Lobster No More—Bring Back Sasha, the Pro!

Dear Dancing with the Stars Casting Team:

You messed up. WTF were you thinking?

I’m sorry. Usually I can go along with whatever crazy choices you guys make, and just see what happens, but this time, a real travesty has been committed.

I know it's too late to change things for this season, but let’s revisit what we have here for a moment, shall we?

On the female side, great choices: Peta, Sharna, our champion Emma, Lindsay, Witney. Great choices. And our Cheryl Burke is back. Fantastic!

Sadly, our wonderful Jenna is relegated to the troupe again, but at least she’s somewhere. So that’s fine. And Hayley is back in the troupe, too. Wonderful.

It’s the male side which needs some work, and some rethinking.

Specifically, the reason I’m writing this letter is because of Sasha Farber.

Terra Jolé and Sasha Farber. Courtesy of ABC Television.

Now, I know, some of you may still be thinking of him as the guy in the lobster suit, but obviously, you haven’t been paying attention here.

Yes, Sasha has been the dependable troupe guy for a long time. He’s also been a pro for a long time now too.

Terra Jolé and Sasha Farber. Courtesy of ABC Television.

I understand. There is a certain amount of “real” casting, and a certain amount of “joke” casting (those whom you put in for various reasons, but fully expect to be voted out very quickly) on this show. I’m sure that when you paired Terra Jolé (the first ever “little person”) with Sasha, it was some of the latter. And yet, what we ended up with was some of the most beautiful, poignant dancing of that season. Dance after dance Terra and Sasha brought tears to my eyes, with their overall message of “accept people for who they are.” It was moving, it was amazing. Did you see it? It was some of the best dancing of Season 23, and they made it to the semifinals.

Simone Biles and Sasha Farber. Courtesy of ABC Television.

And then, this past season, with Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles. Sasha Farber kept up with all the gymnastic twists and turns of their routines. Did you see their Charleston? Go rewatch that tape. Who else has done a double cartwheel holding hands? I ask you.

Simone Biles and Sasha Farber. Courtesy of ABC Television.

No, Sasha Farber has surprised and astonished us. Brought us great music, great routines, fabulous dances, all with a smile and a fun demeanor. Respectful of those who went before and aware of the rules of the show. A great team player, but an even better pro artist.

Sasha Farber went from being the guy in the lobster suit to a star in recent seasons. You wouldn’t put Mark Ballas or Derek Hough back in the troupe, now would you? Sasha Farber doesn’t deserve to be there either.

But who do we have dancing pro this season instead? (Male dancers)

Maksim, Val, of course. Mark Ballas is back! Hurrah (and thank God!)! Artem, sure. Alan, who put in such good service subbing for Maksim last season is now pro. Great choice.

The issue I have here is two people: TWO.

Keo Motsepe and Gleb Savchenko.

First, I’m frankly shocked that Keo even got back into the troupe after berating a producer on air with his temper tantrum. Why he wasn’t fired boggles my mind. But ok, in the troupe, fine. But back as a pro? Are you kidding me?

A big part of the job is not just teaching someone to dance well, but also coddling them, massaging their egos, doing whatever it takes to get them to the Mirror Ball. Keo is frankly not capable of this.

Both Keo and Gleb are narcissistic ego maniacs who only want their own star to shine. Whereas Sasha Farber is kind, giving, extremely helpful to his partner, as he has proven over and over. (Gently coaxing nervous Simone Biles to do sexual dances when she’d never even dated before. He worked magic there.)

On the other hand, when Keo was paired with Jody Sweetin, the talk was (and I firmly believe) that she was better than he was capable of handling. Every pro has to come up with more impressive dances as the competition increases. Some pros outdo themselves. Some, like Mr. Motsepe, come up short. MANY people said that he was holding Jody back. I am among those people. Had she been with a different partner—even, for example, Sasha Farber—she might be a Mirror Ball winner now. But with him as her partner, she faltered. It was painful to watch.

It was the best example of mismatched partners that I can think of.

And then we have Gleb.

Gleb has one mode, and one mode only: SEX. His tangos are about sex. His rumbas are about sex. His Viennese waltzes are about sex. His jives are about sex. His Bollywood is probably about sex. That’s pretty much what he does. That’s all he does.

Sex is his brand. He doesn’t care about content. Both Keo and Gleb have been given MULTIPLE notes from multiple judges (that they completely disregard) about putting more specific dance content into their dances. Gleb consistently mouths off to the judges and says that all he cares about is putting entertainment on the floor, and if he wants to put in sex (which he does), he will.

He’s arrogant and he’s a diva and he doesn’t listen to direction. (Same as Keo.)

Yet, these two are the ones you reward with slots as pros this year? When Sasha Farber has arguably been doing some of the best work as a dancer of ANYONE in the past two seasons. He doesn’t mouth off to the judges or producers. He doesn’t need to have a note about “please put in more dance content”—he already knows what’s supposed to go in there, and does it amazingly. The dances he creates, using incredible music, have been standouts across the board. The past two seasons, there has not been ONE dud.

You can’t say that for either Gleb or Keo.

You made a mistake here, Casting Department. People should be rewarded when they do outstanding work, not put back into the troupe. Please rectify this with Season 26.

Simone Biles and Sasha Farber. Courtesy of ABC Television.

You threw him a curve ball by pairing him with Terra Jolé.  He picked up that challenge and ran with it. He adapted dances to fit the new circumstances, and came out with mind-blowing shapes in the process.

Step by step, he kept up with the gymnastics of Simone Biles. Over and over, he has done what is required of a pro, and far surpassed our expectations.

Sasha Farber started as a guy in a lobster costume, but he has become one of the most-loved stars of this show. He does not deserve to be put back in the troupe. Gleb and Keo deserve to stay there until they learn some respect.

I am saddened beyond measure with these choices. I suspect you will regret your picks of Keo and Gleb. Just remember: It really should’ve been Sasha.

Simone Biles and Sasha Farber. Courtesy of ABC Television.

And, he’s given you some of the best TV on Dancing with the Stars with this:

Sasha Farber proposes to Emma Slater. Courtesy of ABC Television.

BRING BACK SASHA FARBER, pro dancer. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Michelle Belaskie

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