bealled

Mark has been eliminated early in the past for going too far with his quirky styles. I remember him and Willow or Willa (from The Hunger Games) being a shock elimination and I think part of that had to do with him choreographing over the top routines each week with a lot of flashy backgrounds. I'm enjoying his choreography this season because he's throwing in his quirky touches but not distracting from Lindsey in the process. I do think this week and last week lend themselves more to pure choreography rather than some elaborate routine just because of most memorable year week being somber, and the song they received this week wouldn't go so well with anything but a pure dance. I'm sure he will have more of his unique routines once the song choice and theme permits it. Also I don't think Mark always just constantly does quirky routines. I feel like he and Paige, and he and Sadie had a mixture.

I will add that sometimes when a celeb gets scored highly consistently it causes backlash by the fans and accusations of overscoring and favortism. I guess if you think the celeb deserves the scores that is fine, but sometimes viewers get annoyed seeing the same celeb get the same 30s week after week. It's more exciting to see a celeb falter one week and then make a big comeback the next.

I guess I just don't see a massive deal because they exchanged jazz for charleston. It's not one of the big ballroom or latin dances, and charleston is already used as a semi-jazz routine by the pros. Plus Nikki also did a jazz. It wasn't like everyone was assigned quickstep and jive but because it was questionable whether Victoria could do it, she was given contemporary. I highly doubt this is the first time the show has switched the style out either.

I thought about it more and I actually think Frankie is on par with other dancers who have won in the past but maybe aren't truly the best that season. I actually think Frankie is performing as well as Rashad did last season.

I hope Lindsey wouldn't get a surprise boot. I think on a more stacked season she would, but this season is basically just her and Jordan as the best dancers. If she was on last season she probably would be a surprise boot. I'm hoping she will make it to the finals based on talent and her partnership with Mark. Even though most of the contestants this season are good, most are also not great/excellent status and are kind of forgettable. I do love Frankie but he's not a top tier dancer, although compared to the other contestants I think he comes off strong.

Honestly you can point to half the contestants and say they receive some form of preferential treatment or are showcased in a way that provides them better visibility and could boost their votes. Jordan was able to dance to his own song this week. Vanessa danced to Nick's song last week. Anytime the show has a live singer while the contestants dance, I think that is a huge preferential treatment since they are showcasing this singer during the contestants/pros dance, and sometimes it's pretty well known singers. Nikki's husband John Cena who is very famous came on stage when she was being judged and had an impromptu interview. I would rather see the show give someone with a limitation a different style than see them struggling to perform it. Victoria is different than the normal contestant as well. Plus Charleston isn't one of the usual routines they do, so her skipping it in favor of a Jazz is not a big deal to me.

Honestly you can point to half the contestants and say they receive some form of preferential treatment or are showcased in a way that provides them better visibility and could boost their votes. Jordan was able to dance to his own song this week. Vanessa danced to Nick's song last week. Anytime the show has a live singer while the contestants dance, I think that is a huge preferential treatment since they are showcasing this singer during the contestants/pros dance, and sometimes it's pretty well known singers. Nikki's husband John Cena who is very famous came on stage when she was being judged and had an impromptu interview. I would rather see the show give someone with a limitation a different style than see them struggling to perform it. Victoria is different than the normal contestant as well. Plus Charleston isn't one of the usual routines they do, so her skipping it in favor of a Jazz is not a big deal to me.

I can understand why they allowed Victoria to switch from Charleston to Jazz if her body is not allowing her to do the dance. I think they have done that in the past for other disabled competitors, or at the least they purposely did not assign them certain styles which they knew would be too difficult or not possible for the contestant. I don't really think that is Val favoritism and I don't really think the show is pimping Val/Victoria this season, at least no more than any other similar contestant like Noah Galloway or Amy Purdy. They always make the story around these contestants their disability and give them at times unfair treatment or less harsh judging. I'm surprised they were intending another Charleston dance to be honest, although it would have fit the song choice better. I know the prior week Jordan/Lindsey did not really do a Charleston either even though assigned it. I can't recall them consistently assigning Charleston in the past. It always seems like just 1 or 2 contestants get assigned it randomly. I don't really like when they assign dances that way, but I guess it adds variety. I would actually enjoy the style but it seems half the time the pros don't actually choreograph a true Charleston dance. Although I'm actually thinking there was a Charleston last season I really liked but can't remember who danced it or how true to Charleston it was.

Frankie and Witney were my favorites last night. I think they are actually my favorite pairing too. I see a brother/sister relationship between them. I also just love Frankie's personality. He seems very nervous yet just turns it on during the live performance. I found the sexy conversation amusing. I'm pretty sure Frankie actually was on the cover of teen magazines back in the day. I recall him being very popular, and I thought he was somewhat of a teen heartthrob but I could be mistaking him with the various other child/teen actors of his day. Of course with his memory issues he may not actually remember that so in his mind it would be hard to connect to that. I liked that Lindsey/Mark just did a traditional dance. It was nice. Jordan/Lindsay were great as usual, but I feel like I know exactly what to expect with them. I was not surprised to see them get the perfect score at all. It almost seemed like the show was setting up for that. I actually enjoyed and remembered Victoria/Val's dance tonight. I thought it was great and probably the best jazz this season. At least it was a unique routine and seemed to involve dancing. I still can't get over that awful jazz "dance" Gleb choreographed. I wanted to like Vanessa/Maks dance more than I did. I enjoyed the choreography and traditional nature of it, but I did think Vanessa was off and didn't execute as well as she has in the past. Also I thought both Vanessa and Maks looked a bit salty during the judging and annoyed with the scores. I think Nick/Peta should go next but I don't know if they will. I think Nick is getting a boost from boyband fans. His dance was probably the worst for me tonight, but still not terrible. Just didn't look as good as other dancers. Terrell/Cheryl has improved a lot. His package intro makes him more likable again compared to his earlier packages. I'm not minding TO again but also would be happy to see him go soon. Sasha/Gleb had their best dance, although I still didn't think it fully clicked for me. Something still felt off. I think Sasha could have done way better with a different pro. This season really did not put Gleb in high ranks among the choreographers. I was sad to see Sasha go but not surprised. Drew/Emma are growing on me. I really like them as a pairing. Not sure how far Drew will go, but he is likeable and enjoyable to watch. I was distracted during Nikki/Artem's dance so can't comment on it. Overall this week was one of the better ones.

I have a hard time seeing Victoria crack the top 2. I could see her sneaking into the top 3, but compared to other similar contestants (Amy Purdy, Noah Galloway) she isn't as appealing and her disability is not visible. Her and Val don't have a particularly cute partnership so far, and Victoria is very forgettable. I've seen commenters here say they forgot she was on the show, and I admit to forgetting about her nearly every week. I honestly thought Drew was going to be the last dancer this week followed by the elimination until they announced Victoria as competing next. I think Lindsay does actually have a fanbase. I know she was paired with David last season who was popular, but she has overall done pretty well in the rankings from the seasons I remember (her and Wanya I think top 4, her and Alec top 3). Personally I don't think there is a ton of strong competition for Jordan aside from Lindsey and Vanessa. While most everyone else is a solid dancer, I think those ones stand out as the actual best this season. Jordan and Lindsey I think will make the finals, although Vanessa I think could be cut before then (probably by Victoria). Frankie is good but not sure his technical abilities are as strong. However, I think his personality will endear him and take him into the finals. I actually think Frankie is the underdog this season as being the contestant with the most likable personality but maybe not objectively the best dancer. However, he has seemed fairly good so far and if he keeps it up would be good enough to win over better dancers. One thing I like this season is that it doesn't seem like anyone is totally destined to win. Even last season was kind of a toss up, and as we saw with the results, was not who people originally thought would win. Laurie Hernandez was great, but it seemed clear from the beginning she would most likely take it (although James did give her a run for her money).

I don't recall Sabrina giving the pros lessons but maybe she did. The only pro lessons Corbin gave was over hip hop from what I recall. Also, aren't Jordan and Corbin's backgrounds basically the same? Both were involved with musical theater from a young age. Both have dancer listed in their Wikipedia and have performances in various musicals which typically require dancing. Both involved with Disney. Both on Broadway. They basically have the same backgrounds so I'd consider them pretty equal ringers. Both are very talented, but it does get annoying when others are pointed at as being the worst ringers ever, yet others get a pass. To be fair, a ringer still kind of won on Corbin's season since many were saying Amber Riley had dance training from Glee. Anyway, all last season everyone complained about ringers yet this season people are giving Jordan a pass and trying to make excuses for him not being a ringer. I agree Heather was a ringer last season and perhaps Normani. I don't really think gymnasts or ice skaters are that big of ringers since most of the dancing they do is minimal and not very fluid. I just think those sports use skill sets that are used in dancing which is why many times those athletes excel on the show. I have nothing against Jordan, it is just annoying the board's reaction this season versus last season. I still hope and expect him to make the finals, and I wouldn't be mad if he won, but I don't think his past experience should be downplayed either.

I'm not sure why anyone would want Nick to mention Jessica, wouldn't that just be milking his past famous relationship? I'm sure a lot of people remember him and Jessica, but they should now embrace him and his new wife. Jessica has also remarried and probably wouldn't appreciate being brought up on a show millions watch. Also I think Vanessa was mostly cast because Nick was. Perhaps that is the reason he even did the show, since he has previously seemed to not want to do it. I feel like they use the marriage angle because otherwise the two of them would be somewhat boring. Hopefully they chill out a little bit with it, but it seems the show loves it and wants to push this angle with them. I mean we have seen how they pushed the angle with Maks/Peta on other seasons too. The show seems to like the competing spouses aspect.

This is what ticks me off too. Every week people complained that it was such a boring season of ringers, yet this year Jordan appears as a huge ringer (honestly seems better than all the women last year except maybe Heather- I did understand the Heather backlash). People always have excuses too for criticizing those women, such as Normani's crazy fans. I'm not really sure about Normani's fans, but they probably are a lot of teeny boppers and may be annoying (although Jordan probably has similar teeny bopper fans). I can see why Normani's fans would be ruthless though because Normani publicly went through a horrific cyber bullying campaign. I will admit I think there were some other factors causing criticism of the women last year. I think some just did not want Val to win again and just have a dislike for him. I think some chose to dislike Simone because Laurie was on the previous season and the clear front runner. Simone really got the short end of the stick though. Everyone claimed she was the show's choice as winner, but then it became very obvious the producers manipulated things to actually get her kicked off early. Simone was also not a Laurie, but more like a Nastia or Shawn pre-All Stars (her personality doesn't immediately come through and she has to get comfortable in her skin to truly become a great dancer). Nancy was even called a ringer last year which was aggravating. So because she ice skated 20 years ago she is professional trained and a ringer?? Nevermind her age would be a hindrance compared to how many young people were in the cast last season. I also think some are not criticizing Jordan this season because he is paired with Lindsay and they want Lindsay to win. I think that partially played a role last season with Rashad and Emma. I definitely think Jordan will be in the finals and possibly win. Lindsay has been in the finals several times, so I do think she is a popular pro and she choreographs really well. Even though there is no one awful this season, they are also clearly way above everyone else so I would be pretty shocked to see them not make the finals.

This Maks feud speculation seems unnecessary to me. He may have an issue with Vanessa, but isn't he generally like this? I feel like the last time he seemed genuinely happy with a partner was with Meryl. I just think he isn't that into the show unless he has a guaranteed finals ringer. Vanessa is definitely good, but I don't think she's a lock to make the finals. Also Maks may just be aggravated because they have to play up the married couple angle. I don't think his personality is one that reflects well in public. He's not a chipper person, he comes across moody, etc. I think the speculation he is competing with Vanessa for a job sounds kind of ridiculous. I'm a little confused why they are considering Vanessa for a job at this point too, but I guess she does have hosting experience. Personally I could not see Maks as a host. He's not charismatic enough for that, and I highly doubt he would show enough interest in the contestants. I could see him more as a judge, but he'd likely be a grumpy judge like Len.

I actually like learning new things about the contestants, but unfortunately Most Memorable Year has turned into sob story week. The only ones without sob stories this week were Drew, Sasha (okay I don't exactly remember what her package was about, it just seemed about finishing her TV show so if it was a sob story correct me) and Nick (although he was basically included in Vanessa's package anyway). I don't know if Frankie's was 100% a sob story either, since he seemed to want to focus on the present/future rather than the past. I felt like he didn't want to make a big deal out of his health issues, but of course the show is going to edit the package to discuss them. It was sweet when he discussed his girlfriend writing about each day. Reminded me of that Adam Sandler movie 50 First Dates. Anyway it'd be nicer if not all the MMY events were sad and we had more happy ones. I understand why Lindsey would mention her dad, but I know she has some other great life moments involving breaking into the industry with her violin. I'm sure Jordan too had another breakout moment for him, perhaps being cast in Hamilton or something. It seems like the show pushes the dramatic stories for the emotional reactions.

Perhaps Sasha's parents never pushed her to try dancing and let her choose what she wanted to do? She said she joined Pretty Little Liars at age 12, and I assume she was acting even before that. If that has been her focus most of her life, then she probably never did learn much dancing with her parents. They may have tried and she didn't show interest in it so didn't push it on her. I think she could be a lot better with someone other than Gleb. He has been doing poorly as a choreographer this season (he's really not the greatest in other seasons either, and always relies on sex appeal). Part of Sasha's story is about her insecurity over her weight, which could also impact how well she dances. I know when I danced as a child, I was really introverted/shy/awkward in my body, and when you feel that way it can be hard to 100% own dances. If you don't have the confidence going into it, it shows. Anyway I'm finding this season kind of boring. I know that generally we have good dancers, but no one excites me that much aside from Frankie. I really enjoy Lindsey too. I would enjoy Jordan more if he wasn't such a ringer. I think the lack of criticism compared to last season pisses me off too. People were basically calling all the females ringers (Heather I understood being called a ringer but not Nancy, Simone, Normani) and actively rooting against them, yet this season Jordan is clearly a massive ringer dancing on par with pros and nobody cares. His dances are good but I am not rooting for him to win. I hope Frankie or Lindsey win. Other than Frankie, Lindsey and Jordan though, this season is rather boring. Last year I was really rooting and excited for a lot of the contestants. I was sad Derek left. I don't think he deserved to go yet. I feel bad, but every week I honestly forget Victoria is competing. After Drew finished his dance, I actually thought that was the last dance until they mentioned her again. I don't think her story is connecting as much, probably because we cannot visibly see her disability any more. I will say I can tell she isn't as good at the dancing, and I'm sure most of that is attributed to everything she has overcome. I liked how Drew's brother popped up in his routine with Emma. Probably smart to do that now since he may be eliminated soon. I'm thinking Sasha is probably next on the chopping block even though I really like her. Although it's close between Nick, Drew, Nikki, Terrell, and her (all are decent to good, but I don't think connecting very well). I really don't know how big everyone's fanbase is. I imagine Nick has a big voting base, but then he also keeps being put in jeopardy which could be a sign his voting numbers aren't as high as expected.

I have noticed them really pushing Victoria's story too. It is an amazing story, but I also wonder if they are trying to boost her votes. I'm not sure Victoria is a lock to make the finals compared to other contestants like Amy Purdy or Noah Galloway. The difference with Victoria is we can't see her disability so much, so I feel like people are probably not going to be thinking about that as much when voting. Maybe the show wants to keep reminding viewers of that, and perhaps to let new viewers chiming in for the first time to know about it too. However, if it is a top 4 again this year, then Victoria may make the finals. I guess at this point I'm thinking the most likely top 4 will be Jordan, Lindsey, Frankie, and possibly Vanessa although I'm really uncertain about Vanessa. I feel like the fourth spot is kind of a toss up, and as the season progresses someone new could start excelling and rise in popularity.

This is how I feel about the bullying topic. I don't mind when those who were seriously bullied address it, but I feel like a lot of the contestants just say they were bullied to have a story. Most people have experienced some bullying, or teasing, as you said. There is a difference between being teased a few times and relentlessly picked on. It's just a tired topic at this point, but it seems the younger celebs always mention it. Although there is a serious cyber bullying issue, and when celebs discuss that I don't mind as much. I mean you can see physical proof of this when you go to some of these celebs social media profiles and see all the haters posting vitriol. On the topic of guilty pleasures, I agree that a lot of the guilty pleasures weren't the true definition of that. I think the boy band one, the romantic comedies, and the romance novels/50 shades of grey were, but the rest weren't as much. I think comic books have become so popular nowadays, nobody would tease you for enjoying them but I guess it is still considered geeky. That was still way more of a guilty pleasure than baking or pajamas lol. I do consider boy bands a guilty pleasure, especially for a male. Most guys will not admit to liking them and people will make fun of you for it. Even girls will be teased about liking boy bands. They just aren't considered as serious music. I know in the past bands like The Beatles were considered boy bands and people won't deny their musical talent. Now people just think of groups like One Direction, which while wildly popular with women, a lot of guys would probably not admit to liking. I knew women embarrassed to admit they liked them too. I'm unsure about this Maks/Vanessa drama. Part of me doesn't believe it because Maks wife is paired with Vaneesa's husband. I would think Maks wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize Peta and Nick's journey on the show. Then again it is odd he and Vanessa haven't denied the rumors, but they may just not want to bother addressing it. I am starting to think Maks should stop joining the show. He probably joined this year for the marriage angle, but he does not seem that interested in the show anymore. I would honestly rather see Sasha continue as a pro, and also Alan become a new pro staple. Although, I guess Maks could stick around and replace Gleb. Or I wouldn't mind a return of Tony either. Does Vanessa remind anyone of Ginger (the meteorologist from Good Morning America)? They seem kind of similar to me. I remember everyone hating Ginger and pissed when she made the top 3. I don't think Ginger was a bad dancer, but a lot thought she wasn't that good. I guess at least people think Vanessa dances well. I just see some similarities between the two where it seems their personalities just don't click with the audience (at least the audience on these forums). I agree with whoever said they aren't that excited about this season. I recognize there are a lot of good contestants this season, but nobody is really grabbing my attention and make me root for them super hard. At this point, I'm probably rooting for Frankie the most. A lot of the contestants I just don't care about that much.

Lindsey and Mark were the standout dance for me. That routine just made me smile and happy. The bit on the bed was so cute too, and you could tell the dance actually had a ton of Jive content. Sasha got screwed over by Gleb. I threw her all my online votes this week. She has shown dance ability, but Gleb is not giving her much to work with. That Jazz was just terrible and barely had any dancing at all. I was really confused about what their routine was supposed to be until I realized it was a Jazz. They need to remove Jazz as a dance category. These pros don't know what to do with it, and there doesn't really seem to be clear guidance about what a Jazz should be. I am okay with Contemporary because generally the pros know how that style is supposed to be done. I would prefer they replace Jazz with Broadway if they insist on having these non-Ballroom styles. I really enjoyed Frankie's dance too. I think he is my favorite contestant right now, he and Lindsey. Frankie just seems like a really nice guy, and his dancing is actually pretty good. He will be fun to watch over the season. Jordan's dance was really well done, but I agree with Len's critique. I was excited to watch a Charleston but we didn't really get that. Even though Jordan is great, I almost feel like he's too good already so I'm not as excited about watching his journey because we already know he will be amazing. He seems on another level to anyone else this season. I imagine he will easily make the finals, but I am not sure I will be rooting for him to win. Everyone else I'm kind of whatever about. I think Vanessa had the best Jazz routine, and at least hers involved dancing. Nick's Jazz was okay. He did seem more comfortable this week. Drew did a really good job. He has been a lot better than I expected him to be. I think Derek's dance was okay. The bad cover song really detracted but the dance was fun. Honestly everyone else kind of runs together. I'm not really feeling Terrell. I think his personality is kind of grating because you can tell he has a big ego. I wouldn't mind Terrell to exit next. Nikki actually seems like a decent dancer, but I always forget about her. I'm not very invested or interested in her and Artem's partnership either. Same with Victoria. I think she is the one I forget about the most. I don't think her story will get her to the finals, maybe as 4th place. She does seem sweet but I guess I just don't connect with her. I did like Tom's message to bullies though. Also on the bullies note, does anyone else get tired of hearing about bullies after a while? It seems multiple contestants bring this up each season. I didn't mind Normani mentioning it because it's publicly known how badly she was cyber bullied, and it was only brought up once that I recall. I didn't mind Victoria mentioning it either since I'm sure some kids did make fun of her for being disabled which is screwed up. But when Jordan talked about bullying I was kind of rolling my eyes. Plus not every school makes fun of the theater kids. Jordan is an attractive kid, in my high school he would have been incredibly popular. At my school the show choir/theatrical kids were the most popular. Maybe my school experience has biased me, but I thought Jordan's comments about being bullied fell flat.

I haven't had a chance to watch yet, but I'm disappointed Debbie left. I knew she wouldn't win, but I actually thought she did really well and was better than some of the men still left. However, I knew Terrell probably has a decent fanbase and didn't expect him to leave this early. Unfortunately Debbie just isn't super relevant currently so didn't have the votes. In regards to the sexism comments, I definitely think it has some part in how viewers watch the show. People were hating constantly on Normani last season. I imagine some of that had to do with being paired with Val, but she was clearly a great dancer and people just seemed adamant to dislike her. Jordan appears to be far more of a ringer to me this season, but nobody seems to care... Maybe as the season progresses and gets toward the final the reaction will change. At this point I actually don't think Jordan will win, but I do think he will make the finals. Although dependent on the freestyle, he could win. I think this will be a competitive season with some unpredictable results.

I kind of think Barbara got a raw deal night one because of her song choice. I feel like that kind of set her up to have a non-serious/goofy dance. She definitely was the weakest dancer and deserved to go, but I kind of disliked the show making her out to be a joke. She did bring the bad cougar edit onto herself though. Not sure why Keo seems to always get the strangest contestants as partners. Overall this season is shaping up well. Nobody has been flat out awful, and I don't think there is an obvious front runner to win. I think it's too early to call and the freestyles could make a big difference. Right now I'd predict Jordan, Lindsey, and Derek for the final 3 but I could really see a lot of people make it to the end. I do think Jordan is the most likely to make it to the finals (just because he is clearly a better dancer) but I don't necessarily think Jordan will win. I gave votes to Debbie, Sasha, and Frankie. They aren't necessarily my favorites, but I think they could be in jeopardy of leaving early so I'm throwing them my votes for now. Debbie actually seems rather good. I'd probably rank her above Terrell, Nick, and Drew right now (at least this week). I think Debbie may be an early exit though. Frankie is very likeable. I actually love that he seemed so nervous. I tend to get anxious about things too, and I love that he was so open about that. He seems so nice and his dancing has a lot of room for growth. Drew actually impressed me during the Charleston bit at the end of his dance. I think he won't last too long though. Terrell received a bad edit. I think he dances like he's at the club more so than a ballroom dancer. I wouldn't mind if he left next. Sasha has been pretty good. I'm surprised nobody is commenting on her parents being professional dancers. Usually people would be calling her out for this, although I'm uncertain if her parents ever taught her dance at all or not. I know she has been acting since a young age. I like her because I was a Pretty Little Liars fan. Vanessa is actually very good. She could be the best female contestant this season, but we will see. I could see her in the finals, but I also could see her not quite making it. Nick is just okay. I think he may last a week or two longer than he should just because he's Nick Lachey. Nikki is actually pretty good too, but I'm not really invested or interested in her. Same with Val's partner (sorry I forgot her name). Her story is crazy though. I think Lindsey and Mark will be a good pairing. Hopefully Mark doesn't go too overboard with the creative routines though, as in the past I think that has hurt him. I really don't know why she would have been called a ringer. I think because she was one of the more well-known cast members, people wanted to brand her a ringer. I feel like this happens a lot. I'm not sure how being a violinist would make one a ringer... as it's not like you are doing choreographed dances while playing the violin... Derek is another charismatic contestant. He may be the underdog male who continues to improve. He already is pretty good. I know he is a popular athlete which is why I could predict him making the finals. He appears to have the dance skills to make it far. Jordan is definitely the best dancer right now. If anyone is a ringer, it is definitely him. I wouldn't mind seeing Lindsay actually win a season. Jordan could definitely take her to a win, but right now I'm not sure if he would take it. He wasn't well known before this season, and there are quite a few better known contestants. A lot of seasons end up with the best dancer not winning (Normani, Paige, Corbin, etc). However, Jordan seems really likeable and I could see him and Lindsay having an amazing freestyle so we will see.

I agree that it's annoying when contestants are criticized for taking dance classes growing up. I feel like a huge segment of females grew up doing some type of dance, but it doesn't make you a dancer. I did dance for around 10 years growing up, but I was not any good. I'm 25 and probably stopped at 14. It's been 10 years since I did it. I guess I remember some aspects but not enough to consider myself this great dancer (far from it). I don't even enjoy dancing in the club. Plus ballroom really does look completely different than your traditional ballet, tap or jazz. I don't think Rashad should get extra praise for putting in 100+ extra hours. I think that shows his attitude and work ethic, but from personal experience I get a bit annoyed by people being praised for things like that. At my work I've had coworkers praised for getting out tons of work, yet they would spend a lot of overtime doing the work. Without taking overtime I was often getting the same amount of work done. Am I not a hard worker because I didn't decide to do extra hours? I would say I use my core time more wisely so I don't need to put in extra time for more work because I already got what is needed done. It's just one of those things though, the training hours, that really should vary contestant to contestant. Some contestants would need to do extra to really get the moves down, some may not need as many hours to learn the dance and get the moves down. I'm neutral on the topic. I guess it is good Rashad put in the extra time to make sure he learned but it doesn't make me automatically view him as a harder worker. I think all of the final 3 were hard workers. I would say it may show he wanted the win more than the others though.

I still can't get over how far Bonner made it this season. I see some people posting about not finding David likeable, but he did have personality and it's easy to see how he appealed to a lot of people. Bonner had zero personality and imo nothing going for him. I really did not find him that hot either when we had Rashad on the show. I can't imagine that many rodeo fans watch, so I really don't know who voted for him. I guess his sex appeal helped him get by? I know he was not capable of performing many moves to the full ability, but I feel like even if he had never been injured this guy just did not have dance ability. He looked stiff just trying to flirt with Sharna and the other female pro during his trio. That trio dance was a train wreck and he definitely deserved to go home after that. Honestly I don't see how he beat out Heather and Nancy. Really he was worse than Erika and Nick too. Erika I understand beating because she came across so unlikeable. I felt Nick should have outlasted Bonner (although if Nick/Bonner were both ousted during the double elimination I think that would have been fair). I thought the judges gave Bonner a lot of high scores and praise (until he started outlasting better competitors) while I really felt Nick was underscored most of the season. This whole season has just been strange.

Seriously if Derek were on this season with Normani or Simone he probably would have won. Derek has definitely elevated his partners to wins just because they are paired with him (of course he's a great choreographer too, but on some occasions I didn't think his partner was the best in the cast or even most likeable and they still win).

I am not sure why some found Normani and Val's partnership to appear fake or non-genuine. Just like David/Lindsay and Rashad/Emma I thought they had a great connection and seemed to really enjoy working together. I honestly thought Val seemed happier and more at ease with Normani than he did with Laurie. I think Val felt a huge pressure to win with Laurie because she came in as the most high visibility star of that season and right off the Olympics success. Val seemed more relaxed to me this season, probably because Normani was not one of the hyped stars before the show started. I personally loved their routines and felt something from several of their dances moreso than most of the other contestants. I guess I'm disappointed she came third, but I felt pretty positive Rashad would win so third or second, it really doesn't matter. Rashad has been very likeable this season and did show improvement/growth. I definitely don't think he was the best dancer (honestly I think Heather, Nancy, Simone and Normani were all better) but he was definitely the fan favorite of the season and underdog. It was also really nice for Emma to finally get a win. Did anyone else wonder if Sharna may have finally gotten her win if she had been paired with Rashad? I feel like Sharna has been a female pro to get some good male dancers, but the timing is always bad when she gets them (like with James or Nick). Yet I feel like the show wants Sharna to win, it just keeps slipping away. I doubt many expected a male winner this season based on how strong the female cast was.