looks? He’s gorgeous.  The best part?  He keeps it real.  Oh, and his performance on DWTS India?  Brilliant!  We loved every single delicious second.

Emma Slater – She’s beautiful, she’s kind, she’s appreciative of her support, and she gave us an interview. (Thanks, Emma).  But forget that.  She was superb in Burn the Floor, and she brought a new dynamic to DWTS with her way of being a lethal combination of edgy, sexy, sensuous, and artistic.  We loved her performance with Tristan, Sharna, and Henry to Carrie Underwood’s Good Girl, but we also loved her amazing performance, among others, in Dance With Me Tonight where she immediately won us over.  Then there is the impression she made in DWTS Live in Las Vegas and her Rumba from DWTS India.  Perfection.

Sharna Burgess – What’s not to love about Sharna?  She’s gorgeous, fun, edgy, and brilliant.  We loved her in Burn the Floor, we loved her from the day she stepped onto the DWTS stage in Season 13 dancing to Edge of Glory, and each performance endears her to us even more.  One of our favorites?  The Cobra Starship You Make Me Feel performance with Tristan, Sonny, and Kym in which she not only performed but choreographed as well.  That was spectacular, and she was spectacular. She still is.  She is one of the most innovative choreographers on DWTS, and DWTS would be well to keep her in their sights for a very long time.

Oksana Dmytrenko – The tiny fireball of power and skill is one of the reasons we love the Troupe dances so much.  We still remember her Samba with Kiki from Season 12 and in our opinion, that was one of the most superb performances yet by any troupe member.  She and Kiki were pure magic and made the party dance believable, exciting, and off-the-charts fun.  Her performance to the music of Madonna in 80s week of Season 13 with Val, Peta, and Sasha was nothing short of miraculous, and we won’t likely forget how she lit up the dance floor in Dance to the Music – still our all-time favorite troupe performance.

Sonny Pedersen – Sonny is a super addition to the troupe, and he will add an entirely new facet to this diverse group of multi-dimensional performers.  What do we know about him?  He is amazingly gifted with a very impressive resume that includes singing, dancing, acting, choreographing, performing, etc., and we are still reeling from You Make Me Feel from Season 13 and that sexy number with Lacey, Kiki, and Chelsie during a Nicki Minaj performance in Season 12.  Talk about bringing the WOW factor!  We can’t wait to see him next week.  Welcome to DWTS, Sonny.

Henry Byalikov – Do you remember when Wetpaint named Tristan as their “fake boyfriend” way back in Season 13?  That expression stayed with us, and we decided to borrow it.  We hate to tell you this, Henry, but you are now our fake boyfriend (sorry, Teagan, we will try not to be too possessive and no worries, Tristan, you are still our #1 fake boyfriend).  Henry is charming, fun, friendly, gorgeous, has great abs (just a little detour into the shallow waters there), multi-talented, and a sweetheart who is a good sport for putting up with us.  We can honestly say that when we first saw him in Dance With Me Tonight, we were hooked, and nothing since then has changed our opinion.  We also did a little informal survey on this site about a potential Trio Dance for Season 15 and the question was this:  If Tristan and Pamela are in a Trio Dance this season, which DWTS pro or troupe member would you most like to see in this performance?  The overwhelming choice?  Henry.  So we won’t wax poetic too much more because the man is a dancing dream and a choreographing prodigy, and suffice it to say that he probably now has more fake girlfriends than he could ever want.  Welcome to MacManiacs.org, Henry. You’re stuck with us.

Of course, we won’t ever forget the magical performances by Kiki, Teddy, Dasha, and Nicole who have moved on to other professional endeavors, and Peta who continues to add so much to DWTS.  They gave us so many wonderful moments from Seasons 12-14, and we will treasure all of them. 

Oh yeah, the biggest reason why we love the troupe?  It brought us Tristan MacManus – the man who is number one in our hearts and the inspiration behind this website.  

In July, Tristan was kind enough to give us an interview, and since then he also graciously answered many of our questions on the DublinDown330 “Q and A” series.  Today, he willingly took on a few more of our questions, and we can't thank him enough for that.  Enjoy! 

Now that you have had a couple of weeks of rehearsals with Pamela, what do you see as her strengths? 

Pam is great. We haven’t had as much practice as we would have liked. The first week Pam was away for half of it in Europe and then away for Rio, where finding time to rehearse was very tough. Now she is in Bulgaria for a few days. Her strengths are that she really wants to do the show and that she is great at retaining information. That’s so important when you have a lack of something - time in our case. When you get a second shot at the show you have something to base your experience on. You can decide what you didn’t do the last time that you want to do this time or mentally prepare yourself for performances.  Her biggest strength is that she is Pam before, during, and after.

One of the members of our website was curious about what a typical day of rehearsal is like.  Or is there a typical day?

We don’t really have a typical day. We rehearse away from everybody else, generally early mornings for maybe five or six hours. The balancing act is I think what people find hard sometimes - it’s not just about finding the time to rehearse but it’s really being productive on your time.  You can rehearse intensely for three/four hours, physically just power through running the dance and working yourself into the ground, and you can take in huge amounts of information after information - which Pam is great at. You have to be careful that it’s not counter-productive. If you have done that, it’s impossible to stay in five six seven hours a day. What I always always get from Pam though is total and utter commitment and attention but also entertainment. We are fighting not just against finalists and champions but also against a large unforgiving population that no matter what she does will have a negative attitude towards her so to have the strength of character she has to want to better herself is very inspiring to me not just as a dancer and teacher but as a person.

You once said that you like to tell a story with every dance.  How is it that you are able to consistently weave a storyline into your choreography, and how do you even come up with the story you want to tell?

It can be difficult to tell your story all the time certainly to the degree that you want.  You can’t throw somebody around, lift them up high, or different things that go against the rules so you have to do some subtle things and hope that you can pull it off – ha!  It's difficult to come up with a routine before you start with your partner because you don’t know what they are capable of. Whether they have been on the show or not you just have to take the time to get to know your partner, figure out what they want from this experience, what stories they want to tell.  Either way I will dance whether it’s on tv or not. These people won’t so its fully their experience. I want to know what they want to tell and then I’ll try to make that happen. You are restricted in a way with how much you can do to portray certain things but you just gotta play the cards you are dealt.

Tell us what we can expect to see from you and Pamela this season or perhaps just from DWTS All-Stars in general.

I don’t know what you guys can expect - maybe just some honest people trying to have a good time. We will work as hard if not harder than anybody else without playing 'the games' that go along with a lot of this stuff. The trophy is a bonus but it’s not the goal - the goal is to push ourselves and try and inspire others to try something new, give something another chance, close a door on something, make a tough decision, take a break whatever it is you want to do and feel that choice is for everyone. Don’t fit in, stand out, be different- there is a place for everyone in everything.

During the DWTS season you have so many commitments that you probably rarely have time to relax.  Is there anything you like to do to relax when there are so many demands on your time?

There is a lot to do. I don’t find it too hard to relax.  I can shut off to a certain degree but I know sometimes as well that I dwell on things but that is purely the thought inside that I may not be doing enough to help my partners or giving them the right tools to fully express themselves. I’m comfortable being around friends all the time but sometimes I just need to be on my own doing nothing - watch the football, stuff my face with food - when I eat I think of nothing else – hahaha! That usually works - turn on the food channel and I’m good for a few hours!  Hahaha!

Do you ever get nervous before a performance, and if so, how do you calm your nerves?

I don’t get nervous anymore. I used to alright during stage shows and stuff.  I’d go missing for a bit and right as the music started I’d burst back in the room with a pale face and just run straight on stage . I don’t know what it was.  I think it was the adrenaline taking over or wanting to do so well that it got the best of me. With a show like this though I’m fine.  It’s my role to be the shoulder or the go-to guy so that calms me.  I spend time convincing my partners it’s a doddle what they are doing and that it will be fine.  The last thing they want to see is me walking in circles around the trash cans crying!!!

Finally, is there anything you want to say to the supporters of both you and Pamela as you get ready to begin Season 15?

Just want to say thanks for the incredible support you guys give us.  Some have already jumped on with thoughts that schedule is taking over and that there is a lack of commitment but I can tell you now it’s certainly not the case. We will do the best job we can.  We won’t complain.  We won’t look for excuses. If we are good enough we will stay around.  If not we will go but not before making some sort of impact. So thank you thank you. Enjoy the ride because we will.

A special thanks to the beautiful Emma Slater from our DWTS Troupe who so graciously agreed to answer a few of our questions.  Please be sure and follow Emma on Twitter (@EmmaSlaterDance).   

First of all, we were amazed at your recent performance with DWTS India.  How did you and Sasha end up working and performing there?  Would you tell us a little bit about that experience?

BBC Worldwide produces many of the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ series for different countries all around the world so we actually got invited to go through the BBC (a lovely producer called Richard!). I was so excited to go; travel is one of my favorite things to do. And India was on my list! Sash and I both had very popular celebrities on the show who were such beautiful people too. Actually everyone in India was so friendly and polite. The country itself was very beautiful and I wish I could have had more time to go explore (Although it was monsoon weather!) Working on ‘Jhalak Dikhla Jaa’, the Indian DWTS, was a wonderful experience.

We know you began dance training at a very young age.  We would love to hear more about that training and how you knew that your career path was going to include dance.

I actually wanted to be an actress all my life! It wasn’t till the age of 12 when I realized I couldn’t give up dancing and it had to be my career because I loved it more than anything else and I was so passionate about it. At a young age I took Ballet and Jazz at a local dance school and joined a couple of theatre groups for children. I remember seeing a demonstration of Latin and Ballroom dancing and I was in complete amazement of how electric it was. I joined a Latin and Ballroom dance school a few months later, and it quickly escalated to competitions. A year or two later, I was completely decided that dance was going to be my career and I would somehow make it work.

We’ve read about your amazing range of experience, including the George Michael music video, the film Mamma Mia, Burn the Floor, and so much more.  You have an incredible resumé for someone so young and have performed all over the world. Is there a particular performance that has special meaning for you on a personal or professional level?

I was recently chosen by R&B Singer Usher to perform a duet dance with him to his new song ‘Scream’ at the American Billboard Awards in Las Vegas. I was over the moon when I got a call from my agent. I’m a huge fan of Usher’s music. Unfortunately the day of the awards turned out to be camera blocking day for the Finale of Season 14 DWTS in the US so I couldn’t do the Billboard Awards. But I did get to choreograph the duet for Usher along with Sasha who helped me! That’s the difficulty with being a performer in the TV industry. The contracts are often short or bitty so you have to try and co-ordinate your work life so that you can go from job to job as seamlessly as possible.

On a personal level, my favorite job would have to be Burn the Floor because of the life long friends and MASSIVE amounts of fun memories I made whilst on that show.  Broadway was a magical part of that whole experience too but by far the best thing to come of it was finding Sasha. Cheesy I know! But true. :)

Would you tell us about your experiences in Burn the Floor?  How long were you in this amazing show and how did you ultimately end up on Dancing With the Stars?

I was in Burn the Floor for two years. Burn the Floor fueled my love of travel; the show goes everywhere. My first tour was China and I think we did around 10-12 cities in 16 days! Then the show went to Broadway, then Australia, Japan, South Korea, Canada, New Zealand, London’s West End, USA, Holland, Belgium, South Africa and that was when I left to go visit Sash when he was doing his first season of DWTS. Burn the Floor doesn’t do anything by halves. The show is wild to put it mildly! I’m very passionate about the dancing in it and the choreography; it’s high energy and totally mesmerizing. All the dancers work 110% and we’re totally knocked out at the end of the show!

Sash had left to do DWTS and towards the end of his first season I flew out to visit him. I ended up having an interview with the producers and it must have gone fairly well because they contacted me just before the next season asking me to be in the Troupe! To say I was mad with excitement was an understatement; as soon as I had my visa I got on a plane two hours later!!

We have already seen you in so many wonderful dances on DWTS.  If you had the opportunity to dance with any pro (past or present), who would it be?  Why?

Well I always love to have a whip around the floor with Tristan! (I’m sure many people would agree with me there!) I love his expressions when he dances especially with his celebrity partners. It’s like a cheeky grin just between them! Derek is also a wonderful dancer and he’s so passionate about it. Every step he choreographs has a thought process behind it and he’s intense when he dances. I’d like to dance a fierce Paso or Tango with him.

Do you have a particular favorite ballroom or Latin dance? Or do you have a particular performance from over the years that is a special favorite?

My favorite dance changes all the time and I think for me it’s more about what performance best reflects and expresses the way I’m feeling at that moment in my life. It’s so easy to put your absolute all into a dance if the mood and intensity reflect your exact emotions at that point. Because dancing is all about expressing yourself, when I dance, I’m emotionally attached to what I’m doing and it becomes very real. That’s the part I loved about dancing. You don’t need words. I can’t pick a favorite dance although I do tend to favour the extremes. For example I’d love dancing a rocky and fierce sexy Cha Cha just as much as a very vulnerable, delicate and meaningful Waltz.

Along those same lines, what is your favorite performance so far on DWTS, and what do you like most about being on DWTS?

My favorite performance on DWTS so far would be either the rumba Sasha and I did to Smokey Robinson for Motown Week or dancing a snappy Cha Cha to Santana for Latin week. I really liked that one because it had a strong Latin flavor to it and Santana was amazing! You get to meet and work with some incredible people on DWTS from the Macy’s Dancers who are unbelievably talented to the crew and production team. They are always so busy and still have time to treat us really well and have a laugh. I love everyone who works at DWTS, it’s just so easy to work there! So that twinned with getting to perform on America’s biggest TV show every week is the best thing about working on DWTS. I also love being here in LA too. It means Sash and I can both work together in a great city and we don’t have to choose between England and Australia!

Just from what we’ve seen and heard on Twitter and on our own website, you have developed an enormous fan base, and you’ve proven to be very responsive to the fans.  How is it that you stay so grounded with all of the attention focused on you?

I love what I do and I’m very happy to be able to say that. It’s even more wonderful when people see my performances and want to show me support with lovely comments and messages. I’m honestly flattered. So I like to let all those people know how much I appreciate their support just because I honestly do. It just takes a few seconds to post a thank you reply!

What was your experience like in DWTS: Live In Las Vegas?

I can’t even describe how much I enjoyed my time on that show! Vegas is such a party town, but I actually didn’t go out all that often. It was more about the day to day coming into work and laughing with all my friends on the show. To be fair, I ran into some obstacles at the start of the contract. I got strep throat after 4 days of being there, and then a week in I sliced the back of my hand cutting some watermelon in the green room! Then I had a knee problem so I was convinced that Vegas was bad for me! But I got over all that and by the end I was super sad to leave. The show was great too and we played to really packed and loud audiences most nights so it always felt like a fun atmosphere.

You have traveled and worked all over the world.  Do you have a city or country that you’ve visited or lived that has special meaning for you?

I have a few favorite cities. My first one would have to be New York. To go there for a holiday would be amazing but for me to wake up on my first day there not knowing anyone or anything about the city, I was captivated. I walked around for so long before I had to be in for work, just looking at the buildings. So different. But I have a love of European cities, I just think the history, culture and flavor that very European city has is so unique compared with the rest of the world; it’s unmistakable. Other cities I think are beautiful would include Vancouver and Sydney. I will always love what I consider to be my city though, London. Everyone must go there.

Please tell us a little about what you like to do when you’re not dancing on DWTS.  We would love to get to know you better.

I’m always changing my mind! I have a few consistent hobbies though. Cooking is a major one. It really makes me happy whipping something up in the kitchen, I especially like to cook with a lot of color so lots of veg and greens. I also love coffee and tea and would quite happily walk from café to café if I could! I love to walk and am generally quite healthy. I write a fair bit too though not as much as I used to. I used to write everyday, just journal bits and bobs. I do think the only downfall to being a performer is you don’t always have to exercise the old brain cells! Sound so harsh, but kind of true. I sometimes miss having a non-physical work project to manage. Maybe I’ll do something with that in the future. I also love to obsess about the home I haven’t yet got! I can be quite domestic.

Is there anything you would like to say to your supporters?

There are a million things I want to say to my supporters! Each and everyone nice comment I receive is truly felt by me and I would love to thank everyone who has ever shown me support in anyway, it really goes a long way in this business. Without touching on the ‘Hippy’ side of things, I believe in the kindness of people and it really makes a difference. So thank you again to anyone who has taken the time to support me. I’m very very happy to entertain people. :)

Thanks to Emma for her kindness and for taking time out of her schedule to answer our questions.  I think all of us here at MacManiacs.org have a new appreciation for not only Emma but our entire DWTS Troupe. Please remember to follow Emma on Twitter.  @EmmaSlaterDance

Tristan’s time as a pro has spanned only 3 seasons (yes, troupe members are pros, too) but he has made a huge impact.  He was Wetpaint’s “Fake Boyfriend” for Season 13 and has won poll after poll since then.  He was Hottest Male Pro (September 2011), Best Newcomer (November/December 2011), and Favorite Male Pro (August 2012). He and Chelsie Hightower were Season 14 Design A Dance winners, and along with Kym Johnson, he was the featured dancer on the ABC Season 13 and Season 14 promotional posters.  He was one of TV Guide's “Breakout Stars for 2011”,  the fans’ pick for the Pro of 2011 (via Wetpaint) against some very stiff completion, and he was the highest ranking DWTS pro on Buddy TV’s “TVs 100 Sexiest Men of 2011."  But those accolades just scratch the surface of the many reasons why we've chosen Tristan as our favorite.  Of course, we don’t do anything the usual way.  In our Henry Byalikov blog (see below), we list 16 reasons why we think that Henry should be a DWTS pro with a celebrity partner, but here we are going to give you 18.5 reasons why Tristan is our #1 favorite DWTS Pro.  Yes. 18.5.  It seems like a good number.

18.5.  The Jive.  Holy cow, the man knows how to Jive.  After seeing his Mephistopheles characterization in The Devil Went Down to Georgia, the Upside Down Instant Dance with Nancy, the Don’t Stop Me Now Dance-Off, and his performance in Dance With Me Tonight, we began to consider the jive one of our all-time favorite dances. He doesn’t just dance the jive, he feels it. The man knows how to make a jive fun, sexy, flirty, and oh so exciting.  Continued…

18. He knows how to sell a dance like no other...and he loves what he does.  Case in point:  Season 14 Broadway Group Dance – he took over the character of the young man seducing the older woman, and the complete joy on his face at the end of that performance shows his love of his craft.

17.  Shallow Reason #1. The man is gorgeous.  Now we know that has nothing to do with talent or ability to entertain, but you cannot ignore the obvious, so just consider it an added bonus.  He’s simply sexy, handsome, and adorable.

16.  He has a variety of experiences that have prepared him for this journey, including the fact that he was as passionate about football (soccer in our language) as dance. We’ve even heard through the grapevine (or he just said it) that he is a music enthusiast who loves to sing.  That makes him multi-dimensional, multi-talented, and multi-faceted. He is passionate about what he does, quick to react, and a team player. He’s the consummate pro (and why we have this website.)

15. In addition to his ballroom and Latin dance training, he has performed all over the world in different productions:  Burn the Floor, Floor Play, Simply Ballroom, and Dirty Dancing. The world is his stage. We call him a dance prodigy; he has the unique skill of being able to embrace any dance, take it over, and turn on the dancing charm which using impeccable technique.

14. He loves to teach (rewind to his experience as a teacher in Boston) a few years ago.  Not only does he love to teach, but he’s a great teacher. That’s obvious in every dance with Nancy Grace and Gladys Knight, and each performance made us respect him a little more. One of Tristan’s greatest assets as a mentor and teacher is that he knows how to hone in on his partners strengths. He doesn’t just throw in crazy, flashy choreography to hide weaknesses, and he doesn't make costume decisions that involve the excessive use of fabric, feathers, and frills to hide less than perfect technique. He concentrates on where they excel, and he builds the choreography around that.

13. Shallow Reason #2.  Any way you look at it, it is fun to listen to him talk.  We realize that that isn’t a great reason to make him our favorite pro, but it’s one of the things that we find as an added bonus to an already delectable package. Just think of Tristan’s Irish Brogue as something that makes him more adorable.

12. He has a brilliant mind, and that translates into brilliant technique on the dance floor.  We see his answers to questions as thoughtful and insightful.  For instance, he knows how to balance performing with choreographing, and he’s most likely the dream partner for any celebrity.  Why? Because he says things like this:  “Everybody is different so as far as teaching goes there isn’t a formula that I stick to, but with everybody I try to just be normal - ask them how they are, what they like, what they don’t like, and try to relate everything to what I need them to do.  It’s no different to me then meeting somebody new through a friend or on the street or anywhere in everyday life.  You don’t try to make people your friend; you talk and then you relate and then you gain respect and start to work! You are both there to help each other so you can’t forget that you have to teach but you also have to learn.”  The best  and most telling part of this whole statement is “you are both there to help each other."  It is not a one-sided event; it’s a partnership, and isn’t that how it should be?

11.  Shallow reason #3.  He has great hair. Sexy bed-head anyone? (Most of the time anyway).

10.  Shallow Reason #4 (our last episode of shallowness).  He looks gorgeous in costume.  Do we have to spell this out for you folks? We’ll give you a few examples to jolt your memory in case you’ve found yourself temporarily brain dead. The True 'Rebel Without a Cause' Rumba costume. The Sir Duke blue-lined tails Quickstep costume. The boyfriend suspenders, The Flash Gordon matador jacket (no shirt in case you forgot), The Disturbia straight jacket (yes, for Tristan, even a straight jacket is sexy), the teal Fiebre Samba ensemble...the list is endless. Basically we could name every single costume he’s ever worn and say great things about it but we are sticking with these for now. We all know that he’s a DWTS fashion plate.

9. He has enormous respect for his fellow pros, and he has enormous respect for family. Remember when he was asked during Week One of Seson 14 how he felt about having Gladys as his partner? The first thing that he said was how thrilled his mother would be. It’s never been about his own personal success, but what his success can do to help others. He’s always willing to help out a fellow pro. Remember when he stepped in to help an injured Ralph Macchio and danced with Karina during camera blocking? He has respect for his colleagues as well as his students and that spells class. It's always positive, all of the time.

8. Every single dance tells a story.  He draws out emotion from not only his partner, but from the audience as well. Why else do you think he’s become a fan favorite so early in his DWTS career? It’s because he’s been able to seduce the audience into loving the stories that he tells through dance. He goes where some of the other pros don’t.

7.  The man can Rumba.  Not only can he Rumba, but he makes that love/lust struggle a delicious adventure.  He tells a beautiful story in his Rumbas which have been both smoldering (Kym and Peta) to mildly sensuous (Nancy and Gladys). Do we really have to elaborate here?  We thought not.

6.  He never, ever showboats, he never overdances, and he never makes the dance about him instead of his partner.  We like that he doesn’t have an enormous ego, nor does he try to take the attention away from his pro or celebrity partner. As he said in a recent interview, "I know that the show is about my partner and not me so I don’t get carried away with myself."  We will just leave it at that.

5. The Design A Dance Samba with Chelsie Hightower still takes our breath away.  It was sharp, edgy, and sexy without being so crammed with crazy moves that you didn’t know where to look first.  In fact, that dance was so smooth, sexy, and scintillating (yes, we love alliteration), that we couldn’t tear our eyes away.  That, DWTS, is just good television.

4. His Cha Chas are the things history books are written about. Starting with the Cry Baby Cha Cha of Season 13 where suspenders became iconic and continuing on to the Best Of My Love Cha Cha where he threw in that brilliant Temptations move, we knew he was going to be a superstar. His Cha Chas are always memorable – those with the troupe, the pro dances, and the Trio Dance with Mark Ballas and Katherine Jenkins.  We filed those dances into the category of “watch on youtube about a thousand times.” Each week. 

3.  He has no fear of dancing with any of the MacManiacs, something we find incredibly endearing.  In part 2 of his Q and A where he answered questions from members of this website, he was asked about that very thing.  When it got right down to it, he proved to be very brave, and said, “It doesn’t frighten me at all.”  Whew.  We were worried about that for a while, and we also momentarily questioned the state of Mr. MacManus’ sanity. At least he didn’t turn and run.

2. He treats his fans right. He may not use Twitter [or at least he didn't until September 10,2012], but we don’t mind. We like the personal approach.  He has sent us a number of thank you emails, he has mentioned this site personally in a number of interviews, and he is appreciative of his support as shown on Facebook. Tristan MacManus respects his fans, his family, and his profession.  What more could we possibly ask of a DWTS pro?

1. He has a wicked sense of humor.  Remember Dance Center and “I’m sick of dis place”?  Then there was the opening to Season 14 with Gladys – “I’m the hot one on Dancing With the Stars.”  Don’t forget Paso rehearsal with Nancy when he said, “...It’s about as kicking as much ass as possible, so I mean you should be all right with that one…”  When Nancy asked, “Why do I have to be the bull to get stabbed in the end?”  His snappy response? “Because you have more bull than me.”

Any questions?  We didn’t think so.

Tristan MacManus is here to stay.  And so is this website.