S23.E15: The Finale

[BW Manilowe]

2 hours ago, McManda said:

Did they repurpose Sharna's sparkly blue dress into Calvin's blue jacket? I love it.

I had legitimate fear for all the dancers on the stage at The Grove after Artem's slip in the Foxtrot with Jenna, but it must have been really bad if Erin and Tom were concerned with people walking on it. I'm glad they didn't have any serious falls.

Not surprised (though a little sad) about the results ... but they'll get to bill the tour as having the mirror ball champion, so I guess that's good for them. I won't be surprised if Sharna starts to sit out the fall seasons - she comes so close every time!

Is that why he was MIA? I thought that was weird. But he's hosting the Disney Christmas thing with Julianne ... so he couldn't make a trip back to LA for a day?

The Disney thing was probably pretaped; especially since Julianne was there tonight. The holiday parades/specials usually are. Hairspray's rehearsing, but I thought they were rehearsing in LA. I think/am pretty sure they're doing something in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday morning too. He may already be in NYC for that, & that may be why he was MIA from the Finale tonight & Julianne wasn't.

[sinkwriter]

I was rooting for Laurie from the very beginning and really like Val, but I guess I didn't realize just how much I wanted James to win until I found myself sincerely disappointed that he lost. I'm still happy for Laurie (and Calvin is lovely too - what an amazing smile he has), but I had grown to love the grace, versatility and entertainment in James' performances and hoped he might pull out a win. He was so gracious, though, as was Sharna. I thought they were an amazing couple.

Edited November 23, 2016 by sinkwriter

[Callaphera]

1 hour ago, RedFiat said:

For the record I can't stand Tim Horton coffee and I hate hockey and especially rude misogynist hockey players.  And if you were around in season 10 they opened up the phone lines and the  FB vote for Canada because Pam Anderson requested it.  They never closed it until this season. Completely sealed off. 

I've been watching since the first painful season of this show. Still didn't know Canada could vote at any point. Likely because I don't care enough. I'm sorry that you didn't appreciate my little Canadian stereotype jokes, though. Good thing I didn't go with the sled dog racing and igloo building ones I originally had there.

46 minutes ago, vibeology said:

Agreed that we can't know what impact it would have had. I suspect barely any. If this show gets 2 million viewers a week in Canada, most of those people wouldn't vote if they could. Most viewers of shows with voting don't vote. And there's no guarantee the ones who would vote would vote for James. So let's say 10% of viewers actually vote, that's only 200,000 voters and Laurie would have likely picked up a decent number of those as would Calvin so unless James just lost by a couple thousand votes, it didn't matter.

This is my way of thinking as well. If I could have been bothered and able to vote, it would have been for James. At the same time, my friend would have voted for Laurie. My husband would have had a write-in vote for Cheryl's legs. Adding to that, I don't think CTV (the Canadian station who usually broadcasts it) was showing the episodes in real time - I was seeing them on the guide on Saturdays or Sundays - and it was your local ABC affiliate or bust. So while it's an interesting thought exercise, I really don't think there would have been much if any impact if voting had been open to Canada. 

[ocelot]

This was an amazing final 3, definitely the best final 3 since I've been watching the show.

[PBGamer89]

There's no proof that James would get every single Canadian vote just cause he's Canadian. It's like saying all the white people vote for James because he's white too, or whatever stereotype you wanna say.

Even if they did I doubt it's a dent in the overall picture. If James really had the complete or overwhelming vote totals he could've made up that 1 point deficit. Nyle did it last season beating Paige who had 2 points on him.

In the end, complaining about it is nonsense because it's a "shoulda, coulda, woulda" situation.

[RedFiat]

Just now, Callaphera said:

I think you're taking my intent and words out of context. I said nothing about any fake or otherwise Facebook accounts. In fact, I never said anything about Facebook, the intent of Canadian (or otherwise) social media posters, or anything but my own opinion and thoughts. 

Ah huh. Well the dwtsfacebook page was overwhelmingly surging for James, unprecedented actually. There are over 6 million likes on that page, and every season when there's a surge for a particular contestant at the finale it is a solid predictor. I knew last season Nyle had it in the bag. He had it in the bag ever since he danced with Sharna.  Even in close seasons, I knew Rumer would not be over taken by Riker, that Alfonso was winning from day 1, that nauseating Bindi was taking it all. I've been following that page ever since Season 12 when people thought Kirstie Alley being as close to A list as you can for this show was going to win, the FB page told a very different story.  So its more than strange that it did not predict the outcome this season. The big difference was Canadians complaining about not getting to vote. Not exactly Russian hacks, however the show did their own manipulations to get the result they wanted.  

[RedFiat]

18 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

There's no proof that James would get every single Canadian vote just cause he's Canadian. It's like saying all the white people vote for James because he's white too, or whatever stereotype you wanna say.

Even if they did I doubt it's a dent in the overall picture. If James really had the complete or overwhelming vote totals he could've made up that 1 point deficit. Nyle did it last season beating Paige who had 2 points on him.

In the end, complaining about it is nonsense because it's a "shoulda, coulda, woulda" situation.

Maybe. Except there's nothing in the rules that says the show could not have went and made that point spread farther, like 3 points he was behind going into the finales because of the blatant overscoring of Laurie.  Then lose another point in the finale. They have every right to do that, it's in their contracts they can do whatever the hell they want. They have to get the kid who agreed to be on tour to be the winner, or else there are a lot of empty seats on tour.  Nobody buys seats for an also ran. 

Edited November 23, 2016 by RedFiat

[PBGamer89]

I don't understand complaining about something we never will know if it would've made anything different. There's VPN's for the ones who really passionately wanting to vote from Canada, the types of people who likely would've been compelled to super vote as much as possible anyway.

It's done it's over, we have a winner, so why the grumble of what could've been. Like others have said, I doubt Canada voting would've turned it upside down and there's no guarantee James would've had every single Canadian vote.

2 minutes ago, RedFiat said:

Maybe. Except there's nothing in the rules that says the show could not have went and made that point spread farther, like 3 points he was behind going into the finales because of the blatant overscoring of Laurie.  Then lose another point in the finale. They have every right to do that, it's in their contracts they can do whatever the hell they want. They have to get the kid who agreed to be on tour to be the winner, or else there are a lot of empty seats on tour.  Nobody buys seats for an also ran. 

Nobody also buys seats for a nobody either. I don't understand the hatred for Laurie, you'd think she ran over people's dogs or something.

If anything he was only 1 point down, nearly nothing. It was down to the votes and Laurie got more, plain and simple. In fact James got an extra point, a 10 for a dance with an obvious mistake, and he went last with an emotional freestyle. I don't know what else the judges could've done. They can't go and give James all 10's and the other 8's and a few 9's. Now that would've looked extremely fixed.

[MsJamieDornan]

6 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

there's no guarantee James would've had every single Canadian vote.

We dont know that he NEEDED every Canadian vote.

[PBGamer89]

1 minute ago, MsJamieDornan said:

We dont know that he NEEDED every Canadian vote.

I guess my overall point was it's neither here nor there. The show definitely gave James/Sharna every opportunity to succeed. Getting to dance last many times, great scores, the car crash mentioned multiple times, and even closing the finals last night, even a 10 on a dance with an obvious stumble. He could've made up that 1 point deficit. It's happened before, but Laurie just got more votes, who knows how much more, but the chatter about TPTB screwing him over by closing international voting is under the bridge because we'll never know. Now if they open it again next season, that's suspect, however.

[RedFiat]

8 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

I don't understand complaining about something we never will know if it would've made anything different. There's VPN's for the ones who really passionately wanting to vote from Canada, the types of people who likely would've been compelled to super vote as much as possible anyway.

It's done it's over, we have a winner, so why the grumble of what could've been. Like others have said, I doubt Canada voting would've turned it upside down and there's no guarantee James would've had every single Canadian vote.

Nobody also buys seats for a nobody either. I don't understand the hatred for Laurie, you'd think she ran over people's dogs or something.

If anything he was only 1 point down, nearly nothing. It was down to the votes and Laurie got more, plain and simple. In fact James got an extra point, a 10 for a dance with an obvious mistake, and he went last with an emotional freestyle. I don't know what else the judges could've done. They can't go and give James all 10's and the other 8's and a few 9's. Now that would've looked extremely fixed.

I know that all those 40s Laurie got leading up to the finale was ridiculous, .  A Foxtrot that was a Tango a Trio that was actually a duet. ... yeah.  A Paso Doble with a blatant lift. sure.  And James didn't need every single Canadian vote, but he needed votes from a loyal base. If we cut Lauries gymnastic clubs then let's see what happens. 

[MsJamieDornan]

Way too much Maks.   

[PBGamer89]

Just now, RedFiat said:

I know that all those 40s Laurie got leading up to the finale was ridiculous, .  A Foxtrot that was a Tango a Trio that was actually a duet. ... yeah.  A Paso Doble with a blatant lift. sure.  And James didn't need every single Canadian vote, but he needed votes from a loyal base. If we cut Lauries gymnastic clubs then let's see what happens. 

An argument can be made for James getting overscored many times as well. I don't get the consistent need to bring up Laurie every single post and in such a completely negative way. I'm not in a "gymnastic club" and I voted for her, so it's not just that. People liked her and that's the bottom line.

James got to the finals being largely unknown and that's incredible for him. But yes, instead let's continue to criticize Laurie and focus on the negative right?

[Callaphera]

4 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

James got to the finals being largely unknown and that's incredible for him. 

This. Can we have a moment to appreciate this? Because every season, there's that one "shocking elimination" where the best/most improved dancer gets voted out because they don't have the name recognition. Which leads to the judges shaking their heads solemnly and Tom gravely telling us that our votes matter, and if we like someone, we have to vote because it's just a shame that this person is leaving. That should have been James this season, IMO. And it didn't happen. 

Come to think of it, there really wasn't a shocking elimination this season. Some decisions in bottom 2's that could have gone either way and it wouldn't be too upsetting but nothing shocking.

[PBGamer89]

1 minute ago, Callaphera said:

This. Can we have a moment to appreciate this? Because every season, there's that one "shocking elimination" where the best/most improved dancer gets voted out because they don't have the name recognition. Which leads to the judges shaking their heads solemnly and Tom gravely telling us that our votes matter, and if we like someone, we have to vote because it's just a shame that this person is leaving. That should have been James this season, IMO. And it didn't happen. 

Come to think of it, there really wasn't a shocking elimination this season. Some decisions in bottom 2's that could have gone either way and it wouldn't be too upsetting but nothing shocking.

I mean some could say Vanilla Ice could've lasted longer, maybe Babyface had he not messed up so bad. But I think the 90's nostalgia of both ate into each other's votes. But I agree in that there was no real shocking elimination this season and honestly, it was kind of refreshing.

[Venee]

8 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

An argument can be made for James getting overscored many times as well. I don't get the consistent need to bring up Laurie every single post and in such a completely negative way. I'm not in a "gymnastic club" and I voted for her, so it's not just that. People liked her and that's the bottom line.

James got to the finals being largely unknown and that's incredible for him. But yes, instead let's continue to criticize Laurie and focus on the negative right?

Agreed! I thought the final 3 were correct and the voting could have gone in any order. Someone talked about Facebook likes or whatever. People particularly younger people are moving more toward other social media outlets besides Facebook. Take a look at their twitter, and Instagram  accounts, you can also get a feel from looking at youtube views. Laurie has over 1 million Instagram followers! None of them are professional dancers so they all have their high and low points. The other glaring problem with this show is that in partnered dancing like this the demand is so different for the female vs male dancer. It almost makes sense that two champions be crowned one male one female. 

[PBGamer89]

1 minute ago, Venee said:

Agreed! I thought the final 3 were correct and the voting could have gone in any order. Someone talked about Facebook likes or whatever. People particularly younger people are moving more toward other social media outlets besides Facebook. Take a look at their twitter, and Instagram  accounts, you can also get a feel from looking at youtube views. Laurie has over 1 million Instagram followers! None of them are professional dancers so they all have their high and low points. The other glaring problem with this show is that in partnered dancing like this the demand is so different for the female vs male dancer. It almost makes sense that two champions be crowned one male one female. 

For all the ones that complained Laurie had it sewn up from Week 1, I think there it really could've gone either way in the top 2. Did I want James to win? No, but I would've understood why if he did.

That's the reality of these competitions, especially in dancing. Many times i didn't like or agree with the winner, but you move on and hope the next season the one you like ends up winning. Did I think Nyle deserved it over the far superior dancer Paige? No, but he did, and I woke up the next day and life moved on.

In relation to your final sentence, that's a part of why I gravitate more towards the female celebs. The eye is always on the women to do the fancy, complicated steps so a good dancing female celeb will always get my attention. The men often get away with a lot more for masking charisma, smiles, shaking their hips for not great dancing. There has been so many times a male won, or got far based on those things. Not to mention the intense hatred the female celebs seem to get. Look how many seasons, the women get picked off so quickly and we have 1 or 2 left in the last few weeks. It was odd this time around how it was the men getting picked off instead.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

3 minutes ago, Venee said:

The other glaring problem with this show is that in partnered dancing like this the demand is so different for the female vs male dancer. It almost makes sense that two champions be crowned one male one female. 

Most seasons of SYTYCD there was a single winner but there were two seasons where they had both a male winner and a female winner. I actually preferred that for multiple reasons. I'd be okay with DWTS doing that too. Heh, I say that now but I bet if they switched to that format, there would be a final four where both females were better than the males and then I would be annoyed!

[RedFiat]

7 minutes ago, Venee said:

Someone talked about Facebook likes or whatever. People particularly younger people are moving more toward other social

Young people don't vote.  They just don't.  Zendaya had 3 million followers she came in second. Laurie's million is nothing..

 That's why Facebook is a good predictor right from season 12 to last season.older people who vote are on there.

 This season something else happened. 

[MsDiva2007]

Congrats to Laurie I loved her enthusiasm and her joy just from dancing. I liked all of the final 3. Calvin has a megawatt smile and personality. James is just fun to watch. Any of them winning would have made me happy for different reasons.

[LotusFlower]

13 minutes ago, RedFiat said:

I loved Zendaya, thought she was uber talented.  But yes, FB was right that season. 

But wrong this time.

4 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

Alek did the tour and was announced on the finale, did he win? Nope.

Exactly.  Another "predictor" that was wrong.  

[mrsmit7]

If you are going to gauge by facebook (Which I'm iffy on), you got to look at it all, not just some comments by a some ardent fans on every video. Look at the views and the likes...James had all of one video hit over a million views (the Suicide Squad waltz) where as every other video uploaded of Laurie had over a million views, I'm talkin at least 6-7, with like 30-40k more likes than the next contestant. So, by facebook logic, Laurie was leading there.

I liked James, and thought he was a worthy component, and would not have been upset if he won because I adore Sharna, but this conspiracy voter suppression thing just sounds bitter. Its not like they pulled a season 16, and the night of the finale decided they were just randomly gonna throw out all of the online votes, because they cant run a website smoothly, now that's one I will always roll my eyes at. Laurie was killing it in the votes judging by most SM outlets and was a great dancer on top of a great personality...so well deserved win.

[RedFiat]

3 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

I don't have a holier than though attitude. I just don't see the need in dragging someone down to make my favorite seem better and it was once again, your opinion that James was better. My opinion differed and that's the beauty of it and getting to pick your favorite.

Alek did the tour and was announced on the finale, did he win? Nope.

Nope stating facts is stating facts.  Alek the American hero?  He couldn't dance worth a crap. But barfy Bindi was busy promoting Disney's interest in that horrible Zoo in Austraila. But that hero thing gets them on tour. Bet that was a sell out.  People will be fed crap and think it's just fine, as long as he wrestles somebody to the ground. 

[katha]

It was obvious for weeks that Laurie was killing it in votes, that's why they were so comfortable underscoring her mid-season and setting up "narratives" for her. She's also constantly the most viewed on youtube. As for Facebook, her fanbase is younger. They don't really care for Facebook. And even then, she was doing very well there. Her fanbase also seems very well organized and so are Val's fans. Last night felt kinda ominous for James, tbh. There was just as much chatter about Laurie as about him in social media outlets that veer older, though it should be his main demo there, and there was HARDCORE hatred for Laurie. Because they felt seriously threatened and knew what was coming after those freestyles, I expect. Also my thought was: "Why are you ranting about Laurie? Why aren't you voting for James?" Because Laurie's fans were keeping quiet and voting, from what I could see.

Edited November 23, 2016 by katha

[RedFiat]

2 minutes ago, LotusFlower said:

But wrong this time.

Exactly.  Another "predictor" that was wrong.  

I didn't say Facebook was wrong. I said there were factors that precluded the outcome. I think most wanted James to win. They couldn't vote, and the show made sure it was Laurie's trophy.

3 minutes ago, LotusFlower said:

 

Exactly.  Another "predictor" that was wrong.  

Actually Bindi did her little stunt for Disney in Austraila leaving Alex the wonder hero for America to lap up. 

[PBGamer89]

2 minutes ago, RedFiat said:

I didn't say Facebook was wrong. I said there were factors that precluded the outcome. I think most wanted James to win. They couldn't vote, and the show made sure it was Laurie's trophy.

She was not on top for many weeks in the middle and only had 1 point ahead of James last night AND he danced last on the finals. Yes, the show surely made sure James had no chance. Give me a break.

Edited November 23, 2016 by PBGamer89

[Venee]

I haven't watched an entire season of this show since Meryl and Maks and I did tune in specifically for Laurie (otherwise I probably would have been watching "The Voice" ) I'm probably the target audience too (40 year old Mom) , so I'm thinking she had quite a few viewers like me who had fallen in love with her from the Olympics! I guess I'm not seeing, as someone upthread said, some type of smoking gun....

[katha]

Also, James barely had to do any fast latin dances.  Not even for his fusion did he get a latin dance! He got the pimp spot on finals night, they underscored Laurie in her redemption dance IMO and were probably all set up to give him 40 for his foxtrot if he hadn't messed up. Even then, Bruno gave him a ridiculous ten. He had the big, emotional heartstrings freestyle that closed out the night. Please. They were helping him all season. Just as they usually "help" the contestants they know will get far.

Edited November 23, 2016 by katha

[RedFiat]

48 minutes ago, katha said:

 

 

51 minutes ago, mrsmit7 said:

If you are going to gauge by facebook (Which I'm iffy on), you got to look at it all, not just some comments by a some ardent fans on every video. Look at the views and the likes...James had all of one video hit over a million views (the Suicide Squad waltz) where as every other video uploaded of Laurie had over a million views, I'm talkin at least 6-7, with like 30-40k more likes than the next contestant. So, by facebook logic, Laurie was leading there.

I liked James, and thought he was a worthy component, and would not have been upset if he won because I adore Sharna, but this conspiracy voter suppression thing just sounds bitter. Its not like they pulled a season 16, and the night of the finale decided they were just randomly gonna throw out all of the online votes, because they cant run a website smoothly, now that's one I will always roll my eyes at. Laurie was killing it in the votes judging by most SM outlets and was a great dancer on top of a great personality...so well deserved win.

Youtube? People, especially kids watch them over and over and over.  It's not a one time viewing. That's not an indicator of anything.  And as far as season 16 is concerned, Kellie was killing it on FB regardless of throwing out votes. She was going to win it, despite Zendaya's season. Kellie hit the demo that votes.  

This time James didn't even get the opportunity to rally fans in Canada. He talked about watching a hockey game in between the shows early in the season, Dave Foley in the dressing room! and then he quickly dropped references to Canada because with the show's decision to drop Canada they made sure we couldn't help him.  And yet he was surging on FB anyway despite the complaints and he was getting well wishes from those Canadians who couldn't vote. I'll be damned if I bother again to get invested in such a blatant manipulation.  I'll just forget about voting all together.  

44 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

She was not on top for many weeks in the middle and only had 1 point ahead of James last night AND he danced last on the finals. Yes, the show surely made sure James had no chance. Give me a break.

All those 40's at week 8 and 9.. ow  way to catch up girly. Even if your dancing didn't. 

Edited November 23, 2016 by RedFiat

[LotusFlower]

We'll never know who would have won season 16.  You should never get invested in voting for a show that crowned a winner even after admitting the vote tally malfunctioned (again, season 16).  I don't vote because of the shenanigans, but this year I liked all three finalists (and their pros), so I would have been happy either way.  I think the celebs are pretty mature about it, too (except for the really desperate ones); I find it's the pros who usually make such a big deal about winning.  

[RedFiat]

15 minutes ago, katha said:

Also, James barely had to do any fast latin dances.  Not even for his fusion did he get a latin dance! He got the pimp spot on finals night, they underscored Laurie in her redemption dance IMO and were probably all set up to give him 40 for his foxtrot if he hadn't messed up. Even then, Bruno gave him a ridiculous ten. He had the big, emotional heartstrings freestyle that closed out the night. 

And what did Laurie get for her fusion dance?  A Foxtrot that looks more like a Tango and an AT.  Her Redemption dance was the worst Paso I've seen ever by a finalist. Really terrible footwork, no shaping, manic so she is losing her footing. And they put a lift in there that wasn't allowed in Paso doble. And it was an Argentine Tango lift with an Argentine Tango engaucho in a Paso Doble?  I hate  Val for what he's done to that dance.  and Pst Jive is a Latin syllabus. Best Jive of the Season was James Trio.  As for the Foxtrot you're going to quibble about a beautiful dance with a slight bauble on a skirt? When he already got docked 3 points for it.  Seriously.  

[RedFiat]

2 minutes ago, LotusFlower said:

We'll never know who would have won season 16.  You should never get invested in voting for a show that crowned a winner even after admitting the vote tally malfunctioned (again, season 16).  I don't vote because of the shenanigans, but this year I liked all three finalists (and their pros), so I would have been happy either way.  I think the celebs are pretty mature about it, too (except for the really desperate ones); I find it's the pros who usually make such a big deal about winning.  

I haven't voted all season, except i broke down and got an VPN for the finale. I just felt that I wasn't wanted as a voter,  and as such I wasn't going go around their wall. But I wanted to vote after seeing that FS.  Of course the sentiment of Canadians who would have liked to support James, was out there but going around the system wasn't an option.  The show just isn't worth the trouble.  But certainly James is worth it, he is a true gentleman, and by far this was the best partnership I have ever seen on the show.  The other finalists partnerships were just there. I certainly didn't feel the friendship or bonding, it was brother sister relationships, not soul friendships.   

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Best Finale I've seen.  It was a genuine celebration of really cool and accomplished folks, who could, by the way, dance darn well.   

Laurie's joyous dance was crazy well done and it actually maintained full energy throughout.  Most unusual.  James' auto-biographical contemporary? was top grade, as well.  Less is more more often than not for me.  This fit the bill brilliantly.  Calvin was great by customary DWTS standard, but he had the misfortune of running into the DWTS version of the 1985 Bears (Laurie and James).  He's my favorite DWTS footballer of all.

Erin can not look any better.  What a dress!  It smoothed her sharp edges and was perfectly form fitting.  Gorgeous color with a perfect amount of sparkle.

Good luck to anyone trying to follow Laurie and James next season.  They got no shot.

[katha]

Yes, I thought this season was really enjoyable because I found many people entertaining. There were many nights of mostly solid dancing. All three finalists were likable and I enjoyed watching all of them, though everyone has different faves, obviously. The mood amongst the cast seemed to be a mostly pleasant and positive one as well, that's also not true for every season. I had a really good time watching season 23! (-:

[LennieBriscoe]

Laurie is "a Disney child," RedFiat?

The trophy is a mirrored Disco ball. No money is awarded, not even to the winning celebrity's designated charity. No performing contract automatically comes with First Place (no tour for Nyle's "season"). Oh yeah---and no US Presidency to the victor.

So I simply cannot care about Canadian or Australian or Tierra del Fuego votes or lack thereof!

But now I wish I had bought a ticket to the tour. I saw the recent "Maks and Val" show (thoroughly enjoyed it), but Val alone wasn't enough for me this go-round. However, I would like to see a Gold Medal Olympic gymnast!

Too bad the first few rows are selling for $300--$500 per seat (with Meet and Greet, but there's no other option).

 

Edited November 23, 2016 by LennieBriscoe

[luvthepros]

4 hours ago, MsJamieDornan said:

Way too much Maks.   

Have to give it to Maks for looking dashing in his camel winter coat in the Macy's performance. Nice!

[smiley13]

Too bad Sharna....no mirror ball for you!  I can't understand why the show keeps pushing her like she is great.   Hopefully next season we will get some of our better female pros back, but I doubt it.  

[renzii]

49 minutes ago, luvthepros said:

Have to give it to Maks for looking dashing in his camel winter coat in the Macy's performance. Nice!

Never enough Maks for me! That Peta Murgatroyd's a lucky, lucky girl...

[truthaboutluv]

8 hours ago, blaase said:

This season was really boring.

Basically. I went to bed and checked the results online today. That said, while Laurie did nothing for me and the only people who kept me semi-entertained were Calvin and James, Sharna wasn't robbed of anything in my opinion. YMMV but she wasn't robbed with Nick either (seriously, do people just not remember how many dances Nick messed up on and right up to the semifinals, Sharna had to be pep-talking him in the middle of a dance when he screwed that up) and she wasn't robbed this season. 

Yes, I personally enjoyed James' dancing more and for the most part I enjoyed Sharna's choreography with him. But Laurie was a good dancer. Not the best I've ever seen on the show, sure, but she was really good and frankly last night, she did better than James in my opinion. Bruno could say what he wanted with that claim of not seeing the stumble in James' Foxtrot but it was very noticeable in my opinion. And the freestyle was just okay. I get what Sharna was going for but something didn't really connect for me with it. 

Frankly, either James, Laurie or Calvin could have won and I'd be fine with that. And don't know how James and Sharna were robbed by the producers or judges. James has had the judges' salivating over him from about Week 4 and calling him the best male dancer they've ever had and all other hyperbole. I don't think the producers or judges cared if James or Laurie won to be honest because I think by the end, both were fairly popular and well liked. 

Edited November 23, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[Carousel]

Laurie was certainly an excellent dancer, but I am very disappointed that she won.  Maybe I'm not understanding the point of this show anymore, but she was already a dancer from night one.   C'mon, she's been and Olympic competitor since she was 5.   James, OTOH,  boggled everyone's mind with his dancing for a race car driver.   And Calvin -- holy cow  what a super star he turned  out to be.

JMO, but Calvin and Lindsay's freestyle was far and above the best and most creative of all of them.   Sharna and James  and Laurie and Val just did a regular dance they've been doing all season.   I wouldn't have minded if James had won, and would have been thrilled if Calvin had won.   Lindsay is probably the best pro-choreographer outside of Derek and Mark.

[boyznkatz]

9 hours ago, smiley13 said:

I would have rather Calvin had won but Laurie is okay.  At least it wasn't the obnoxious Sharna.  She does love the camera doesn't she?  Perhaps now the show will stop trying to make her happen and realize how great Lindsay, Emma and Witney are.  

I still don't get why the show pushes her so much. Her choreography isn't that good. I wish Emma would get at least one of Sharna's partners so we can see what she can do. Sharna lost to James Freakin' Maslow with Charlie White, for heaven's sake!

[penbrat]

I'm okay with Laurie winning.  I would have been fine with any of them winning (although James would have been my first choice).   Pretty good season, great final three.  

Vanilla Ice and Rick Perry - who would have thunk it.   Love the cheesy randomness of this show!

[TeeMo]

I loved Laurie in the Olympics and expected she'd be my favorite this season but James and Calvin really stole my heart a bit. I would have been happy with any of the final 3 as a winner and I've heard that from a lot of people I talk about this show with. Because I liked all three I didn't bother voting at all for the finals and I'd guess a lot of people were the same. At any rate it was not a super thrilling season with a ton of iconic dances I will always remember but it was one of the more overall enjoyable seasons for me in a long while because I found so many of the contestants so likable. 

 

As fot the non competitive elelments of last night's show, I am with those previous posters who lamented the overuse of Jenna and her head constantly whipping around to find the nearest camera. And I was reminded of how much I like watching Maks dance. I was a big Maks fan for a very long time but he's lost me in that respect in recent years with much of his BS...but I do still enjoy watching the man dance maybe more so than any of the other male pros. 

[boyznkatz]

5 hours ago, katha said:

It was obvious for weeks that Laurie was killing it in votes, that's why they were so comfortable underscoring her mid-season and setting up "narratives" for her. She's also constantly the most viewed on youtube. As for Facebook, her fanbase is younger. They don't really care for Facebook. And even then, she was doing very well there. Her fanbase also seems very well organized and so are Val's fans. Last night felt kinda ominous for James, tbh. There was just as much chatter about Laurie as about him in social media outlets that veer older, though it should be his main demo there, and there was HARDCORE hatred for Laurie. Because they felt seriously threatened and knew what was coming after those freestyles, I expect. Also my thought was: "Why are you ranting about Laurie? Why aren't you voting for James?" Because Laurie's fans were keeping quiet and voting, from what I could see.

I agree Laurie and probably Calvin were killing it in votes. If Calvin scored higher, he might have had a chance, but he didn't dance as well as Laurie. Does James have that much of a fanbase? I don't follow car racing, but I had never heard of him, and I've heard of most of the more famous racers living in Dixieland.

[sinycalone]

Just a comment about FB likes, YouTube views, etc.  They are notoriously unreliable as measuring rods.  You can just put a YouTube video on repeat -- and go on about your business while it racks up views.  Young fans often do this for their favorite singers to "prove" how popular they are.  (I have young family members who certainly do this!)

 

If James came in second, starting out as an unknown with no background in music or dance, I count that as amazing...and am glad I got to enjoy his partnership with Sharna this season.

[Primetimer]

A holiday-themed finale brings back all of this year's competitors before crowning a winner.

View the full article

[mtlchick]

Quote

Vanilla Ice and Rick Perry - who would have thunk it.   Love the cheesy randomness of this show!

James and Calvin is the bromance people loved.  Vanilla Ice and Rick Perry is the bromance people are confused by but it's SO random you can't help but enjoy it.  That's one aspect of the show I always loved: celebs become close friends with people they wouldn't expect to be even in the same room with.

 

Quote

Adding to that, I don't think CTV (the Canadian station who usually broadcasts it) was showing the episodes in real time

CTV wasn't even airing it on ANY of the many cable outlets it owns this season up until last night where it aired on CTV two.  CTV now carries the Voice live and for the past several seasons it simulcasted DWTS on either CTV Two, M3 (which is now defunct) or Bravo (not affiliated with Bravo USA.)  More to the point, DWTS still remains an American show.  Yeah it sucks it closed off the voting in Canada just when we had a Canadian on again, but they're not obligated to keep it open for us.  Especially when the show doesn't get the live air time on the main network anymore.

Edited November 23, 2016 by mtlchick

[LadyMustang65]

8 hours ago, RedFiat said:

I know that all those 40s Laurie got leading up to the finale was ridiculous, .  A Foxtrot that was a Tango a Trio that was actually a duet. ... yeah.  A Paso Doble with a blatant lift. sure.  And James didn't need every single Canadian vote, but he needed votes from a loyal base. If we cut Lauries gymnastic clubs then let's see what happens. 

In the run up to the finale, Laurie got a perfect score 4 times and James got a perfect score 3 times.  That's over the last few weeks.  Going back over the entire season, they have tied 5 times, Laurie has beaten James in the scoring 6 times, James has beaten Laurie 4 times, and the biggest point spread between the two was 4 points, and that was a week when James beat her in the scoring.  Most times there was only one or two points between them.  They've been pretty even throughout the entire season.  Their trio was a trio.  Under the rules, they don't have to dance as a trio for the entire dance, and in fact at the beginning they never did.  The early trios looked like the Maks/Val/Laurie trio.  It was perfectly fine and a very clever idea.  There was no lift in the paso.  That leap Laurie did is the same one she did entirely by herself in her freestyle - the one that was slow-mo'ed.   Sour grapes are not a good diet for anyone.

[boyznkatz]

I agree Laurie's foxtrot didn't look like one, but James' quickstep didn't look like much of a quickstep either. I didn't even recognize what dance it was. It isn't just Laurie that got away with bending the rules. Most everyone does these days. The judges were a lot more strict before crap like contemporary and jazz and trios came along.

Edited November 23, 2016 by boyznkatz

[MerBearHou]

My two cents on the finale:

I was simply "ok" with Laurie winning because she's a great dancer but I expected her to be; I like Val; she's a terrific 16-year-old.

I would have been ELATED if James had won -- became a huge fan of his throughout this season.  Sharna and he were magic together.  She's never been on my radar till this year and I grew to like her so much.

Calvin was a delight and his partnership with Lindsay was adorable.  Great job by both!

Never, ever stage this show on an ice rink again.  How dumb was that?!  Gorgeous set though.

Rick Perry kicking the drums as a wild rockstar was hilarious.

Jana's singing voice is not impressive at all.  I'd never heard of her as a country singer and am not motivated whatsoever to follow her career, particularly after hearing her sing last night.  

Erin looked stunning.  Who made her dress -- anyone know?

The little girl live-action/movie dance was amazing -- loved it all.  Impeccable timing.

Enjoyed the bloopers during rehearsal -- funny!

The first-time inability for Canada to vote is bizarre to me and had to be frustrating to the Canadians.  Makes no sense.

During the intro, I had forgotten that several of these stars were ever even on the show!  

Fun season -- tremendous final three.