S24.E10: Week 10: The Finale Part 1

[Ivana Tinkle]

1 minute ago, F. M. said:

Is that me? the delusional friend? :) he's very hot! that smile 

Well, I was trying to keep your identity a secret but since the cat's out of the bag...we can share, can't we?  It's what friends do.  

[NeverLate]

4 minutes ago, Ivana Tinkle said:

Well, I was trying to keep your identity a secret but since the cat's out of the bag...we can share, can't we?  It's what friends do.  

sigh, okay, sigh..:)

[PBGamer89]

Comments like that are exactly why it's 100% harder for female celebs in general. Men win for looks, charm, and women work 200 million times harder and nitpicked to death for everything.

[Toonces464]

2 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

Comments like that are exactly why it's 100% harder for female celebs in general. Men win for looks, charm, and women work 200 million times harder and nitpicked to death for everything.

Really? I haven't seen Normani nitpicked for anything while Rashad has been nitpicked weekly for his footwork and David for his butt.

[NeverLate]

Just now, Toonces464 said:

Really? I haven't seen Normani nitpicked for anything while Rashad has been nitpicked weekly for his footwork and David for his butt.

All they did with Normani was give her good scores, to the point of boredom..

[marykat71702]

Normani should NOT have gotten any 10s for her Quickstep, there was a lot of space between her and Val when there shouldn't have been.

[spanana]

10 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

Comments like that are exactly why it's 100% harder for female celebs in general. Men win for looks, charm, and women work 200 million times harder and nitpicked to death for everything.

I get the point in life as a whole and don't wholly disagree there, but there is not one thing I've seen this season that suggests to me that Normani is working harder than Rashad (or vice versa).  It's a long standing pet peeve of mine on this show that there tends to be this belief that best dancer with the most technical skill somehow means that that person worked the hardest.  Maybe sometimes it does. Other times it just means that one person came in with more of a head start than another and with more general dance knowledge/training/performance experience.  Sometimes it just means one person is more naturally talented at dance than another.   Talent and hard work aren't necessarily the same thing.  A person with less talent can work 2x as hard as a person with natural talent and still not get the same result.

This is not a dig at Normani.  She worked hard.  But I have seen nothing to suggest she put more blood, sweat and tears into this thing than Rashad, a guy who came in with far less experience.

Also when other recent past winners include Laurie, Bindi and Rumer (yes, there were some males in there too), I don't totally get the point.  Bindi wasn't necessarily the best dancer but won because she was cute and bubbly and the judges fawned over her.  Laurie and James were about even and she won, and often her flaws were glossed over.  I don't actually think Rumer was the best dancer in her season and they avoided giving he latin dances down the homestretch so as to keep her her in her wheelhouse.

Edited May 23, 2017 by spanana

[Miss Slay]

I guess Rashad is winning. Based on the package alone. LOL.

[PBGamer89]

My point was in general the male celebs get away with murder on this show. Often getting good points, good treatment (packages, spot in the dance order, etc), for smiling and charisma.

A talented female celeb comes along and does great, dances well, relates to viewers and it's "ugh, she's so annoying, I don't like her, she seems bitchy, of course she dances last, the judges love her". But if a man gets lower scores it's "why are they nitpicking him, etc"

This season was a perfect example of how the general public watching hates on talented female celebs. One by one they got cut in favor of far less superior men. How Bonner and David even made it this far is beyond my comprehension.

Rashad has gotten comments on  his feet and technique. Well that's because it was always an issue.

The treatment tonight was mostly based on less than favorably towards Normani and the sudden shift for Rashad. In the sense of giving him a "redemption" style that he already excelled at and ignoring some mistakes, out of sync issues in his freestyle. He got the winners edit tonight when he never had before. The sudden shift in the narrative just seemed very offputting to me.

[NeverLate]

4 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

My point was in general the male celebs get away with murder on this show. Often getting good points, good treatment (packages, spot in the dance order, etc), for smiling and charisma.

A talented female celeb comes along and does great, dances well, relates to viewers and it's "ugh, she's so annoying, I don't like her, she seems bitchy, of course she dances last, the judges love her". But if a man gets lower scores it's "why are they nitpicking him, etc"

This season was a perfect example of how the general public watching hates on talented female celebs. One by one they got cut in favor of far less superior men. How Bonner and David even made it this far is beyond my comprehension.

Rashad has gotten comments on  his feet and technique. Well that's because it was always an issue.

The treatment tonight was mostly based on less than favorably towards Normani and the sudden shift for Rashad. In the sense of giving him a "redemption" style that he already excelled at and ignoring some mistakes, out of sync issues in his freestyle. He got the winners edit tonight when he never had before. The sudden shift in the narrative just seemed very offputting to me.

They wanted Val/Normani in the final three, now there is nothing more that they can do. Rashad just might take it, and I hope he does. If not, I dont care if Normani does..its a reality dance show..it is what it is. 

'The freestyle has never been Vals strong suit, never..I think Rashad  has had the votes all season, that's my guess. 

Edited May 23, 2017 by F. M.

[Callaphera]

1 minute ago, PBGamer89 said:

My point was in general the male celebs get away with murder on this show. Often getting good points, good treatment (packages, spot in the dance order, etc), for smiling and charisma.

A talented female celeb comes along and does great, dances well, relates to viewers and it's "ugh, she's so annoying, I don't like her, she seems bitchy, of course she dances last, the judges love her". But if a man gets lower scores it's "why are they nitpicking him, etc"

This season was a perfect example of how the general public watching hates on talented female celebs. One by one they got cut in favor of far less superior men. How Bonner and David even made it this far is beyond my comprehension.

Rashad has gotten comments on  his feet and technique. Well that's because it was always an issue.

The treatment tonight was mostly based on less than favorably towards Normani and the sudden shift for Rashad. In the sense of giving him a "redemption" style that he already excelled at and ignoring some mistakes, out of sync issues in his freestyle. He got the winners edit tonight when he never had before. The sudden shift in the narrative just seemed very offputting to me.

Fans. Fans voting. Fans voting for their favourites.

Don't get me wrong. I love Heather. I thought her dances were amazing (save for that Frozen one, which was a fucking shame considering her background) but she never had the fan base. The judges are only a part of it. Can they steer viewers towards voting for certain people? Of course, there will always be floaters and bandwagoners. But it really comes down to the fan vote.

MLB clearly has passionate fans voting, especially since this is the first MLB star. Professional bull riding seems to have those same passionate fans. 

Don't forget, the votes kept Master P in there. Sure, you can argue about that whole "vote for the worst" thing but he still clung on and on. If they can keep Master P in there with his 4 paddles and refusal to wear proper dancing shoes, I assume they can keep someone like David and Bonner in there.

[PBGamer89]

People screamed of manipulation all season for various reasons.

Yet no one is mentioning anything about Rashad?

1. He got his first two pimp spots in the only weeks that voting mattered for the winner.

2. He got the only redemption style that he already excelled at.

3. Judges ignored out of sync moments in his freestyle.

 

I guarantee you if Normani danced last, last week and tonight and got say an Argentine Tango or Paso for redemption, and got a perfect score despite mistakes, the internet would collectively scream "it's fixed, they want her to win it's so obvious", but when it happens to Rashad or any male celeb, it's as quiet as a church mouse. SMH

[NeverLate]

5 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

People screamed of manipulation all season for various reasons.

Yet no one is mentioning anything about Rashad?

1. He got his first two pimp spots in the only weeks that voting mattered for the winner.

2. He got the only redemption style that he already excelled at.

3. Judges ignored out of sync moments in his freestyle.

 

I guarantee you if Normani danced last, last week and tonight and got say an Argentine Tango or Paso for redemption, and got a perfect score despite mistakes, the internet would collectively scream "it's fixed, they want her to win it's so obvious", but when it happens to Rashad or any male celeb, it's as quiet as a church mouse. SMH

I don't care if its male or female, as long as I enjoy them. I didnt enjoy Normani, I dont know why...(shrug). 

[HappyDancex2]

If it's true that ABC is getting the American Idol reboot, then it would be nice if any of the rejects that don't make it out of Holllywood Week (hundreds) to become the singers for the band.  Yes ANY of them.  I've never heard such warbly flat pitchy screechy off key singing that is flat out distracting to the dance.   Shame.

[marykat71702]

I hope Rashad wins!

[breezy424]

I love a fun freestyle, especially with a 'star' who has shown such improvement during the course of the season.  Yes, David improved but not tremendously.  Rashad has, and him putting in 'his' moves into the freestyle was so fun to watch.  It was great.  It was fun.  It was joyful. 

Yes, Normani is a great dancer but it's harder to 'feel' her overall than Rashad, or even David.  Emotion is great but joy is greater.  I think this was the mistake with her freestyle.  Kind of hard to explain. 

Team Rashad for the win.

On another note, apparently Emma had no idea of what had happened in England tonight until Tom mentioned it at the end of the show. 

[Ivana Tinkle]

12 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

 

Comments like that are exactly why it's 100% harder for female celebs in general.

 

Since I'm the person that made the comment I believe you're referring to, I wanted to respond.  First of all, I completely agree with you.  And for the record, I'm a casual viewer that has never actually voted for anyone.  Most of my comments in here are done in jest, but I don't engage in any of the debates (particularly those that deal with ringers, which tend to be focused on the female variety).  I can't remember there being a hotly debated male "ringer", but the female "ringers" that have caused a slew of unnecessary hateful comments?  I've seen Normani, Heather, Nicole, Mya, Jennifer, Laurie...the list goes on. 

I try not to take this competition too seriously because I know at the end of the day it truly is about whoever is most popular with the viewers at home (this many not necessarily mean it's the one with the biggest fan base).  And I would gather that the majority of the people that watch this show are female, so it's not completely surprising to see that men will sometimes triumph over a more deserving female.  Not everyone will always agree on who is most "deserving" to win this competition.  Personally, I think either Normani or Rashad would be an equally deserving winner, and for different reasons: I think Normani is easily the most skilled dancer and Rashad has shown the most improvement and yes, charm.  Not because he is a good looking man, but because he gives off a natural charm and charisma.

[marykat71702]

7 minutes ago, Ivana Tinkle said:

 I can't remember there being a hotly debated male "ringer", 

Mario Lopez, Corbin Bleu, Charlie White, Alfonso Ribiero, those are a few just off the top of my head...

Oh, yeah, Riker Lynch

Edited May 23, 2017 by marykat71702

[Callaphera]

32 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

People screamed of manipulation all season for various reasons.

Yet no one is mentioning anything about Rashad?

1. He got his first two pimp spots in the only weeks that voting mattered for the winner.

2. He got the only redemption style that he already excelled at.

3. Judges ignored out of sync moments in his freestyle.

The only thing I can't argue with in that list is the second point, because I went back and watched the dances on Youtube and checked the scores on Wikipedia. Yeah, he should have had to re-do the samba. 

But every freestyle was going to get perfect 10s across the board because it's the freestyle. They're basically not judged on it unless a major fuck up occurs. We've come a long way from Tony absolutely lampooning any chance Stacy Keibler had of winning by giving her a disco freestyle. Freestyle=perfect scores. It's like a gift for the contestants. "Hey, you've worked really hard all season and this is the end, so here's your perfect score if you haven't already gotten one and if you have, well we have to keep it as even as we can so the fan vote has an impact*."

Would you have been satisfied if David had gotten the pimp spot? (ETA: I think this comes off snarkier than I intended but I don't know how to reword it. Basically, I'm curious as to whether it's just the fact that Rashad got the pimp spot twice in a row that niggles you and David would have been fine because he didn't have the pimp spot the week before. Or if it's a Normani or Bust situation, which is perfectly cool, too.)

*I'm not arguing whether the fan vote has an impact or how much of one. I mean it merely in the appearance that the finals and the winner always comes down to the fan vote because it makes a better story than by scoring freestyles and redemption dances as tough as they score them in the middle of the competition. Just like is true in sports, even when it's your team winning, watching a complete blowout of a game just isn't as fun and engaging.

Edited May 23, 2017 by Callaphera

[Ivana Tinkle]

Just now, marykat71702 said:

Mario Lopez, Corbin Bleu, Charlie White, Alfonso Ribiero, those are a few just off the top of my head...

With the exception of maybe Alfonso, I don't recall the others getting a lot of negativity directed at them.  Then again, Mario and Corbin were awhile ago so it's entirely possible.  I definitely don't think the male contestants are completely immune from criticism or "hate", but it does seem like the female celebrities on this show get it more.

[Toonces464]

20 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

People screamed of manipulation all season for various reasons.

Yet no one is mentioning anything about Rashad?

1. He got his first two pimp spots in the only weeks that voting mattered for the winner.

2. He got the only redemption style that he already excelled at.

3. Judges ignored out of sync moments in his freestyle.

 

I guarantee you if Normani danced last, last week and tonight and got say an Argentine Tango or Paso for redemption, and got a perfect score despite mistakes, the internet would collectively scream "it's fixed, they want her to win it's so obvious", but when it happens to Rashad or any male celeb, it's as quiet as a church mouse. SMH

They judges also ignored the missed steps in Normani's Quickstep but I don't see you mentioning that.

[tessaforever]

1 minute ago, marykat71702 said:

Mario Lopez, Corbin Bleu, Charlie White, Alfonso Ribiero, those are a few just off the top of my head...

Riker. And somehow Paige escaped any kind of ringer storyline in spite of having a lifetime of dance experience. She's still hardly ever mentioned in the same breath as Jennifer G., Nicole, Meryl, Laurie, etc. 

Oh Val. Somehow you broke your Freestyle Curse (TM) with Rumer and Laurie, by truly showing off their dance ability and personalities. Normani deserved so much better - she needed a "moment" and she didn't get one. Pretty, sure. I would go as far as to say her freestyle was lovely. But it was not a winning freestyle. 

If Normani's high kicks were stretched end to end, would they reach the moon? 

Rashad FTW!

[PBGamer89]

It was the same thing last season when Laurie got Paso, arguably her worst dance and James got Foxtrot something he excelled at and continually avoided the party Latin dances. Granted, she still won, but this is part of the manipulation factor.

Len was never going to give Val's Quickstep a 10. I suspect Rashad is Julianne favorite and he had so many styles he didn't excel at to improve on.

But part of picking it was to start the winners edit narrative for him. Perfect 80, pimp spot, judges going nuts, and he'll likely dance his fusion last too tomorrow and then they will proclaim he's going on the DWTS tour and then we will know Normani lost for sure.

Yes, it's heavily manipulated for the women sometimes and they do need extra help now and then because of how lopsided the voting can be towards the men. If TPTB let the show go organically without editing or manipulation in 24 seasons we likely would've had 5 or 6 female winners tops.

The men get a certain narrative or manipulation and nobody bats an eye. That's my point in a nutshell. A mediocre female celeb will never win (in the sense of not on top of the leaderboard, constantly snagging 10's, someone seen as an undeserving winner generally) but I can name a number of mediocre male celebs who snagged a win (Helio, Nyle, Donald, Donny to name a few)

3 minutes ago, Toonces464 said:

They judges also ignored the missed steps in Normani's Quickstep but I don't see you mentioning that.

Yet she didn't get a perfect score, so it's moot point. If she did, yes, but they already put her as a disadvantage tonight.

[twilightzone]

A negative Normani has (and it's not her fault) - Val.  I'm not sure if viewers are that passionate about giving him another win (and so soon).

[crossover]

6 minutes ago, Toonces464 said:

Really? I haven't seen Normani nitpicked for anything while Rashad has been nitpicked weekly for his footwork and David for his butt.

Of course she's been nitpicked.  There was this one little mistake at the beginning, content-lite, little incident, more in hold, clothes etc.  But they should nitpicked her because she came in with dance experience.  If her fanbase isn't strong enough to overcome, so be it.  But they should do it for all dance-advanced celebs.

Rashad's been critiqued--meaning anyone could see his errors.  The judges let you know the flaws but bathe them in praises as well.  So there is a difference.  Same with David except they remind people of what a "good guy" he is.

[NeverLate]

43 minutes ago, marykat71702 said:

Mario Lopez, Corbin Bleu, Charlie White, Alfonso Ribiero, those are a few just off the top of my head...

Oh, yeah, Riker Lynch

There ya go! Hotly contested ringers ( male) thanks

[crossover]

1 hour ago, F. M. said:

They wanted Val/Normani in the final three, now there is nothing more that they can do.

 

Yep.  They worked really hard to get Normani in the finals instead of Simone.  They accomplished their goal.  Surely they don't want Val to win back-to-back.

[crossover]

57 minutes ago, F. M. said:

I don't care if its male or female, as long as I enjoy them. I didnt enjoy Normani, I dont know why...(shrug). 

Sometimes people just don't connect with an artist for whatever reason--looks, smile, how they move, feel tptb is trying to force the celeb down their throat, etc.

[crossover]

46 minutes ago, tessaforever said:

Riker. And somehow Paige escaped any kind of ringer storyline in spite of having a lifetime of dance experience. She's still hardly ever mentioned in the same breath as Jennifer G., Nicole, Meryl, Laurie, etc.

I think the reason people don't bring up Paige in that way is she didn't win.  During her season, some people did make sure everyone knew she had training.  There's been plenty of dance-trained celebs (ringers during their season) who didn't win.  So people don't bring them up as much.

[Venee]

Wasn't feeling anyone tonight! This was the stage I was looking forward to had it been an all female top 4.  I think Normani and Val needed another "experienced" type couple to push them more... That Freestyle was very underwhelming. I just wanted more choreography and something (as someone upthread said) with Sass and fire. Using the kids reminded me of when they bring out the "baby dolls" during the Stand Battles on TLCs show  "Bring It" (If you've seen that show you know what I'm referring to).

What show has Julianne watched to make a statement that Rashad's Freestyle was Iconic?  It was quite Messy to me. The lifts were so labored and disjointed... Nothing about that was iconic IMHO....

 

Davids  Freestyle was a rehash of his opening dance, not much to see.

After watching the packages,  I think the final 3 can be boiled down to characters from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Rashad is Violet Beauregarde. He's very competitive and really wants to win this more than any of the other 3. Normani is Veruca Salt, not the spoiled side,  but the confident one, as well as the side that knows how to hide their true desire for the trophy as well. David is clearly Charlie. He's just happy to be there lol lol 

[NeverLate]

26 minutes ago, crossover said:

Sometimes people just don't connect with an artist for whatever reason--looks, smile, how they move, feel tptb is trying to force the celeb down their throat, etc.

I guess, it's maybe her age, younger girls will like her I'm sure, and vote.

Quote

What show has Julianne watched to make a statement that Rashad's Freestyle was Iconic?  It was quite Messy to me. The lifts were so labored and disjointed... Nothing about that was iconic IMHO....

The same one as Bruno, who said Normani's freestyle was like angels dancing. All the judges go OTT.

I admit to rewinding Rashad to watch, and enjoy him twice,

[Uke]

1 hour ago, tessaforever said:

Riker. And somehow Paige escaped any kind of ringer storyline in spite of having a lifetime of dance experience. She's still hardly ever mentioned in the same breath as Jennifer G., Nicole, Meryl, Laurie, etc. 

 

I think it was determined at the time that Paige's dance experience was as a preteen. Her "ringeriness" was more due to her fitness and flexibility as a MMA fighter.

[Mystery Author]

Quote

I know freestyles are going to get 10s across the board unless someone seriously fucks up but in a normal week, that awkward lift/dismount he did with Emma would have docked him a point and not being in sync with the troupe would have dinged him another point. 

Thank you, thank you! I thought it was me.

[crossover]

3 hours ago, marykat71702 said:

Normani should NOT have gotten any 10s for her Quickstep, there was a lot of space between her and Val when there shouldn't have been.

I can see them being stricter on Normani than the other 2 but she's no ballroom dancer.  Her moves and routines are already more challenging.  If they can't see where Normani deserves 10s, no one does.  TPTB can't let the competition get away with easier movements, easier routines and easier standards.

[crossover]

3 hours ago, PBGamer89 said:

Len was never going to give Val's Quickstep a 10. I suspect Rashad is Julianne favorite and he had so many styles he didn't excel at to improve on.

Has Len ever given a QS redemption dance a 10, Val or not?  It is one of those styles that you can always find something wrong.  And, it is hard for the celeb not to do something wrong.  It's probably one of those dances judged on a curve.  I remember Normani's fans being happy that she got QS in week 1 while there were still a full cast.  They were probably sick when they found out she had to do it again.

[PBGamer89]

Personally I would've rather had Normani's redemeption style be Rumba. I would've liked to see a real one without 5H in the background singing.

Edited May 23, 2017 by PBGamer89

[crossover]

7 hours ago, Callaphera said:

I know freestyles are going to get 10s across the board unless someone seriously fucks up but in a normal week, that awkward lift/dismount he did with Emma would have docked him a point and not being in sync with the troupe would have dinged him another point.

 

Lately, that's what the judges do.  They use to use the freestyle to separate but not lately.  But then, TPTB didn't use to be as manipulative throughout the entire season like they are now.  The redemption dance scores let you know who they want as the winner or at least the F2.

[blaase]

They should ban boring sappy contemporary dances from the freestyle, seems like Val thinks contemporary is all that can win since his freestyle with Zendaya lost to a contemporary by Derek.

Edited May 23, 2017 by blaase

[Toonces464]

3 hours ago, crossover said:

I can see them being stricter on Normani than the other 2 but she's no ballroom dancer.  Her moves and routines are already more challenging.  If they can't see where Normani deserves 10s, no one does.  TPTB can't let the competition get away with easier movements, easier routines and easier standards.

So wait, because Normani is a trained dancer she deserves 10s and if she doesn't get them no one else should? 

[McManda]

6 hours ago, PBGamer89 said:

If TPTB let the show go organically without editing or manipulation in 24 seasons we likely would've had 5 or 6 female winners tops.

So manipulation is okay provided it's to create the illusion of fairness? That's ironic.

 

27 minutes ago, blaase said:

 

They should ban boring sappy contemporary dances from the freestyle,

 

They should just ban contemporaries from the show, period. 

[alexa]

I liked David and Rashad's freestyles for the fun factor, and I thought Rashad really knocked it out of the park.  With the talent Normani has, I just didn't get her freestyle...she could have done so much more, and something more interesting.  Definitely not a winning routine.

The one thing about Rashad's freestyle, is that Emma was like an afterthought, which was just odd.  She didn't fit into that freestyle much at all.  

[crossover]

33 minutes ago, Toonces464 said:

So wait, because Normani is a trained dancer she deserves 10s and if she doesn't get them no one else should? 

I guess I didn't explain my point of view clearly.  Because TPTB had already evened the playing field by giving Normani harder movements/routines and she performs just as well or better than the others, the scoring should be comparable.  I can see them being stricter on Normani when judging.  But I don't think it's fair if the others can have mistakes and still get 10s for easier routines.   Yet Normani has to be perfect in order to get 10s.  But I can see them equating a specific content-lite routine from Normani as the same as dreadful feet or posture from the others.  Maybe they all will get 8s.  But Normani shouldn't get an 8 and the others 9s.

David FTW!!!  It will be epic.

ETA:  And yes I do think TPTB let the pros know when they have a celeb with dancing chops, they should up the game in the choreography.

Edited May 23, 2017 by crossover

[bealled]

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?).

[Quickbeam]

I don't really have a dog in the fight (Heather fan here) but I really thought Rashad got the winner's edit last night. David got the soft, kindly "its amazing he can do this at all" spin. I felt the room was pretty cold to Normani. She's a lovely woman and a pretty dancer. 

[MortysCleaningLady]

I loved David's free style and like what I could see of Rashad's.   (Those flashing lights were not a great call.)   Normani's freestyle, while sweet with those two random children, was not what I enjoy.   It almost came off as a contemporary, my least favorite dance style.   (Put on some shoes and get off my lawn!)  I'm not voting since Charo is not in it (I kid), but David's came across as the easiest to see of the 'fun' ones.

The vocalists should be shot for their rendition of Uptown Funk.

[crossover]

3 minutes ago, MortysCleaningLady said:

I loved David's free style and like what I could see of Rashad's.   (Those flashing lights were not a great call.)   Normani's freestyle, while sweet with those two random children, was not what I enjoy.   It almost came off as a contemporary, my least favorite dance style.   (Put on some shoes and get off my lawn!)  I'm not voting since Charo is not in it (I kid), but David's came across as the easiest to see of the 'fun' ones.

The vocalists should be shot for their rendition of Uptown Funk.

Didn't Normani have on heels?

[howmanywords]

21 minutes ago, Quickbeam said:

I don't really have a dog in the fight (Heather fan here) but I really thought Rashad got the winner's edit last night. David got the soft, kindly "its amazing he can do this at all" spin. I felt the room was pretty cold to Normani. She's a lovely woman and a pretty dancer. 

My mother who hasn't voted all season but has really enjoyed Rashad and Emma called me this morning and said she actually voted last night because of how sad it was when Rashad said he never won anything.  

[Lady Calypso]

I've been a fan of Rashad from the beginning and would be fine if he won, just like I'd be fine if Normani won. David's the only one that I would most likely question his win, but it's not like I hate the guy if he won it. I'd just see it as more of a fan thing, rather than a true dance ability thing. 

I've stopped watching for the last two or three weeks, since the double elimination, but I tuned in to some of the show last night. None of the dances were particularly memorable for me. I think Normani's a great dancer and an excellent performer, but I can see why the show is leaning toward Rashad as the winner. Compared to Normani all season, he hasn't quite gotten the level of praise that she has until recently. Yes, his contemporary earlier this season earned him high praise, but Normani's the one to get all 10s earlier than him. He's been kind of the underdog in a way because that's the way the show has presented him. I personally find him a surprisingly great dancer, especially for someone with no dance experience. Normani has dance experience because she's taken dance classes since a young girl, and Fifth Harmony requires some form of dancing (or "dancing", though I am not a fan of the girl group myself, so I don't know what kind of dancing they require). So Normani has more technical skills than Rashad has, which makes it more surprising when he comes out to dance. 

Again, not discrediting Normani's dancing ability here because she really is the best dancer in the competition. I just think that I have connected to Rashad when he dances, while I haven't really connected with Normani and her dances. And I do think it comes down to a lot of factors, more than just if a person is able to hit the steps. Normani seems like a real sweetheart and she definitely is a hard worker; I just feel the exact same about Rashad as well, which makes it so hard to decide which one I'd prefer to win. Thus, coming down to whose dances I've connected with more, and that would go to Rashad for me. 

The show's kind of picked and chosen who to be critical of. First, it was Heather and Nick. They were the ones to get shit on the most early on. Then it was a little bit of Bonner, though his criticism was necessary. Then it was Simone, even though they had nothing but praises for her earlier on. Now, it's Normani and a little bit of the others. So I think the issue is that the judges are clearly inconsistent with their judging with the contestants. They can't just praise them early on and then have a week where they're completely critical, only to go back to praising them as if they have nothing to improve on. And I know that the judging is less on judging and more on producer manipulation on what they want for that week or for future weeks. I totally get that aspect, even if I don't agree. 

4 minutes ago, MortysCleaningLady said:

The vocalists should be shot for their rendition of Uptown Funk.

I thought they butchered "I Want It That Way" horribly. Yeah, that one is still the worst butcher for me (you just don't butcher BSB with a BSB member judging that week, you just don't) but this one might take second place this season. It was just screechy from start to finish.

[boyznkatz]

8 hours ago, twilightzone said:

A negative Normani has (and it's not her fault) - Val.  I'm not sure if viewers are that passionate about giving him another win (and so soon).

Not to mention, his freestyles suck and he never does anything to improve them. He always phones it in, expecting people to vote for him. It's not Normani's fault, but he did her a disservice.

[ladylaw99]

I didn't enjoy any of the dances last night.    I have always liked Rashad but I didn't care for the freestyle, I don't know, it was fun but it was lacking something.  Val let down Normani as far as I am concerned.  Her freestyle was boring.  David's was ok, at least it was fun to watch but again, nothing special.

This whole season season can be sum up as boring and I am glad that it is over.