The Midlife

Dancing with the Stars premiered this week. I was excited to watch because the mean sensei Martin Kove from Cobra Kai and The Karate Kid fame is competing for the mirror ball, in addition to Melanie C, a.k.a. Sporty Spice, Brian Austin Green, and The Bachelor’s Matt James. I was also interested in seeing what JoJo Siwa was going to bring to the dance floor, considering she will be the first same-sex dance contestant.

The above mentioned are the only ones I really care about watching, no offense intended whatsoever. To recap, Martin Kove, while adorable had a hard time keeping up with the routine and it made me both sad about getting older and proud of him for trying to put his best feet forward. Mel C was true to her sportiness and delivered an impressive first dance, and because I’m middle-aged I was super impressed with her commitment to fitness. Brian Austin Green is dating his dance pro. Does this give him an unfair advantage? I dunno, but it paid off on the dance floor because he did well. And the chemistry was off the charts. Lastly, I know watching The Bachelor may be an unpopular thing, but I don’t care. I love it. And I think Matt James did a respectable first dance. He showed more personality than he did on his season of The Bachelor imo. Lastly, JoJo Siwa’s the one to beat. Her dance was ground-breaking and showed real skill. I’ll be honest; I did tend to find her persona pre-DWTS a little goofy. But she definitely brought it to the dance floor. And I admire her dedication and bravery.

Moving on to Tyra Banks as host. Or hostess. While I am a fan of her as a model and her body positive vibes, I don’t understand ABC’s thinking. Her banter with the dancers after they’ve performed is awkward and sometimes cringey. A+ on the costumes though. There’s no disputing she looks great, but I am really missing Tom Bergeron.

So, dear reader, what do you think? Are you a DWTS fan? Are you rooting for someone, in particular? Please let me know in the comments or at themidlife2021@gmail.com. Best wishes for the week ahead!