S19.E12: Week 10: The Semi-Finals

[Andiethewestie]

When somebody plays hurt it's too bad, but it is what it is.  Nobody wants to see someone not at their optimum but the show goes on and the best dancer that night wins the competition.  It has never been about how a dancer does over the season, the final freestyle may not win it for you but it definitely can lose it for you. If Janel wins it's because she has been on a steady climb since the Contemporary, including highest scores in Latin and Standard dances.  If Alfonso wins and he's not at optimum that's a sympathy win. I want him to be at his best and then I want to see everyone compete to win.  If someone else wins they had the better night.

[BoogieBurns]

I think the winner's based on the entire competition, not on their freestyle. Every week besides the finals, it is based on that week though. 

[quinn]

The judges are probably going to be very generous, so it will come down the voters. The voters may go for body of work which favors Alfonso, the strongest dancer on finale night, Janel has the odds there but I would not count out Alfonso getting shot up with some miracle drug, or Mark or Derek coming up with a crowd pleasing freestyle which may result in Sadie or Bethany getting the MBT.

[howmanywords]

Witney posted a cute little video and Alfonso seems to be having a good time so I hope its a sign hes feeling better (or heavily drugged)..and she also posted this picture as a freestyle costume sneak peek.  Posting the pic as a link because the shoes are kind of spoilerish I guess.

Edited November 20, 2014 by howmanywords

[majormama]

Every vote caster can cast their vote based on whatever standard they wish. Some will base each week's vote solely on that week's performance, some on the season as a whole. Some choose the best technical dancer, some the best performer (which isn't always the same person), some the most improved, some the best personality, some the most physically attractive. That's both the wonderful and terrible thing about leaving something up to a vote.

[Serendi]

Personally, I expect to throw all my votes to Alfonso even if he's too stiff or otherwise impaired, as long as he dances. IMO, he's earned a lot of credit throughout the season by being awesome. Plus, when I thought he might have to withdraw last week, and I realized that if he did I wanted to throw all my votes to Tommy Chong, I realized I'm a LOT less invested in the other three remaining contestants than I'd consciously realized. There are things I like about each of them, but there's just no spark for me. And as majormama observes, I get to pick my own standard. 

 

I also get to completely go back on what I'm saying here if I feel like it after the freestyles. Works for me! (Example: I burned for Zendaya to win, but after the freestyles, I was willing to accept Kellie Pickler as winner. Not that I could have done anything about it if I hadn't been, but it made it easier.)

[crowceilidh]

Has anybody who was pretty seriously injured ever won the show?  I remember rooting for some, but I don't remember it happening.

[Uke]

Has anybody who was pretty seriously injured ever won the show?  I remember rooting for some, but I don't remember it happening.

 

Jennifer Gray. She did something to her back and had to have surgery shortly after the finale

[howmanywords]

Has anybody who was pretty seriously injured ever won the show?  I remember rooting for some, but I don't remember it happening.

Jennifer Grey is the one that keeps coming to mind and I mentioned her in Alfonso's thread the other day.  I think her situation was even worse because she came into the show with a lot of problems then she went and ruptured a disc finale week. Here's an older article that talked about what happened with her and the surgery she had to have shortly after the season ended:

On the first night of the "DWTS" finale Nov. 21, Grey began to feel pain in her lower back. She was "in tears" and unable to move the next morning, Bray told People. An MRI revealed she had a ruptured disc "greater than one centimeter."

Adamant to compete in the final round of the ABC dance competition show, Grey received epidural steroid injections, which helped alleviate the pain. She was given the green light from her doctor to dance, resulting in her and dance partner Derek Hough taking home the season 11 title.

 

[tearbender]

I vaguely remember Amber injuring her knee (?) midway through her season and never was back at 100% but I don't think there was ever much of a question of her dropping out. I think J.R. also injured himself  close to the finals but his win was nearly a foregone conclusion by then.

 

Oh, wait, who could possibly forget Jennifer 50 Years of Grey competing despite rupturing a disc in her back?

[jhlipton]

Obviously a LOT of votes have nothing to do with dancing, either on a given night or over the season. How else to explain Michael's over-long stay?

[Donny Ketchum]

Has Val ever won?  If not, then if Alfonso doesn't win, I won't mind seeing Janel win since it'd mean Val finally winning, too.

[truthaboutluv]

No, Val has never won.