Will ‘The Bachelor’ curse strike again? Joey Graziadei’s mediocre debut on ‘Dancing With The Stars’ sparks doubts
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: This season's 'The Bachelor', Joey Graziadei, finally made his big debut on 'Dancing With The Stars', but the ABC star didn't quite live up to the hype. Dancing the cha-cha with partner Jenna Johnson, Joey scored an unimpressive 21/30 on his debut 'Dancing with the Stars' performance, which, while not terrible, was less than impressive for a lot of viewers.
Viewers of 'The Bachelor' franchise know all too well that there seems to be a sort of "Bachelor curse" on 'DWTS', where many former leads of the reality dating show fail to make much of an impression on the 'DWTS' stage and dance floor. Many were concerned upon Joey's premiere that he was going to end up like several other alumni from 'The Bachelor' who didn't last too long on the show.
Dancing with an appealing personality and a dashing smile on his face, Joey's dance lacked the energy and precision that could make his dance stand out. The scores were decent, but not good enough to shut the mouths of critics and squash doubts over his ability to shine in the competition.
With that in mind, the pressure is on for Joey to bring his A-game over the coming weeks and prove he's more than just a reality TV heartthrob. It remains to be seen whether Joey will break the 'Bachelor' curse or whether his dancing journey will come to an end a lot sooner than he had hoped, considering the tough competition ahead of him.
Joey Graziadei dances 'Cha-Cha' on debut 'DWTS' performance
Joey Graziadei and his partner Jenna Johnson took to the stage with a cha-cha during the 'Dancing With The Stars' premiere. Their routine was to the upbeat song 'Dancin' In The Country', which was supposed to infuse their performance with energy and a lively atmosphere. By nature, Joey's cha-cha was energetic and enthusiastic from the very beginning, as Jenna tried to express these ingredients with fast footwork and lively hip action.
Still, the judges identified several shortcomings in the performance: at some point, Joey's steps failed to achieve the sharpness and precision expected in a decent cha-cha; this also made the routine seem uneven and not so polished. The judges commented that he should focus on footwork and rhythmic timing to capture more of the energy of the music, which would lift his overall dance.
Judges give lukewarm response to Joey Graziadei's performance on 'DWTS'
After making his 'Dancing with the Stars' debut, the judges indeed had mixed feedback for Joey Graziadei. Carrie Ann Inaba thought he had energy and enthusiasm but fumbled around on some of the more technical aspects of the cha-cha. She encouraged him to focus on improving his footwork and rhythm to enhance his performance in future weeks.
On the other hand, Bruno Tonioli labeled Joey as charismatic and full of life, adding lots of energy to the dance floor. However, he added that Joey is not precise at all, meaning that, in the overall picture, it was not a great execution. Derek Hough was even harsher, saying that he felt Joey danced a little too stiff and mechanically. He told him to work on loosening up and attempting to find a more organic, fluid feeling in his movement. Derek also added that Joey has to do more work on his connection with his partner to make the dance flow as one.
