The Top Tristan Moments of 2013

It might be 2014 now, but we went way back to 2013 to dig up some special Tristan moments.  2013 was missing a lot of things:  we didn’t get nearly enough of Tristan dancing, and we also didn’t get Design A Dance, a Season 17 Trio Dance, or the return of the terrific Side-By-Side Challenge for Season 17.  No worries, however, because we came up with some pretty spectacular 2013 moments.  So here you have it – our Top Tristan Moments of 2013, in no particular order.

*Tristan took Irish Central to school after one writer offended all of us.  Without going into details, Tristan became the self-proclaimed f**king ringmaster of the circus that Irish Central decided would be created by having Valerie on DWTS.  As a result, Tristan became our hero (technically, he already was but this time he was elevated to an even higher status). Valerie became one of the most loved celebrities ever on DWTS, and Tristan and Valerie became DWTS icons.  Well played, Tristan.  There is something to be said for standing up for what is right.

*Tristan became a wee bit teary in one rehearsal after Valerie refused to quit, give up, or back down as she struggled with the choreography.  He can deny the emotional reaction all he wants but the next example proves the point.

*He worked the press line for Extra TV one week and handled it with perfect poise and Irish charm.  He is also the only person who could get away with asking Jack Osbourne, “How does it feel to cry on national tv?”  That was endearing.

*Tristan and Dorothy performed a near perfect contemporary dance to “Tiny Dancer” even after Tristan admitted that he had never danced contemporary, taught contemporary, or choreographed contemporary  and really didn’t know what it was.

*Tristan and Valerie danced their last dance of the competition to "Carry On".  The story (like always) was brilliant, the emotion permeated the performance, and the tears flowed.  They still do.  We have said it before, and we will say it again.  There isn’t another pro who can create and tell a story better than Tristan, and he does it with every single dance.  Fancy choreography and footwork are fine, but if you don’t have a story behind it, the performance is flat.  That never, ever happens with Tristan.

*Speaking of tears, there were some serious waterworks during the final dance for Tristan and Valerie to "What A Wonderful World" with Colbie Caillat.  This dance was a beautiful finishing touch to a season that quickly became forgettable, and had it not been for Valerie and Tristan's emotionally charged performances, we probably would have gone into a ringer-induced coma.

*He and Witney danced a sexier-than-sin contemporary number to "Better Dig Two" in Season 16, proving once again that when you’ve got it, you’ve got it.  And he’s got it.

*Valerie was having some problems in Cha Cha rehearsal so Tristan showed up dressed as Freddie Mercury to get Valerie in a silly mood. Runner up for this one goes to the white pants.

*Tristan showed true courage when he met so many fans at Life’s A Dance, in Ballroom  With A Twist all over the country, on two weeks of Alaska cruises, at the DublinDown330 fundraiser and many, many more memorable appearances.  He didn’t have to take out a restraining order out on anyone.  Well, not as far as we know anyway.

*Tristan taking on the sport of baseball and throwing an almost perfect strike each time he stepped up to the plate (all two times).  Almost is a relative term, of course.

*Snooki asked Tristan if he would sleep with her if he wasn’t already spoken for, and he very politely told her that he wouldn't do that to her family. The dude didn’t bat a single long eyelash. The rest of us were sitting here, jaws dropped, saying, “Oh no, she didn’t.”

*Over and over and over again Tristan took our questions and answered them with a sense of humor – tough to do considering some of our questions.

*Tristan stood back and let Valerie take the applause from the ballroom after their first dance together.  Isn’t that how it should be?  DWTS is supposed to be about the journey of the celebrity and not the pro….too bad some other pros never got that memo.

*Tristan might not have been able to dance in the Season 16 finale, but his vision for Dorothy Hamill's final DWTS performance was pure genius.  He wanted his friend Sasha included, and he wanted Kristi Yamaguchi to return. That, ladies and gentleman, was the concept that finale performances are made of. The only thing missing was Tristan, but his vision was still apparent.

*Tristan turned the tables on the fans and asked us revealing questions like “Who don’t I shave?”  [not us, him]

*Tristan asking for some funny questions for an interview, which we gladly did while making idiots out of ourselves not thinking he would really answer them.  Errr……..about that.

*When he answered a bunch of questions for us on November 7 and then said to go ahead and send more because he didn’t mind answering them.  That made us old broads get all emotional.  Sniff Sniff.

*When he used five words to describe the MacManiacs - words which were written in 2013 but will be revealed shortly as the conclusion of the “silly questions” interview.   We promise that you will love the answer.

So there you have it – our top Tristan moments for 2013.  We already have a few in mind for 2014, so stay tuned.