The Judges: Oh, Consistency, Where Art Thou?

[Avidviewer]

On a night like tonight it seems like this topic is needed.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Avidviewer

[WhitneyWhit]

I thin it's time for Carrie Ann to take a break. What was wrong with her tonight? It looked like she freaked Nastia out when she got up in her face. And that 10 for Noah? Good grief.

[dr. gailey]

They need to get rid of Julianne and Carrie Ann. They are the main reason why I am not watching.

[PBGamer89]

When Carrie Ann gives Rumer an 8 and Noah a 10, you realize you've gone into another dimension.

[alexa]

Yes, it was pretty bad.  How was that voting even reasonably fair?  Noah barely moved.  Rumer is supposedly so good they feel they can nitpick.... but why can't she get the scores she deserves (compared to Noah)?

[Thadeeeyus]

 The judges have no control of how they place the contestants. They are told what the placement needs to be and it's up to them to make that happen with their scores and comments. The more entertaining and crazy they appear, the more likely it is their clips will be replayed on entertainment shows and GMA the next day.  They are clowns who are just following the script. 

[OakGoblinFly]

They need to get rid of Julianne and Carrie Ann. They are the main reason why I am not watching.

 

I think Julianne is mostly fine - she gives good, solid critiques and phrased them in such a way as to be helpful to the contestants.  I agree with you that Carrie Ann is well past her expiration date; she needs to be let go post haste --- and she can take Bruno with her.

 

I wouldn't mind a panel with Len, Julianne, and one of the former pros (Lacey, Anna).  If not, then I wouldn't be opposed to a rotating guest judge with some tie to dance/performing.

 

And keep the panel at three -- four is too many.

[2LeftFeet]

Yes, it was pretty bad.  How was that voting even reasonably fair?  Noah barely moved.  Rumer is supposedly so good they feel they can nitpick.... but why can't she get the scores she deserves (compared to Noah)?

What is so glaring to me is not only nitpicking Rumer, but not saying much of anything about the forumer Open Level Latin competitor of OGM gymnast. Rumer's summer camp tap and random month in basic group dance classes as a child, while on location with parents, and even periodlic aerial lessons, does not compare to either the actual Ballroom skills or rigorous athletic training, of the other two. PS- I'd swear Riker's had some tap lessons, too! Val's routine w/ Rumer was extremely neat and clean, to my untrained eye. Riker's frame looked odd and his feet toe in. Meanwhile, Nastia who is a beautiful, fit mover looked a bit...odd...in places. Per Louis VA, she did more Lindy Hop than Charleston (which makes me feel better, because I sat there thinking...'a lot of this doesn't look like Charleston!')

Honestly, you'd think she was the Latin competitior or OGM gymnast, based on level of criticism.

Have to say, I think Green was a better EP than Wade.

[Padma]

I think Julianne is mostly fine - she gives good, solid critiques and phrased them in such a way as to be helpful to the contestants.  I agree with you that Carrie Ann is well past her expiration date; she needs to be let go post haste --- and she can take Bruno with her.

 

I wouldn't mind a panel with Len, Julianne, and one of the former pros (Lacey, Anna).  If not, then I wouldn't be opposed to a rotating guest judge with some tie to dance/performing.

 

And keep the panel at three -- four is too many.

I agree with this. I thought Maks was a good guest judge. Maybe replace Len with Anna, or keep all four (although I agree that 3 is better).

 

Carrie Ann giving Rumer an 8 and Noah a 10 was just...just... I can't even think of the word, something that would combine "bizarre" and "unfair".  I don't mind Julianne (now that she has dropped telling every older man how hot he is as with last season and keeps the tone professional). Her critiques are more specific and, I think, generally more accurate than CAI's.  And she's calmer, which I appreciate.  One overwrought judge is already too many.

[NikSac]

I also think they finally need to just be honest and get rid of scores 1 through 5. A 6 might's well be a zero or a 1.  I wonder if it would make the judging seem more consistent.

[truthaboutluv]

Responding from the Afterbuzz thread:

 

If the voters mention it enough eventually the pink haired one will be Brooke Burked.

 

 

Which is why I noted that one can simply stop watching in protest. Because at the end of the day, this is a television show and the only things these people truly care about - are ratings and advertising dollars. As long as their bottom line is successful, very little else matter. Yes, I know the producers get some feedback about the hosts/cast (the story for why Elizabeth Hasselbeck was fired from The View is that the audience response was very negative towards her) but that's the other thing, I think sometimes when viewers are in the online bubble, opinions about get skewed a little. By that I mean sometimes some opinions start to seem like a popular/dominant one when that's not the case with the larger/casual viewing public.

 

The biggest example of this is Derek. If you go by DWTS online fandom, Derek is the most hated person ever. I swear the amount of negative comments I've read about Derek, not to mention some downright hateful things, you'd think he has no fans at all. And yet there he is, still very successful on the show, he headlined a fairly successful show at Radio City Music Hall and he and Julianne are having their second sold out tour, carried solely on their name. Clearly, they do have fans. So my point is, it is quite possible that many viewers of the show don't care about Julianne being a judge even though it may seem that way with a few comments online. And if that's the case, then yeah some can rant about it as much as possible, insult her as much as possible but the show will have no desire or reason, in their mind, to get rid of her.

Edited May 1, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[Stitsch]

Well, sure. I'm well aware of Derek and Julianne going on their second tour, seeing as he took the time to plug it in his (emphasis on his) after-dance interview on Monday.

 

That said, Julianne doesn't bother me as a judge. Other than her ridiculous 7 for Rumer's jazz, her scores have been fairly consistent and in line with the other judges' scores. She provides constructive criticism that is specific once she's done attempting to be charming and funny, two things of which she is far too annoying to be. CAI, on the other hand, finds relatively stupid things to hone in on in her critiques, rarely shows consistency, and is absolutely the judge I would eliminate from the panel. Bruno has the 'grandiose judge' stereotype down, but he still offers helpful criticism when he feels like it. CAI? Nonsensical, underqualified, and over the top without any redeeming qualities whatsoever. 

[RemoteControl88]

Well, sure. I'm well aware of Derek and Julianne going on their second tour, seeing as he took the time to plug it in his (emphasis on his) after-dance interview on Monday.

 

That said, Julianne doesn't bother me as a judge. Other than her ridiculous 7 for Rumer's jazz, her scores have been fairly consistent and in line with the other judges' scores. She provides constructive criticism that is specific once she's done attempting to be charming and funny, two things of which she is far too annoying to be. CAI, on the other hand, finds relatively stupid things to hone in on in her critiques, rarely shows consistency, and is absolutely the judge I would eliminate from the panel. Bruno has the 'grandiose judge' stereotype down, but he still offers helpful criticism when he feels like it. CAI? Nonsensical, underqualified, and over the top without any redeeming qualities whatsoever. 

 

I would take Julianne over CAI as well. However she isn't above questionable scoring (hence the 7 for the jazz).  People will be looking at her with a more critical eye because of who she is...which is fair. Hopefully it will keep her from going over the deep end like CAI.

 

Haha on the post dance interview commentary. He was hamming it up pretty hard that night...he was in rare form.

[superdeluxe]

Well, sure. I'm well aware of Derek and Julianne going on their second tour, seeing as he took the time to plug it in his (emphasis on his) after-dance interview on Monday.

 

Only because Erin Andrews asked him about it.  He didn't bring it up; she did.

[Andiethewestie]

 

Which is why I noted that one can simply stop watching in protest. Because at the end of the day, this is a television show and the only things these people truly care about - are ratings and advertising dollars.

 

Brooke Burke got the hook after a few seasons of negativity. I didn't mind her at all, I preferred her to Erin Andrews, but to really spice it up they should have Leah Remini, The thing is fans do make the difference, enough of them are tired of Julianne on the FB page and are wanting her gone. I join them.. Simply stopping watching doesn't necessarily change the deadwood, but fan complaints do.  Drop the women off the panel and get one person less shrill  and idiotic, Kym Johnson would be an excellent choice when she hangs up her dance shoes states side, she's great on the Aussie panel. and like Len and Bruno she's not an American.  

Edited May 1, 2015 by Andiethewestie

[classique]

 

 

Brooke Burke got the hook after a few seasons of negativity. I didn't mind her at all, I preferred her to Erin Andrews, but to really spice it up they should have Leah Remini, The thing is fans do make the difference, enough of them are tired of Julianne on the FB page and are wanting her gone.

 

 

I don't believe that Brooke was replaced because of FB comments. That would be pretty ironic since so many now say that they want Erin gone, and Brooke back.  I don't think they give a darn about FB. I don't know if Julianne will be back next season or not. I hope she is, because she is my favorite of the judges. 

Edited May 1, 2015 by Veronica05

[OakGoblinFly]

I don't believe that Brooke was replaced because of FB comments. That would be pretty ironic since so many now say that they want Erin gone, and Brooke back.  I don't think they give a darn about FB. I don't know if Julianne will be back next season or not. I hope she is, because she is my favorite of the judges. 

 

 

I thought Brooke was "let go" because the powers-that-be wanted a "younger, more relevant" side kick.  I'm pretty sure Julianne will be back, especially with this being Len's last season.

[truthaboutluv]

I also read that they hoped to get some of Erin's male audience she has from being a sports broadcaster. Of course I always thought that was delusional because I couldn't see some guy who enjoys watching Erin talk about football, being willing to watch DWTS just because she's co-hosting.

[TudorQueen]

I'm not generally a conspiracy theorist, but this season I've finally fallen in line with those who believe the producers/network delineate a certain 'storyline' and press the judges to help make it happen. To me that would explain the elevation of Chris Soules (who is, IMHO, an okay dancer with no stage presence or discernible personality) the downgrading of Rumer on more than one occasion (obviously not this week) and the 'inspirational' framing of Noah's scores (I actually like Noah. but feel it's disingenuous to completely ignore his limitations, especially in the scoring). I believe they want Riker to win, and are pressing the judges to help make it happen. And Riker's good - I don't argue that - but his style also has its limitations and he sometimes seems to apply the same style and flavor to every dance.

 

On the subject of the judges' panel, I think Bruno has become a caricature of himself (long ago, actually) and has little of consequence to contribute. I used to really like Carrie Ann, but she's gradually become DWTS' version of Paula Abdul. Julianne is coming along well, and Len is still, thank God, Len - able to deliver specific, pertinent criticism of the dance itself, and score more or less appropriately. (I could live without the "From Len, the TEN!:" nonsense, though).

 

Getting a former pro to join the panel, replacing either Bruno or Carrie Ann, makes sense to me.

Edited May 6, 2015 by TudorQueen

[OnceSane]

Julianne has never been more than an annoyance to me, but she earned some points with me by doing Lonely Island's "I Just Had Sex" on Lip Sync Battle. I still want her gone as a judge on this show, though. But who would replace her so there are three judges? Maybe Mary from SYTYCD? Her specialty is ballroom…

[legaleagle53]

Julianne has never been more than an annoyance to me, but she earned some points with me by doing Lonely Island's "I Just Had Sex" on Lip Sync Battle. I still want her gone as a judge on this show, though. But who would replace her so there are three judges? Maybe Mary from SYTYCD? Her specialty is ballroom…

 

She'd be Carrie Ann 2.0 with the screaming and hollering.  In fact, Carrie Ann beat her out for the job on DWTS.

[OnceSane]

Oh, I didn't know that.

[Andie1]

Julianne has never been more than an annoyance to me, but she earned some points with me by doing Lonely Island's "I Just Had Sex" on Lip Sync Battle. I still want her gone as a judge on this show, though. But who would replace her so there are three judges? Maybe Mary from SYTYCD? Her specialty is ballroom…

 

I saw that battle and I thought it was cringe  worthy and unfunny.,  The Houghs just are not funny to me, Derek was slightly better than his sister, but it was just ew, for me.   Now, if you saw Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt, now that was hilarious.  Hathaway, whom many thought was just an annoying theatre kid, really pulled off a hilarious send up of Wrecking Ball. IMHO

Edited May 29, 2015 by Andie1

[Stitsch]

Yeah, the Hough battle was disturbing and wildly unfunny. I think at some point one of them cracked a joke that insinuated vague incest tones. From what I've seen, it's everyone's least favorite episode and also the episode that everyone was least interested in.

[classique]

http://headlineplanet.com/home/2015/05/15/ratings-lip-sync-battle-rises-for-julianne-vs-derek-hough-episode/

I thought it was hilarious. It got a great response, and the ratings went up for their episode.

[Serendi]

I thought the original "I Just Had Sex" video was hilarious; that's probably why I got such a kick out of this one. It's so over-the-top silly. Humor is something that mileage *really* varies on, though.

[Andie1]

http://headlineplanet.com/home/2015/05/15/ratings-lip-sync-battle-rises-for-julianne-vs-derek-hough-episode/

I thought it was hilarious. It got a great response, and the ratings went up for their episode.

According to those stats they were down from Hathaway and Blunt both in viewership and the 18-49 demo.    

[dizzyizzy01]

Well Hathaway and Blunt are much bigger stars so, well duh no surprise.  But it still stands that saying the Hough episode was the one people were least interested in is obviously untrue, and ratings did go up from the prior episode.  Derek and Julianne can be annoying, but the hate for them is pretty absurd sometimes.

[truthaboutluv]

The Anne and Emily episode was also the highest rated one period of all the shows. Not surprising, as Anne's performance of Wrecking Ball was heavily teased on many entertainment shows (and don't get me wrong, girl delivered) and well yes, as you noted, they are both much bigger stars. 

[McManda]

Plus, Anne and Emily's episode was an earlier episode when people were still tuning in to see what the show was. Now I'll catch a youtube clip of someone if I think they'll be interesting (I enjoyed Zach Levi and Anna Kendrick), but I'm not watching the show just to watch the show.

 

I think lip-sync battle worked as a bit on Fallon, but I do think it's got limited appeal as a stand alone show. It started big, but I'd bet it'll trend downward as people loose interest in the concept (and that's not Derek and Julianne's fault).

[Andie1]

Well Hathaway and Blunt are much bigger stars so, well duh no surprise.  But it still stands that saying the Hough episode was the one people were least interested in is obviously untrue, and ratings did go up from the prior episode.  Derek and Julianne can be annoying, but the hate for them is pretty absurd sometimes.

Yeah, I don't hate the Houghs, I just thought their lip sync battle was all kinds of desperate. I didn't enjoy any of it. 

[Stitsch]

Well Hathaway and Blunt are much bigger stars so, well duh no surprise.  But it still stands that saying the Hough episode was the one people were least interested in is obviously untrue

 

No, not really. Go look at Hough episode thread on the Lip Sync Battle forum. 

[dwtsgueststars]

There's a rumor that Tony will join the judges table. The interaction between him and CAI would be cringe worthy IMO.

[legaleagle53]

It would appear that we have a new judge to replace Len -- and this one is an actual Latin dance champion!

 

Meet Michael Wentink:  https://twitter.com/MichaelWentink

[ceebee]

Possibly two new judges then?

[legaleagle53]

No, just one.  The rumor that Tony is going to be a judge appears to be just that -- a rumor.

[ceebee]

So do we think the gossip that Bruno is also leaving is untrue?

[legaleagle53]

So do we think the gossip that Bruno is also leaving is untrue?

 

What gossip?  I haven't heard anything about that.

[Serendi]

Bruno's said for a long time he doesn't want to do the fall commute between DWTS and Strictly Come Dancing without Len, so I'd wondered....

[legaleagle53]

Well, he did just do a three-week stint as guest judge on the Australian version, so I can see where he'd want to pass on the weekly London-Hollywood-Hollywood-London commute.  How exhausting must that be?

[ceebee]

What gossip?  I haven't heard anything about that.

I'm not sure where it originated but Kristyn Burt Tweeted about it and PureDWTS were discussing it. It may just be chatter, but I also recollect Bruno saying what Serendi posted above, so think it's at least a possibility.

[Buggin]

DWTSGossip on Twitter says she's 99% sure Tony is a judge (which clearly is not 100% so anything can still happen). Allegedly, Tony is replacing Len and Michael is replacing Bruno.

 

Meh.

[kayma]

I'd rather have CAI gone than Bruno. Bruno was over the top but he did manage to make a constructive point now and then. I like the idea of Tony as a judge, though.

[legaleagle53]

Bruno also wasn't too bad on the Australian version.  More often than not, he was really good at parsing the technical aspects of the dances and reigning it in for the most part as far as his mannerisms were concerned.  He sat next to Kym on the panel, and she didn't seem to mind him a bit!

Edited August 17, 2015 by legaleagle53

[legaleagle53]

And yet another judge rumor is afoot: Jean-Marc Genereux is also apparently going to sit on the panel.

 

For those who have never watched SYTYCD Canada or the French version of DWTS, Jean-Marc can best be described as a straight, French version of Bruno.  Unlike Bruno, however, Jean-Marc actually did compete in DanceSport for many years.

Edited August 18, 2015 by legaleagle53

[legaleagle53]

And just to add to the confusion, it looks as though Bruno's back after all:  http://www.eonline.com/news/687433/dancing-with-the-stars-status-check-who-s-in-and-who-s-out-for-next-season

[ceebee]

And just to add to the confusion, it looks as though Bruno's back after all: http://www.eonline.com/news/687433/dancing-with-the-stars-status-check-who-s-in-and-who-s-out-for-next-season

Hah! Even Len seems likely to be back, if on a part-time basis.... Oh, well. Both irritate me at times, but when I was thinking of the show without them, I realised they anchor things for me (along with Tom).

[Uke]

Hah! Even Len seems likely to be back, if on a part-time basis.... Oh, well. Both irritate me at times, but when I was thinking of the show without them, I realised they anchor things for me (along with Tom).

 

I like that Len keeps things anchored to ballroom and technique (much of the time) but if he's going to take the season off, I'd prefer he not return as a judge for just the finale or semi and finale.  That kind of blows away the whole idea of the stars progression and improvement during the season.  I'd prefer Len either judge for the majority of the season, including semi and finale or don't bother.

 

I wonder if they'd considered having him judge remotely (via some live feed to the UK). We know this can be done because we know UK fans can watch live.  He'd get to see only what we, the viewers, see and he could judge on that basis.  I can just imaging Len's disembodied voice booming through the sound system. [Ok-I'm actually making myself laugh at the thought of this :) ]

[legaleagle53]

Len may be back in some capacity, but it won't be as a judge, according to the latest news.  Evidently, he is going to be concentrating on not just the UK show, but also on his new grandchild.

[WhosThatGirl]

I think I'll miss Len a lot. The other three annoy me to no end most of the time and most of the time, I find Len to be correct. When the audience boos him, it's usually cause he's right but he is being mean to a favorite or something.