Andiethewestie

More specifically the word Boring comes up with female contestants, often they are also Black. This word is seldom if ever used for male contestants, and their significant dance experience eg Alfonso a huge commercial dancer with Michael Jackson, Jordan also a commercial dancer, who was so good he seamlessly filled in for a pro dancer when on Tour, and Riker a trained ballroom dancer is ignored. Any female especially those pesky Black ones would be disqualified by the public, just so they could watch their favourite athlete jump around like a marionette with no rhythm.

I took time off of the show for a few seasons because it was getting to be too much of a celebrity coddle than a reality dance competition. When Mark took Ballroom and Latin to an exciting level with Charli I thought the show was coming back. Unfortunately It's getting further and further away from ballroom and Latin so I doubt I'll watch next year. The social media trends bore me, they seem childish and unnecessary and they are mere fillers when the show used to be so good with better video packages like Dance Centre and the confessionals. Now the show just relies on TikTok with asinine lip syncing and viral moments instead of dance. The quality of ballroom and Latin is terrible amongst most of the contestants and it's just not worth my time

Mario Lopez was a god dam liar. That's why he lost, oh and his fucked up toe leads in the Tango because he thought he knew more than his partner. Douche

Yes it is just a show. The professionals on the show have just as many years of focussed competitive training as an Olympic athlete or a Football star and that is why it's a big challenge for people to come on and try to emulate what they do. When somebody comes on and gives it a credible go I'm impressed because this style of dancing in particular is very technical and specific to partnering. It isn't easy even for people who know dance. Allison Holker who was cast as a pro struggled. There was a time when Dancesport tried to become an Olympic Sport. Corky Ballas was one of the pros who spearheaded the petition. This is the biggest platform Ballroom Dancing has. So even if it's just a show, it's the one time Ballroom and Latin can capture a big audience, so as a Ballroom fan I wished the judging was to a standard that dance fans can recognize. It's like watching the Super Bowl and nobody gets called for an off side. The rules of the game are now unrecognizable.

In contrast Brandon had a perfect partner in Chandler, a beautiful topline I can't get over that gorgeous overstay on the Foxtrot. Loved their intensity on that dance, The Paso and the AT. However I think this team will best be remembered for their joyous vibe together more fun than intense, more bro and sis. For that reason they will be long remembered for their joyous Soul Train Cha cha and the new choreography and improvisation on the Instant Cha Cha, their amazing Redemption Jive it's best ever now going viral and their celebration Freestyle.

Ilona would need a tall pro, neither Derek or Mark would look good with a contestant over 5' 7" so I think Tony would have been good for her. Steven should have been put with Witney she's shorter and the topline looked off with Rylee. I agree with Danny and Peta she did great with Donald Driver who has similar stiffness issues. Joey would have corrected those feet with either Cheryl or Anna. Jenna pulls focus always and agreed not a great teacher. Unfortunately it was a very disappointing season for anyone interested in dance.

This season none of the finalists except for Chandler had any special apptitude for dance whatsoever. All 4 failed on the instant dance and if they had an apptitude they would have at least learned to follow a lead. Chandler in contrast had no partner training prior to the show. Yes she had dance experience but she is not a regularly booked commercial dancer like Jordan Fisher or Heather Morris or a ballroom trained dancer like Riker Lynch. So Chandler looked great because the others were so poor. They would need at least a year of partnering to get anywhere near as entertaining. So sure, there's something great about Apolo Ohno or Gilles Marini but these people? It was cringe for the season and them adding an insulting result. Either this show removes scores all together or just don't call it Dancing with the Stars

Somebody who watches Strictly on another board commented that they are now at semis and still handing out 5 if the dance wasn't good. Of course the people in the UK know far more about Standard and Latin so fans appreciate appropriate judging. Here it's everybody but the good Dancer gets a gold star or a pardon.

Why because somebody acceptable to a looney tunes Bachelor fanbase of crazy people won? I assume Bobby Bones fans were just as crazy for him. Was there a problem with the judging? ? I didn't watch that season but why people vote shouldn't be the litmus test for fan votes. My point is Cheryl's scores are not a one off. Sharna Maks and Peta have all remarked on the bias in the judging especially against the one person who could dance and whilst being in the tank for the poor-dancers no matter how poor got 10's on a week where the best dancer didn't and the judge couldn't explain why. Except we all know why. Or the lift gate controversy when a lift should have been called on Ilona on Soul Train Night and Danny on their Quickstep Week 7. I would have thought okay at least the judge is being consistent if that happened, but it didn't. If the show scheduled a two hour instead of a 3 hour finale for sure Chandler would have went home and if that were the case Maks felt it was directly because Carrie Ann made an issue of a lift when she hadn't any other time and took a mark off that Chandler's fans couldn't overcome. Time to put the thumb on the scale and make it count against her. That's not judging. This insidious drum beat of making her controversial was really trying to take her down. That's not judging Rather than making it personal let the judges comment all they want, but it's just absurd to attach a score to the bias. Just let it go, the Fans don't know shit about dance and they don't care, why make good dancers suffer through a charade to the point of being harassed ? These clowns now would never be as truthful as Len was. That wasn't the show pushing to get Master P out that was Len taking his job seriously by judging to a standard. He could not abide poor footwork or inappropriate shoes. the show doesn't care if Master P stayed to the end or not they only cared about ratings and the weekly standoff with Len. Len did his job and Master P didn't and that's why eventually he went home without ever reaching the finals. The effect is now reversed. Coddle the poor dancer with high scores while telling the good dancer she's not good enough in a week were 10's were handed out like candy. This would not happen if Len were in the Ballroom. Gone are the days of the 2 paddle although I'm reminded that Len gave Iman a 4 first week and never scored him high until that Contemporary. Len stayed true to the standard. These judges have fidelity to nothing. That's why the scores should go.

Moving forward I think it's best that there is no judges scoring and just open up the show to viewer votes. The judges are falling all over themselves trying to follow what the large fanbases want anyway so it really doesn't make any sense especially when ballroom and Latin are becoming unrecognizable due to rules relaxed or non- existent for some whilst being applied with vigor for others and so those trying are just getting inflated scores and not learning anything. Then when good dancers are cut loose because the public hates them it's a cleaner break instead of this constant mind fuck that you could go home at any minute.because you didn't understand that just because you're good doesn't mean you can hang with the popular kids.

I gotta love Cheryl Burke. Her recap and scores accurately reflected what I thought of the Finals Stephen (9…10) Ilona (9…9) Danny (8…7) Joey (9…8) Chandler (10…10) if these scores were in the mix we may have had a very different outcome. Fanbase would not have been such an overwhelming factor because all the 10's effectively threw everything to the vote.

Okay if basic level is what you enjoy then. you wee also rooting for Allyson last season. She had a boatload of fans but didn't get past 5th. In hindsight compared to the other finalists she never scored above a nine even in the finals. So scoring her lower ensured that she didnt get past the ginormous advantage of a huge fanbase. I think Ilona had a very similar trajectory this season and her dancing was the very basic novice level that Allyson did. What is interesting is that basic dancing is now 2nd place because why? Allyson was just as engaging and if we're talking impressive body dress sizes she lost a ton of weight. Either Allyson should have got at least to 2nd place or she was scored appropriately i to the standard. She met it, but didn't exceed it. As I said earlier I'm not impressed by celebrity hires who can barely squeeze out minimal basic dance steps. I want to see dancing that can give it more Welly and be able to actually follow the lead and improvise where necessary and finesse the movement beyond basic. For me the overall level of dancing for 4 out of the 5 was basic. The winner Joey would be hard pressed to make top 5 in any other season.

Even better, keep that illusion going. At least when Shawn Johnson competed in Season 15 her overblown freestyle included Olympians

Just an illusion, just like that gym show.

Thank you. I hated that stupid AT not only was it just cultural appropriation it was danced with improper technique.