DWTS needs Tristan MacManus - here's why...

The events of the last week or so have put us all into a bit of a funk, but like Tristan, we shrugged it off and bounced back.  Instead of griping and yelling 24/7, we decided to complain only for a little while every day and then put most of our efforts back into doing what we do best – talking about Tristan, promoting Tristan, and making sure the Tristan conversation just keeps going.

We thought long and hard about a topic for this blog, and it was a very easy choice. We are going with the obvious – some reasons why the DWTS viewers and ultimately ABC itself are going to really, really miss Mr. MacManus.  As others have said, no current or returning pro can fill the void left with Tristan gone, and nobody else can bring to DWTS what Tristan has brought.  ABC made a big mistake in not having him in the Season 18 cast, and here are some of the reasons why.

ABC and DWTS need Tristan in order to counterbalance the massive egos that sometimes take center stage on DWTS. Tristan is never about himself or satisfying his ego; as he has said over and over, he just wants to do a “bit of dancing.”  He wants to teach his partner to be the best she can be. That is supposed to be what the show is all about.

Tristan was – and still is – a universally loved pro. You don’t have to be a hardcore MacManiac to love this man.  No other pro has never received so much respect from other fan bases, and people just don’t say bad things about Tristan.  That’s because he treats every pro, celebrity, or fan with respect.  It goes both ways.  Sasha Farber said it perfectly.  “Everybody loves Tristan.”

Tristan never tries to over dance or outshine his celebrity partner.  Ever.  Conversely, all you have to do is watch a few DWTS You Tube videos to see the “watch me instead of my partner who still doesn’t get it” syndrome that happens A LOT during the Monday night performances.  You’ll never see Tristan do that because it is always about making his partner better and never about making himself the star.  He said it best in an interview with us - "I don't have to be a star.  I just have to be a teacher." 

We haven’t seen the best of Tristan yet.  The common theme on social media is that people want Tristan as a pro, and they want him with a contender.  If you look at message boards, forums, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and news from the moon, there is pretty much a consensus. Tristan has never had a chance to show his best stuff because he has never had a contender with the skill to let him really dance full out.  For some pros, it happens almost every season. For other pros, it might be every other season, but it happens.  For Tristan? It has never happened, and the irony is that after seasons full of ringers and the same pros getting those ringers, people don’t even care if Tristan gets a ringer. They just want to see him with someone who might actually have the potential to be a contender.  What’s wrong with that?  Oh wait.  It’s not a fair world and not everyone receives the same treatment.  Next.

Tristan always treats his partners well.  We always find it incredibly uncomfortable to watch some of the pros becoming frustrated and impatient with their partners.  It's a given that every season there are multiple pieces of rehearsal footage where we feel bad for the celebrity because their pro gives them an extra dose of what they consider tough love.  Or maybe it’s more like “you already knew how to dance and you’re a ringer, so get with the program."  The problem is that the celebrities – ringers or not – are not pros (at least they aren't hired as pros although some have a dance background so extensive that it borders on ridiculous), and the loss of patience and anger from the pro is never, ever justified.  Sure, everybody has moments, but some pros have lot of those moments.  You just don't see that with Tristan, and we love the rehearsal footage with Tristan and his celebrity because we know that he will do whatever it takes to keep his partner from feeling bad about herself.  You just don’t ever see Tristan treat his partners with disrespect and unfortunately, you cannot say that about some of the other pros.  I guess DWTS likes the controversy and drama more than good behavior.  It’s too bad that controversy and drama aren’t going to help the ratings when people really like seeing role models.

We can't forget about that accent.  Tristan isn't the only pro with an interesting accent, but his Irish brogue adds that extra spice that kicks it up a notch.  Even listening to him say the simplest things just brings a smile to our faces.  Remember "Welcome....come on into me world"? Yeah, we'll never forget it.

Because he is a great, great teacher.  He was born to teach.  He was born to dance.  Put them together and you have a winning formula. 

He gets as much inspiration from his celebrity partners as they get from him. With Tristan and his celebrity partners, it really is a give and take relationship.  It's not just about showcasing his talents with others; it's about him giving the celebrity a wonderful life experience, and from that his own life is enriched, and he has made that clear over and over again.  Who could forget him sitting and watching Valerie struggle with her footwork but at the same time his eyes brimming with tears because her determination really touched him?  He sees and understands what is important in the student/ teacher relationship, and he takes it to heart.

His pro dances are pure magic.  Sure we have seen many many pro dances over the years. Some are good, and some are downright forgettable.  For some reason though, Tristan's pro dances are always something special.  No matter what the dance,Tristan tells a story with his pro partner that is memorable, and he doesn't even go to the extreme with wackadoodle overdancing.  Even his DaD Samba with Chelsea was smoking (literally and figuratively) and emotionally charged, but at the same time, it was a classic Samba without the excessive bells and whistles that would have made it a non-Samba or a Samba/somethingorother fusion.  No crazy spasm dancing, no "what the hell style is that" choreography.  
Because the other DWTS promo posters just haven’t had that same kind of pizzazz and wow factor that Seasons 13 and 14 had. Tristan and Kym’s promotional posters were hot enough to melt the polar ice caps.  Since then those things haven't even hit lukewarm on the thermometer.

Because the fans want to see him on DWTS. They want to see him dancing every week, they want to see him dance with a contender, and they want him to be treated fairly. That’s not too much to ask, is it?  On a show where we see favoritism, predictability, bad behavior, and more favoritism, it seems only fitting that Tristan should be treated with respect.  In other words, ABC might want to reciprocate with some of that respect that Tristan has shown them.