Natalie Sanders
Natalie Sanders (born September 13th, 1990) is the founder and "producer" of the DWTSGame. A native of Arizona, Natalie got the idea for the DWTSGame during Thanksgiving weekend 2008, when she made a pretend, fantasy version of Dancing with the Stars. That season eventually wound up online as part of the first season of the DWTSGame, a season including Brangelina, Emilio Estevez, Michael Phelps, Meg Ryan, and won by Kate Bosworth. With some interest being shown in the game, Natalie added a second edition online in the summer of 2009, a season won by actual DWTS contestant, Kurt Warner. The second season showed a minimal amount of viewer support, but Natalie gave the game a third try with the third season of the DWTSGame, a season including Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Taylor Lautner, and others. Sadly, the game, which ran for 6 weeks, did not receive a single vote at all and was cancelled immediately. The game remains online yet has never been finished.
After a 13 month long hiatus, Natalie got a little more tech savvy and created a Twitter account for the DWTSGame, deciding to finally bring the DWTSGame back online for a reboot. The season was Season 27 and contained an array of celebrities, won by Kendall Schmidt. This time, a good amount of people, including actual DWTS pro dancers, were interested in the game. To her surprise, the game got more votes than she anticipated, and she even had to make multiple websites, just to keep receiving votes.
Although, the DWTSGame has had it's downs since it's reboot. Season 45 saw a tiny slip in the amount of votership, and then lost a fourth judge in Season 20. The game was then moved from webs.com to weebly.com in the summer of 2011 for Season 4. The season was shockingly a surprise hit. It gained the most votes ever recorded before websites were changed. The game is still online and obviously going strong, with many voters, viewers, and even multiple celebrity guest judges.
After a 13 month long hiatus, Natalie got a little more tech savvy and created a Twitter account for the DWTSGame, deciding to finally bring the DWTSGame back online for a reboot. The season was Season 27 and contained an array of celebrities, won by Kendall Schmidt. This time, a good amount of people, including actual DWTS pro dancers, were interested in the game. To her surprise, the game got more votes than she anticipated, and she even had to make multiple websites, just to keep receiving votes.
Although, the DWTSGame has had it's downs since it's reboot. Season 45 saw a tiny slip in the amount of votership, and then lost a fourth judge in Season 20. The game was then moved from webs.com to weebly.com in the summer of 2011 for Season 4. The season was shockingly a surprise hit. It gained the most votes ever recorded before websites were changed. The game is still online and obviously going strong, with many voters, viewers, and even multiple celebrity guest judges.
A Small Q&A with Natalie Sanders
Q: Why did you start the DWTSGame?
A: I started it because I loved Dancing with the Stars and wanted to see some actual stars on it, so I took it into my own hands and did it myself!
Q: Why did you decide to bring the DWTSGame online?
A: I brought it online because I thought: "I bet people would get a kick out of reading how I scored these people". So, I brought it online. The first few seasons were pretty rough, obviously since I had to cancel midway through Season 3. But when I brought it online again in December 2010, I got a huge response and I couldn't feel more proud of my accomplishments. I hope to continue entertaining people with the DWTSGame for many more seasons to come! :)
Q: Why did you decide to take over as judge for Season 6?
A: After keeping Valerie again for Season 6, and adding the amazing new additions of Gavin and Elena, I wanted to get another real judge to make the panel an actual panel, full of real judges. It would be a huge accomplishment to actually get a real panel of judges, I thought. So, I honestly couldn't think of anyone better to take over for the fourth, vacant, position rather than me, myself! I have a lot to bring to the table as judge and can't wait to show everyone I am more than just the girl that brings the fantasy to life! haha! ;-)
Q: What will you be looking for in each dance next season?
A: I will be looking for how well the contestant would dance the certain dance to the certain music. A lot of factors must go into place for me to think of a dance as perfect. I do not go handing high scores all willy-nilly. They will have to earn them fair and square. If a contestant is a bad dancer, they'll be getting a lower score, don't you worry!
Q: Why do you not include photos of yourself online?
A: I honestly do not have a decent photo of myself to include. I feel better just using my "photo not available" buddy. haha! :)
A: I started it because I loved Dancing with the Stars and wanted to see some actual stars on it, so I took it into my own hands and did it myself!
Q: Why did you decide to bring the DWTSGame online?
A: I brought it online because I thought: "I bet people would get a kick out of reading how I scored these people". So, I brought it online. The first few seasons were pretty rough, obviously since I had to cancel midway through Season 3. But when I brought it online again in December 2010, I got a huge response and I couldn't feel more proud of my accomplishments. I hope to continue entertaining people with the DWTSGame for many more seasons to come! :)
Q: Why did you decide to take over as judge for Season 6?
A: After keeping Valerie again for Season 6, and adding the amazing new additions of Gavin and Elena, I wanted to get another real judge to make the panel an actual panel, full of real judges. It would be a huge accomplishment to actually get a real panel of judges, I thought. So, I honestly couldn't think of anyone better to take over for the fourth, vacant, position rather than me, myself! I have a lot to bring to the table as judge and can't wait to show everyone I am more than just the girl that brings the fantasy to life! haha! ;-)
Q: What will you be looking for in each dance next season?
A: I will be looking for how well the contestant would dance the certain dance to the certain music. A lot of factors must go into place for me to think of a dance as perfect. I do not go handing high scores all willy-nilly. They will have to earn them fair and square. If a contestant is a bad dancer, they'll be getting a lower score, don't you worry!
Q: Why do you not include photos of yourself online?
A: I honestly do not have a decent photo of myself to include. I feel better just using my "photo not available" buddy. haha! :)
*This Q&A was made by Natalie Sanders personally on January 1st, 2012*