bealled

I was not surprised to see Rashad win at all, especially after last night's edit it seemed preordained. I was not even that surprised to see David get second. In a way I wish David had actually won. This season seemed so tilted towards the women with 4 great female dancers it's kind of crazy how it ended. Personally I don't think Normani had a giant fanbase coming into this. I really don't think she received a massive influx of 5th Harmony fan votes because honestly the group is popular but not that popular (and this shows age demos skew older than 5th Harmony fans). Also I feel like Normani was not one of the standout members of the show when the cast was announced. I know people may call her a ringer but I bet she was not most people's prediction for last woman standing when the show started. Anyway glad this season is over. I feel like it started with such promise and then just had horrible elimination after horrible elimination. I mean even Nick deserved to outlast Bonner. I did really like Rashad though and happy to see him and Emma win.

Was Bindi actually a ringer? I feel like Nick Carter would have been considered more of a ringer than her, but he never seemed to get 100% comfortable dancing. I did think Bindi seemed a lot more natural of a dancer that season. Had she had dancing lessons in the past? I agree she was definitely overscored/overrated like crazy, but aside from Nick I don't recall her really having much competition anyway. Also, even though I did find her a personality annoying at times, she does seem like a likable and sweet girl so of course audiences are going to gravitate towards that. I just checked and 3rd place was Alek, so that was definitely a weak competitive season of the show.

I agree with everyone saying the fix was in for Rashad tonight. I'm not sure why Rashad fans ignore that when they have been whining all season that X dancer was the chosen one to win it all. Tonight clearly showed that TPTB are rooting for Rashad to win. I think the entire finale was a bit underwhelming. Tbh I don't think anyone had a standout dance, even in the freestyles. David's freestyle was okay, but seemed a bit sloppy to me honestly. I enjoyed Normani's freestyle but not sure why those kids were in it. I found Rashad's freestyle very overrated and not an iconic freestyle for the show. It looked a bit sloppy to me too. However, David and Rashad's freestyles were the more fun/high energy dances; I just didn't feel either was that good. I am going to predict Rashad wins. It seems pretty clear to me that is who the show was prepping to win. This has been a strange season. I feel like everyone complains all season about ringers, yet the show has actually been going out of its way to boost lesser dancers like Bonner and David. The show pretty clearly set Simone up to be eliminated early, so I'm confused by people complaining of manipulation this season geared towards the women. If anything I feel the show was favoring the guys this season (remember the guys winning for that terrible team dance?).

They definitely gave Rashad a winners edit tonight so hopefully that shuts up some of the Normani haters.

Wasn't Shawn Johnson on her original season with Mark very similar to Simone this season? I remember Shawn seeming stiff that season, but she ended up pulling out a win (likely because Gilles had a lackluster freestyle and the competition was not as tough overall that season). I think the person who said Simone would have done better with Mark or Derek is correct, although I really don't remember seeing a huge growth in the emotive aspect from Shawn in her season with Mark. Once the All Stars season came around I think Shawn had matured and had more life experiences allowing her to really shine that season. I do think the judges constantly harping on Simone's emotions was her main downfall. Simone seemed like she was constantly critiqued whereas David, a lesser dancer, doesn't really receive that harsh of critiques or drastically lower scores so it's no surprise he would outlast her. Personally I see a ton of similarity between Shawn and Simone. Their personalities seem pretty similar to me in real life (both seem a bit shy/more introverted).

I thought Simone may go which was unfortunate. Not sure why the judges acted so shocked. I do believe Len was mad since he seems to be critiquing harder than the other judges and I can see him wanting only the best in the finals. I didn't think Simone's jive showed any new emotions from her so them acting like it was some huge breakthrough was annoying (the jive was already a good dance for showcasing Simone's natural personality). Her rumba I did think provided a lot more emotion from her than normal and was maybe my favorite dance from her. Funny though how she said the last time she showed emotion she messed up on beam and took the bronze. Tonight she showed emotion and goes home (I know the votes were from last week, but still found it funny). I really love Normani. Her Viennese waltz was really nice but that jazz was amazing! It looked like a high quality theater production. I could see Normani taking a stab at Broadway and I actually think she could do really well at it. I'm definitely voting for her tonight. I love Rashad too. His rumba was my favorite of his two dances but I zoned out a little on the quickstep. I wasn't too surprised to see David last another week. He has definitely improved but is far from the greatest technical dancer. To be honest I feel like his baseball fan base is probably huge though and could get him a win.

I am so glad to see Bonner go home. I don't even remember his first dance, but I hated his trio. He wasn't even able to command the character he was playing, and didn't look like he could do simple moves. I mean he looked stiff just sitting there. He definitely needed to go. Rashad is starting to get boring to me. Same for Simone's dances. I agreed with Julianne's critique that the dance wasn't bad, but she didn't connect with it at all (the first dance at least). However, I think Simone is getting pretty harshly critiqued. I guess her scores are still good, but they are pushing too hard for her to show raw emotion that she may not have in her to show. I know Simone has a sad backstory, but she was fairly young when she was adopted, so most of her life has been pretty good. She doesn't seem like someone to express her emotions a lot. If I was on this show I think I'd be getting the same critique. If her dancing is technically on point I don't think you should withhold giving her a proper score for that. Plus I think sometimes they over score dances that bring out emotions but aren't technically perfect. Also am I the only one who doesn't think Sasha has been the best partner for her? I think Sasha went into this season thinking he had someone to win the whole show with and has been focusing on that rather than bringing out the best from Simone. I recall one of their early dances where he was really pushing Simone to take on this sexy image she was uncomfortable with, and I remember in the dance their being unnecessary "sexy" moves that could have been cut out and would likely have made Simone more comfortable. Plus he adds her gymnastics moves constantly whereas Val really refrained from that last season with Laurie. Simone reminds me a lot of Shawn Johnson's personality, so I think more could be brought out from her with a different partner. David is still fun to watch and I don't mind him being this far into the show. I think he may actually make the finals and kick out someone else (possibly Simone?). Normani is my favorite and I think is clearly the best dancer left by a long shot. I liked her dance about bullying, and found her video package on it very genuine and refreshing. Normani seems like a strong person and able to take her fame in stride. I enjoyed both of her dances a lot. I personally hope Normani wins this season.

I think people are overthinking the manipulations this season. I felt like Heather received pretty good spots each week and received good scores, but the producers weren't able to keep her around. The person I felt the show was giving the worst scores and slots in the show was Nick but he actually managed to stay longer than I would have predicted. I agree some of the scoring has been inconsistent this season but I feel like it always is. Nancy has been underscored some, but weak dancers like Bonner and David have been overscored most of the season. It's somewhat interesting to read these comments because a few weeks ago everyone was proclaiming Simone the chosen one, but because Normani has emerged as a better dancer now she is being called the ordained winner from the producers. I feel like this season has actually been more unpredictable than recent ones. If this was a predictable season I don't think Heather and Nancy would have already been eliminated. I can make a guess on the final 3 to be Normani, Simone and Rashad but I would not be surprised if David kicked one of those 3 out. Heck Bonner has gone way further than I would have predicted and offers nothing I find appealing. I don't feel that any one contestant of the top tier has been receiving massively higher scores than they deserve. The most overscored contestants this season I think have been Bonner and David. Nancy and Nick were both underscored this season. I think part of those two being underscored is their placement in the show though. The ones who go early generally receive lower scores for starting off the show. I will agree that Nick received the worst treatment this season of anyone. I don't think he ever performed in the second half of the show (aside from a team dance or the dance-off). I thought he was the first to go twice, and probably generally went in the first 30 minutes of the broadcast. I know Nick was not among the best dancers, but I still felt he was given the shaft all season. However, I think a lot of those placements probably relate to how popular the show thinks Nick is, or even could be based off how many votes he had been receiving all season. I do doubt the show will go out of their way to keep giving a less popular contestant good performing slots near the end of the show. They put what they consider more popular contestants near the end to keep viewers watching the whole show. It is annoying when the same person constantly closes the show, but I understand why they do it. Anyway I am glad Normani and Simone are still on the show. I think they are very good and I enjoy watching them. I also enjoy Rashad. Those are my pick for the final 3. I am really sad Nancy is gone but it was not totally unexpected. I just can't believe Bonner is still there.

I'm disappointed Nancy left. I really don't know who is voting for Bonner. I find his dancing bad and his personality very dull. Also his dance tonight had barely any content. I think more of the judges should have pointed that out. It seemed they took the movie theme as an excuse to do a skit rather than a dance. I also thought Nick did better in the Rumba dance-off than Bonner. I am pretty sure Bonner had a visible flub when spinning Sharna around which was not commented on at all. It looked like he was about to fall over spinning her. This season is becoming disappointing with the loss of Heather and now Nancy. I hope Normani, Simone and Rashad are the final 3. They definitely deserve to be. Bonner will probably be out next at least. I think I may have liked Simone's dance the best tonight. I thought she did a great Charleston and embodied the silent film era well. Normani's dance also stood out, and I thought was great. Nancy did a great job again as usual. Finally I really loved Rashad's dance too. It was great seeing him be so in character. I thought Nick did one of his better dances tonight. It's too bad he didn't do as well as he hoped though. He seemed disappointed. I appreciate that Nick seemed to try each week (I didn't think he and Peta phoned in the content, even if he wasn't the best at the dance style) and Nick also seemed to want to do well. Sorry but Bonner to me is barely trying. I feel like perhaps the judges are being nicer to him because of his neck injury and limitations? I guess he was the lowest score getter last night, but he still doesn't seem to get harsh critiques. I actually enjoyed David's salsa as well, although I would have been happier to see David go home and Nancy stay.

I'm disappointed heather was eliminated this early especially after her dance tonight. I would honestly prefer any of the guys except rashad to go first. At the least Heather should have beaten out bonner and nick (really David too but I feel his personality will keep him around a while). It was just too early for Heather to go when several others are much worse. None of the girls should have been eliminated tonight.

My favorites tonight were Simone and Nancy. I did think Rashad did a nice dance, but I guess his didn't connect with me as much as the other two. I felt it was overscored and only received 10s due to being a contemporary (the judges often seem lax with scoring contemporaries). It was still a nice dance and story though, just slightly overrated in my opinion (I think all 9s would be more fitting, or maybe only one 10). I have really started to enjoy Nancy and her story was very touching. I love that Artem has been just choreographing more traditional routines and not adding a ton of gimmicks. I thought she could have used more than just Len's 9. Tonight was Simone's best dance so far and she clearly connected a lot better to this dance. I hope she continues improving. Her story was one of the most touching for me. I honestly thought they should have ended with her rather than Bonner. Normani did good, but it wasn't her best dance. I liked seeing 5th Harmony appear although I agree with others their singing was off. I know they performed Impossible on the X Factor and it was the first song they performed where it became apparent this group may have something. I think the girl who left the group, Camilla, may have been more of the lead on the song in the past which is why it didn't sound as good. I think Normani's choice of becoming a member of the group makes sense as her most memorable year since it has completely transformed her life. I think the show does not care much for Nick, or is not invested in keeping him around. He had back to back weeks as either the first or second to perform, and it seems like the show is way more interested in Rashad, David, and Bonner. I can understand why the show prefers Rashad and David, but I prefer Nick to Bonner. I guess his story wasn't the most exciting but neither was Erika and she had a better slot in the show. At least his scores were higher tonight. Erika's dance was not that good. I am not sure why they are insisting on the sex appeal with her?? It got old when Gleb and Jana did it, and is more annoying with these two. I think people would warm to Erika more if she was just dancing a straightforward dance similar to Nancy (she does not seem nearly as good as Nancy though). Erika may be out next week, and I kind of hope she is. I don't think she seems to be enjoying herself on the show as much. Mr. T left on a high note. His package and dance were very touching. Sad to see him go, but he was the worst left. David's dance was forgettable to me. I don't seem to like him as much as some. His dancing is just very overscored which gets on my nerves. He seemed very hunched to me while dancing. I am sure David will be around for a while though, and he does seem like a nice and fun guy. I feel like the show is pushing Bonner and I'm not sure why. I think they wanted him to be similar to James from last season, but he just cannot dance. Bonner and James do have a similar backstory, so I feel that is maybe why they are pushing him? I'm glad the showmance was not mentioned this week. I actually see nothing romantic between him and Sharna anymore. I would not mind him leaving sooner rather than later. Also Rashad is 10x more charming than Bonner and has a killer smile, so I'm not sure why the show has been swooning over Bonner instead of Rashad.

I think this show will always have an issue with potential ringers because some contestants will just always have a natural advantage. Even if the show cast all non-dancers, someone would likely be more famous and then dubbed the ringer. I mean wasn't Bindi dubbed a ringer even though I don't think she had dance experience? She was just clearly the most famous of her cast. Or someone will always have something in their background that lends them to being a better dancer (ie. cheerleading, gymnastics, ice skating). So I think even if the show did completely eliminate ringers there would still be something that set certain contestants apart and have us labeling them as having an advantage. This season seems to have really good competition, and thus far I don't think it will be cut and dry who the winner is. I think it will probably be a close finish.

The standout for me tonight was Nancy! I have not really been that into her prior dances, but she won me over tonight. She killed it!! That was a great routine. Nice to see just a well done dance with not too much other theatrical stuff in the background. I also enjoyed her and Artem's pairing a lot more this week. Artem being so excited to meet Ricky Martin was very endearing. Second for me is Normani. I think she has become my favorite contestant. I really like her personality and work ethic. Her and Val have a nice partnership that seems like a friendship. Her dancing skills are great! I remember Normani from the X Factor, and expected her to be under the radar based on how she was on that show (she seemed like the more reserved of the 5H girls). Well she is definitely standing out and dominating here. I hope she makes the finals, and I honestly would not mind to see her take the mirrorball. I also really enjoyed Heather's dance. I did watch some of Glee so loved seeing her be Britney again. I thought it was a great dance. I love Heather, but think she could be a surprise elimination this season. Nancy, Normani, and Heather were the real standouts for me tonight. I like Simone, but feel she suffers from being more reserved than Laurie who had such a bubbly and outgoing personality. Simone actually reminds me a lot of Shawn Johnson (the first season she was on, not the All Stars season). I feel Sasha may be trying a little too hard with Simone as well because he knows he has a potential winner. He is using too much of her gymnastics moves, and needs to tone those down. I think he needs to focus on the two connecting to each other. Once they have the connection, I think the dancing will improve and have the whole package. Simone may peak later in the season too, so I wouldn't count her out as a potential winner. My other thoughts: Nick was underscored. I'm not sure why he is being critiqued so hard, especially in comparison to the other guys like Bonner and David. Nick was definitely better than Mr. T. I thought he was better than Bonner and David too. He suffered from being the first to dance where they seem to give out low scores. I don't get the appeal to Bonner. I realize he has limitations from a neck injury, but I cannot get into his dancing or his personality. I also don't even think he is that hot. I think Nick and Rashad are more attractive men this season. I like David, but wasn't a fan of the Magic Mike routine. I'm sick of them using that on this show. David is a fun guy, but I hope he doesn't outlast better dancers for the finals. Rashad had an off night, but he is still my favorite male dancer and pick for a male in the finale. Mr. T seems to be a great guy, but hopefully is out soon. I was surprised by Charo tonight. Honestly of the poor dancers (Chris Kattan and Mr. T) she is probably one of the better ones. It was her best dance, and honestly I thought pretty good. I enjoyed her package with Keo too. Erika fades into the background for me. She probably will not last too long, especially since all the remaining women are excellent. Overall it was a good night, although I didn't care for the Las Vegas theme.

I don't really see Chris as a sore loser like a lot of others. I think he was just frustrated his situation/disability was not shown in the package from night one. I don't think he expected sympathy for it, but it would give voters an understanding of why his dancing was so off. I don't blame him for being annoyed about that. It may have allowed him to escape the first elimination. Charo is really nutty but I find her kind of amusing. Is she just trying to be funny making jokes about Bruno's accent? I kind of think she is just playing up the crazy for television, but who knows. Mr. T is amusing to watch. I feel like he is very focused so I enjoy watching him, even if he isn't very good. You can tell he is really trying. Nancy I find okay. She is not bad, but I get a bit bored/underwhelmed by her. It is nice to see Artem so excited about the pairing though. Simone was not as good this week. I think Sasha was pushing her a little too hard to be sexy. I guess the song choice didn't help. This is a typical reaction we see with the gymnasts though, in being uncomfortable expressing a sexy side. I think some of the moves could have been toned down to make Simone more comfortable. I feel it hurt her connection to the performance because she was probably overthinking and worrying about the sexy moves. I am not convinced Simone will necessarily be the winner unless she really starts doing good. There is some competition for her this season. I really am liking Normani. Her and Val have a good chemistry. I think she's definitely one of the standout dancers. I am a fan of Heather too. I don't really see the big deal over her hand flip. I took it as lighthearted. She definitely is a great dancer. I hope Maks can come back soon. Bonner is really dull to me and his dancing is not good. I don't get the hype over his looks. His personality makes him a dud. I think the showmance with Sharna is really forced. I saw a little chemistry week one, but none this week. Their dance was overrated too. I think Sharna will play up the showmance though because it is probably their best bet at staying on the show for a while. I'm rooting for Nick. He wasn't as good this week, but showed promise week one. He'll probably leave midpack but I hope he stays a while. I also really like him and Peta's pairing. Rashad is the guy to beat in my opinion. I think he is a real dark horse with potential to go all the way. He has a great personality, nice pairing with Emma, and his moves seem good so far and he has the potential to be really good. I think he has a combo of factors to be a real underdog this season. I like David but wasn't a fan of his dance last night. I can see him going far though just based on personality. He is a fun guy, and I always love Lindsay. I think he could maybe make the top 4 and beat someone in a surprise elimination.