S24.E11: The Finale Part 2

[UGAmp]

A storm knocked out my satellite for the last twenty minutes (you know, the actual interesting stuff) so I had to rely on Twitter and YouTube to see the results and reactions. Thank goodness for technology! Yay Emma and Rashad! I'm truly happy she finally got a win (or just a decent partner, really). It did seem like the narrative was turning in Rashad's direction last night but I wasn't quite sure he'd pull off the win. But I do think he deserved it. He improved throughout the season, worked hard (100 rehearsal hours more than the others!!), and I really enjoyed his partnership with Emma. Not the best season overall but happy with the ending! 

Others have mentioned Val's reaction to placing third but Emma and Rashad's reactions are pretty funny. The only video I could find on YouTube had the audio and video out of sync but you can tell the moment they say Normani. Rashad just freezes, slowly opens his eyes, and looks to the side like whaaaaaaaat. Being able to really notice that moment made not seeing it live almost worth it. 

[crowceilidh]

Also, what happened to Bonner during his dance?  They were sure pulling the camera away from him a lot and he looked like he completely effed up.

Loved Mr. T's rap - totally cheesy.  Doesn't make up for the lack of Dance Centre, but it was good.

Nick really really should have gone farther than Bonner.

[magpye29]

So what stripper did Erin steal her wedding dress from?

[breezy424]

Emma has been far down the totem pole for the most part in getting great dancers.  So, I get her comment.  I didn't find it obnoxious at all.  However, TPTB love the love story with her and Sasha, so the star is rising.

[FilmTVGeek80]

38 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

The season's theme: if you have dance talent and are a woman, you won't even make the top 2.

Odds of a woman ever winning soon just shot down if David can make 2nd place? Worst runner up?

How does that even correlate? David coming in second has nothing to do with gender. He came from a friggin' huge fanbase and proved to be likable - which this show's core audience eats up. You're acting like a woman hasn't won this competition in years. Laurie won last year and, I think, Bindi won a couple of seasons before that. This is not a woman hating show.

Congrats, Emma and Rashad! They're not my favorite winners ever but of the three finalists they were definitely my fave. Rashad I think did improve over time. And, you definitely can't say the hardest worker didn't win this season. Damn, 100 more rehearsal hours than anyone else. That's dedication! I have to admit, at least at the start of this season, I wouldn't have predicted this. I, honestly, suspect that they just stacked the deck too much with female "ringers" and they just ended up cancelling each other out.

Edited May 24, 2017 by FilmTVGeek80

[kcrabtree06]

8 minutes ago, UGAmp said:

Others have mentioned Val's reaction to placing third but Emma and Rashad's reactions are pretty funny. The only video I could find on YouTube had the audio and video out of sync but you can tell the moment they say Normani. Rashad just freezes, slowly opens his eyes, and looks to the side like whaaaaaaaat. Being able to really notice that moment made not seeing it live almost worth it. 

I went back and watched everyone's reactions when they announced Normani got third place and I noticed that with Rashad as well. I can't help but wonder if he realized at that moment he had likely won the mirror ball.

[Toonces464]

31 minutes ago, sab85 said:

Krisite Alley was a runner-up.

Ugh, please don't remind us! LOL

[Hiacios]

YES! Rashad and Emma are the S24 champions!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

This proves that NFL players have the biggest fanbase! Even Len couldn't stop Rashad from winning by giving him a 9 like he did to some of my other couples that were in previous finals. That old bastard! -_-

3 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

How does that even correlate? David coming in second has nothing to do with gender. He came from a friggin' huge fanbase and proved to be likable - which this show's core audience eats up. You're acting like a woman hasn't won this competition in years. Laurie won last year and, I think, Bindi won a couple of seasons before that. This is not a woman hating show.

Congrats, Emma and Rashad! They're not my favorite winners ever but of the three finalists they were definitely my fave. Rashad I think did improve over time. And, you definitely can't say the hardest worker didn't win this season. Damn, 100 more rehearsal hours than anyone else. That's dedication! I have to admit, at least at the start of this season, I wouldn't have predicted this. I, honestly, suspect that they just stacked the deck too much with female "ringers" and they just ended up cancelling each other out.

I completely agree.

[PBGamer89]

This isn't a woman hating show, but this was a woman hating season.

Heather- 8th

Nancy- 6th

Simone-4th

Normani- 3rd

[Uke]

42 minutes ago, spanana said:

I think all the celebs always have the option to dance, but some opt out.  My guess is both Chris and Erika opted out from dancing at least.  Why they didn't get to do anything else I don't know.

Chris had a little segment, it was in the tunnel and then he dropped to the back as the rest ran out onto the main dance floor.  He was in a blue sparkle jacket, was with Witney, and he had a little of that jerky dance that was part of his cha cha.

[FilmTVGeek80]

2 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

This isn't a woman hating show, but this was a woman hating season.

Heather- 8th

Nancy- 6th

Simone-4th

Normani- 3rd

Like I said before, I think the deck was too stacked and they ended up canceling each other out. This wasn't about the audience hating woman, so no, I don't agree a woman hating season. Plus, you had the juggernaut Chicago Cubs/Boston Red Sox fanbases, which I think people really forgot to take into account. 

[NeverLate]

37 minutes ago, Callaphera said:

Normani and her whole "this show made me a woman" blather towards the end. And a reference to the BEST Britney Spears song of all time, if only because it leads to the age old question: if you're not a girl but not yet a woman, what the hell are you?

Thanks for clearing that up :)

 

I see her fans are saying the show sabotaged her win, and they couldn't get through.( same old same old) Here, have some cheese with that whine..

19 minutes ago, breezy424 said:

Emma has been far down the totem pole for the most part in getting great dancers.  So, I get her comment.  I didn't find it obnoxious at all.  However, TPTB love the love story with her and Sasha, so the star is rising.

She's had some real clunkers, Im so happy for her

4 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

Like I said before, I think the deck was too stacked and they ended up canceling each other out. This wasn't about the audience hating woman, so no, I don't agree a woman hating season. Plus, you had the juggernaut Chicago Cubs/Boston Red Sox fanbases, which I think people really forgot to take into account. 

I found new love for Nancy! I hated it when she left, how can this be a hating women show, it isnt..

Edited May 24, 2017 by F. M.

[MsJamieDornan]

6 minutes ago, F. M. said:

I see her fans are saying the show sabotaged her win, and they couldn't get through.( same old same old) Here, have some cheese with that whine..

Because the show was past their bedtime ????

[Toonces464]

15 minutes ago, PBGamer89 said:

This isn't a woman hating show, but this was a woman hating season.

Heather- 8th

Nancy- 6th

Simone-4th

Normani- 3rd

How about all the seasons two women were the last two standing? Are those conveniently forgotten?

[MakeMeLaugh]

So funny how important the mirror ball trophy is to some people. Really hilarious. Don't make me smack you upside the head with it.

Normani and her group are immensely more well known than they were prior to this show starting

(a couple of months ago:

Show: And Normani from Fifth Whatever!

Me: Who?)

and they can take that to the bank. 

I can't imagine Rashad and David's fans reacting like they were robbed, the deck was stacked, etc., etc., and I'm sure Normani herself is as gracious as David is and Rashad would have been with the final results. 

Edited May 24, 2017 by MakeMeLaugh

[Toonces464]

28 minutes ago, breezy424 said:

Emma has been far down the totem pole for the most part in getting great dancers.  So, I get her comment.  I didn't find it obnoxious at all.  However, TPTB love the love story with her and Sasha, so the star is rising.

I think this is the story they thought they'd play out with Maks and Peta when they agreed to come back. But I suspect that, like me, the oversaturation of them by the show and the tabloids has just worn people out on them.

[spanana]

When I rewatched the winning moment, my main takeaway is David almost looks petrified he might win.  He looked so uncomfortable after Normani was eliminated and he was standing there next to Rashad.  Say what you want about David, but I do think he's a self aware guy when it comes to his talents.  He seemed genuinely relieved when Rashad's name was finally called. I think David was very much prepared to come in 3rd, and then we didn't, saw that he might actually win.  I think it was a combo of self awareness and knowing that he was continuing to outlast way better dancers and also realizing how much crap he was going to get for winning from disgruntled fans.

[Carousel]

1 hour ago, luvbadtv said:

I hate how the judges acted so shocked when Normani was announced 3rd.  It's disrespectful to the other two contestants.

My feelings exactly. It is so rude.  I thought Len was extremely rude tonight while delivering his stink faced 9 to Rashad while everyone else gave him a 10.   I thought he did it purposely to give normani the edge, but glad it didn't work out that way.  

And I was glad she got third, not second.   Val is getting to be like Derek always getting the girls with the most potential.  I think he's getting s little full of himself.   Congrats to Rashad and Emma. 

[pennben]

1 hour ago, PBGamer89 said:

The season's theme: if you have dance talent and are a woman, you won't even make the top 2.

I don't watch every season (just when someone I want to see is on..this year, David Ross), it's been a few years since I watched), so this is just a gut reaction.  When you have four or five really great women dancers, it almost feels like you are going to split the votes for the females, so you'll get camps of voters voting for their favorite of the best of the best, if you will.  Then, it seems like one camp doesn't move to another woman's camp.  They either give up or start voting for an underdog male.  And then you get a Rashad who really has grown and can now dance and is fun and you get a David who has a great personality and is really trying and improving, even though he's still lacking in dancing ability....and voila, you have this season. 

The manipulation, in my outside-looking-in-every-so-often view, is that they intentionally had a lot of good women dancers so they knew the vote would split and a man would sneak in with the win.  I honestly don't think they thought David would get this close, however!:)

Edited May 24, 2017 by pennben

[howmanywords]

Its pretty apparent some of the big "Harmonizers" have never, ever watched a single episode of DWTS. Some of the comments I'm seeing on Twitter is making me roll my eyes. I especially love the ones saying the show will now get canceled or that they won't be able to hire any stars because EVERYONE is so devastated about "Mani" losing. Newsflash: DWTS has seen losses even more shocking over the years and the show has continued to chug right along. 

[NeverLate]

28 minutes ago, MsJamieDornan said:

Because the show was past their bedtime ????

LOL,perhaps.

4 minutes ago, howmanywords said:

Its pretty apparent some of the big "Harmonizers" have never, ever watched a single episode of DWTS. Some of the comments I'm seeing on Twitter is making me roll my eyes. I especially love the ones saying the show will now get canceled or that they won't be able to hire any stars because EVERYONE is so devastated about "Mani" losing. Newsflash: DWTS has seen losses even more shocking over the years and the show has continued to chug right along. 

Well said! 

[Egrace]

59 minutes ago, crowceilidh said:

I liked Witney's choreo for the girls - it wasn't a complete stripper pole dance like Mandy gives them usually.

What is with the men without the shirts?  It often looks so awkward.  Sigh.  I guess I'm showing my age.  I like an open shirt -- I like an open shirt removed for effect way way towards the end of the dance, but coming on stage in white pants and no shirt just looks friggen odd.

Normani seemed hellbent on saying something at all times.  Val seems like something bad has happened to him - he doesn't have the authenticity and vulnerability he appeared to have at one point.  I didn't believe that they love each other.  I'm sorry that he's solidified his rep for bad freestyles, because I like his freestyles.

I thought Emma's whingeing about not ever having a chance to get so far, about maybe not EVER having a chance to get so far in the competition again etc. was just as obnoxious as when anyone else does it.  Well, Rashad is a way better dancer than Helio.  Still he has big flat feet.  I thought his fusion dance was pretty weak.

I agree about Val. I don't believe they had a good connection and felt like they tried to give off the impression that they did. He was so much more genuine, silly, and happy with Laurie. When they got third place, Normani completely turned her back toward him and ignored him... did anyone else notice this ?

On your other note, I believe Emma Was actually talking about never being paired with another partner that she become such good friends with/ got along with so well rather than getting far in the season. 

[NeverLate]

22 minutes ago, spanana said:

When I rewatched the winning moment, my main takeaway is David almost looks petrified he might win.  He looked so uncomfortable after Normani was eliminated and he was standing there next to Rashad.  Say what you want about David, but I do think he's a self aware guy when it comes to his talents.  He seemed genuinely relieved when Rashad's name was finally called. I think David was very much prepared to come in 3rd, and then we didn't, saw that he might actually win.  I think it was a combo of self awareness and knowing that he was continuing to outlast way better dancers and also realizing how much crap he was going to get for winning from disgruntled fans.

Actually its not even funny, that some fans get on twitter with all kinds of hate, because David was simply being David.I'm glad he came second, I hope it shows his family just how much he was enjoyed by those that voted. I'm hoping his children don't get to see the stupid ugly tweets.

Edited May 24, 2017 by F. M.

[Toonces464]

11 minutes ago, howmanywords said:

Its pretty apparent some of the big "Harmonizers" have never, ever watched a single episode of DWTS. Some of the comments I'm seeing on Twitter is making me roll my eyes. I especially love the ones saying the show will now get canceled or that they won't be able to hire any stars because EVERYONE is so devastated about "Mani" losing. Newsflash: DWTS has seen losses even more shocking over the years and the show has continued to chug right along. 

I think you run into this every season.....though from what I've seen Normani's fans seem to be more hysterical than most other fan bases.

[NeverLate]

Quote

On your other note, I believe Emma Was actually talking about never being paired with another partner that she become such good friends with/ got along with so well rather than getting far in the season. 

That was my take, and Rashad put in an extra 100 hours with her! Bravo you two..

[voiceover]

1 hour ago, Callaphera said:

 I had everything crossed that the MLB fans [would] outvote the NFL fans.  

No offense, but this sort of reax shows up every season a pro athlete (male) contends.

As if baseball fans would vote for someone just because he was a baseball player!!  Fans support players from THEIR teams, with very few exceptions (thus David's crack about White Sox fans -- two fanbases divided by one city, and ne'er the twain shall meet).  Ranger fans wouldn't vote for an Astro, Jets fans wouldn't vote for a Giant, and no other fan base would vote for a Yankee (or Patriot).

And the Venn diagram that shows "football fans" and "Watches DWTS" has a pretty small intersection.

[NeverLate]

Just now, voiceover said:

No offense, but this sort of reax shows up every season a pro athlete (male) contends.

As if baseball fans would vote for someone just because he was a baseball player!!  Fans support players from THEIR teams, with very few exceptions (thus David's crack about White Sox fans -- two fanbases divided by one city, and ne'er the twain shall meet).  Ranger fans wouldn't vote for an Astro, Jets fans wouldn't vote for a Giant, and no other fan base would vote for a Yankee (or Patriot).

And the Venn diagram that shows "football fans" and "Watches DWTS" has a pretty small intersection.

I don't watch baseball, I'd rather watch paint dry, and I watch CFL not NFL. I didn't know either of these guys, and that was the best part, watching them out of their element, learning each week, taking their lumps from the judges. It was not a great season for me, but these two guys at the end, made it all worthwhile.

[Toonces464]

15 minutes ago, voiceover said:

No offense, but this sort of reax shows up every season a pro athlete (male) contends.

As if baseball fans would vote for someone just because he was a baseball player!!  Fans support players from THEIR teams, with very few exceptions (thus David's crack about White Sox fans -- two fanbases divided by one city, and ne'er the twain shall meet).  Ranger fans wouldn't vote for an Astro, Jets fans wouldn't vote for a Giant, and no other fan base would vote for a Yankee (or Patriot).

And the Venn diagram that shows "football fans" and "Watches DWTS" has a pretty small intersection.

As a baseball fan I totally disagree. Being David was the first MLB player to appear on the show, I think most baseball fans were voting for him, regardless of team affiliation or loyalty.

[Snarklepuss]

31 minutes ago, pennben said:

I don't watch every season (just when someone I want to see is on..this year, David Ross), it's been a few years since I watched), so this is just a gut reaction.  When you have four or five really great women dancers, it almost feels like you are going to split the votes for the females, so you'll get camps of voters voting for their favorite of the best of the best, if you will.  Then, it seems like one camp doesn't move to another woman's camp.  They either give up or start voting for an underdog male.  And then you get a Rashad who really has grown and can now dance and is fun and you get a David who has a great personality and is really trying and improving, even though he's still lacking in dancing ability....and voila, you have this season. 

The manipulation, in my outside-looking-in-every-so-often view, is that they intentionally had a lot of good women dancers so they knew the vote would split and a man would sneak in with the win.  I honestly don't think they thought David would get this close, however!:)

I personally think male sports stars have the edge with the fan bases, and the more major league they are the bigger and more dedicated the fan base and that's how you get a season like this one with one talented woman after another being eliminated before what when based on talent should be their time.  Even female sports stars rarely make the finale and/or win.  I say rarely because it did happen a couple of times (give or take) that I can remember and I've been watching since season 1.  The female sports stars are usually the gymnasts and ice skaters and their fan bases are most likely smaller.  The male sports stars often go farther, and sometimes farther than they probably should on this show.

So in that sense I think Normani had the bad fortune to be stacked up against not one, but two really likable male sports stars with huge fan bases.   Not being a sports fan, this tends to bug me a lot even though I don't begrudge Rashad his win because he certainly deserved it.  But IMO not more than Normani, and possibly not more than at least one or two of the women that were systematically sent home one after the other. 

I notice that Normani's not so popular on this board, and being old and not aware of why this might be the case, I responded to her "cold", just the way I responded to the sports stars as I didn't know them before this either.  I don't care what her "fans" have done on Twitter, I don't hold that against her.  I don't hold her being a little socially awkward against her either or whatever can be seen as a reason to dislike her.  I just could see with my eyes that she was a fabulous dancer.  I guess I've gotten a little more "Len-like" in my old age.

[Callaphera]

29 minutes ago, voiceover said:

No offense, but this sort of reax shows up every season a pro athlete (male) contends.

As if baseball fans would vote for someone just because he was a baseball player!!  Fans support players from THEIR teams, with very few exceptions (thus David's crack about White Sox fans -- two fanbases divided by one city, and ne'er the twain shall meet).  Ranger fans wouldn't vote for an Astro, Jets fans wouldn't vote for a Giant, and no other fan base would vote for a Yankee (or Patriot).

And the Venn diagram that shows "football fans" and "Watches DWTS" has a pretty small intersection.

None taken!

But: 

13 minutes ago, Toonces464 said:

As a baseball fan I totally disagree. Being David was the first MLB player to appear on the show, I think most baseball fans were voting for him, regardless of team affiliation or loyalty.

was what I was thinking. Maybe Rashad got a lot of the NFL vote or not but I think David got a large number of MLB votes. And I know that not everyone fans the same way. But coming from a big NHL fan perspective: I'm a diehard Canucks fan. They're my hometown team. But I still root for other teams in certain situations - I'm pro-Nashville for the Cup even if Ottawa ends up in the finals - and players in situations outside of the NHL. Except when Sean Avery was on DWTS. Hateful little troll of a man. I hate that he was the first (and so far only) NHL player on the show. 

[PBGamer89]

Males in general have the bigger fanbases usually and are usually the inferior dancers, so thats where my dislike of mostly any male celeb comes from.

They don't lead, they get backled, the woman stars have to do way more and flashy, complicated moves and they get ripped to shreds online.

[MsJamieDornan]

13 females have won. I see no problem with that amount.

[PBGamer89]

4 minutes ago, MsJamieDornan said:

13 females have won. I see no problem with that amount.

True, but I think there's most of the times the woman are the shocker eliminations and how many times do women win yet they are the only woman left in the top 4 or top 3. Most of the time women get picked off until one or two are left. Sometimes that one left wins, but the women in general, not just winning get the most bad treatment,.

Edited May 24, 2017 by PBGamer89

[alrightokay]

16 minutes ago, Snarklepuss said:

I notice that Normani's not so popular on this board, and being old and not aware of why this might be the case, I responded to her "cold", just the way I responded to the sports stars as I didn't know them before this either.  I don't care what her "fans" have done on Twitter, I don't hold that against her.  I don't hold her being a little socially awkward against her either or whatever can be seen as a reason to dislike her.  I just could see with my eyes that she was a fabulous dancer.  I guess I've gotten a little more "Len-like" in my old age.

I'm with you!  I enjoyed Normani and Val's dances the most; she was the best all-around performer out of the three finalists, though I understand why she didn't win.  My favorite part of tonight, though, was Heather Morris' dance with the female pros--that was amazing!  In the end, everyone will be alright--all of the stars pretty much went on the show to gain exposure and/or new opportunities, and that's what a lot of them got, whether or not they won (though, I'm not sure if Chris Kattan gained anything, unfortunately).

Edited May 24, 2017 by alrightokay

[voiceover]

38 minutes ago, Toonces464 said:

As a baseball fan I totally disagree. Being David was the first MLB player to appear on the show, I think most baseball fans were voting for him, regardless of team affiliation or loyalty.

"Regardless of team affiliation or loyalty"?? You know much nicer fans than I do. 

And even if voting for MadBum-as-contestant meant I could retire right now, I'd work until I dropped dead.

Edited May 24, 2017 by voiceover

[alrightokay]

2 minutes ago, voiceover said:

"Regardless of team affiliation or loyalty"?? You know much nicer fans than I do. 

And even if voting for MadBum-as-contestant meant I could retire right now, I'd work until I dropped dead.

Oh my god, the thought of Madison Bumgarner doing Dancing with the Stars is just too hilarious!  I think you're safe--he'd never do it (as an SF fan, I love him, but he takes himself way too seriously to ever put himself out there!).

[Snarklepuss]

4 minutes ago, MsJamieDornan said:

13 females have won. I see no problem with that amount.

It's not the number of women winning that's the issue, it's the number of women sent home when competing against hugely popular male sports stars.  They just can't compete with that level of popularity.

56 minutes ago, voiceover said:

As if baseball fans would vote for someone just because he was a baseball player!!  Fans support players from THEIR teams, with very few exceptions (thus David's crack about White Sox fans -- two fanbases divided by one city, and ne'er the twain shall meet).  Ranger fans wouldn't vote for an Astro, Jets fans wouldn't vote for a Giant, and no other fan base would vote for a Yankee (or Patriot).

And the Venn diagram that shows "football fans" and "Watches DWTS" has a pretty small intersection.

Having watched tons of viewer vote competition shows, I've been amazed at how many fans will come out of the woodwork to watch their favorite player/star when they find out they're appearing on a certain competition show.  A lot of people will watch a show they've never watched before just to see them compete.  And they don't even have to watch the show to vote either.  Considering how devoted and competitive some sports fans are, I can believe this happens a lot.  I've watched other competition shows where contestants have asked everyone to vote for them on social media and lobbied and advertised for themselves on and offline, with some pretty significant results.

[Sister Havana]

1 hour ago, voiceover said:

And the Venn diagram that shows "football fans" and "Watches DWTS" has a pretty small intersection.

Not necessarily. Football players generally do pretty well on the show. Four players have won (Emmitt Smith, Hines Ward, Donald Driver, and now Rashad) and several others have made it to the top 3 (Jerry Rice, Jason Taylor, Warren Sapp, Jacoby Jones, and Calvin Johnson). 

[chocolatine]

"Can a plastic surgeon do something to make you dance better?" This is the most I've ever liked Gleb.

It still makes me sad after all those years to watch T-Boz and Chili perform without Left Eye. T-Boz looked very sad, too.

I'm a little sad that Normani didn't win because she's a stunning dancer and seems to be a lovely and humble human being, but I really liked Rashad too, and I'm happy for Emma. I would have laughed myself silly though if David had won.

Edited May 24, 2017 by chocolatine

[PBGamer89]

3 minutes ago, Sister Havana said:

Not necessarily. Football players generally do pretty well on the show. Four players have won (Emmitt Smith, Hines Ward, Donald Driver, and now Rashad) and several others have made it to the top 3 (Jerry Rice, Jason Taylor, Warren Sapp, Jacoby Jones, and Calvin Johnson). 

Yet the two gymnast wins are "too much" the fans say! HAHA

[voiceover]

55 minutes ago, Sister Havana said:

Not necessarily. Football players generally do pretty well on the show. Four players have won (Emmitt Smith, Hines Ward, Donald Driver, and now Rashad) and several others have made it to the top 3 (Jerry Rice, Jason Taylor, Warren Sapp, Jacoby Jones, and Calvin Johnson). 

Reread my posts. I never denied that pro athletes do well on this show.  That's a provable assertion.  

What is not a provable assertion is who is voting for them.  Football players always doing well on the show does not equal NFL fans turning out en masse.

I was only ever mocking the idea that I mock every season.

Edited May 24, 2017 by voiceover

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Not a 5H fan, but Normani should've won.

 

I see she' isn'tliked much here, not surprised.

[crossover]

4 hours ago, Carousel said:

My feelings exactly. It is so rude.  I thought Len was extremely rude tonight while delivering his stink faced 9 to Rashad while everyone else gave him a 10.   I thought he did it purposely to give normani the edge, but glad it didn't work out that way.  

And I was glad she got third, not second.   Val is getting to be like Derek always getting the girls with the most potential.  I think he's getting s little full of himself.   Congrats to Rashad and Emma. 

Len probably knew that 1 point meant nothing.  They've probably known for some time that the only woman who had a fanbase close to Rashad's or David's was Simone.  They would've had to give Normani a lot bigger cushion than a point if he was pulling for her.  They would've started early if Normani was the chosen one by not scoring David and Rashad on par with Normani.

[crossover]

4 hours ago, pennben said:

 The manipulation, in my outside-looking-in-every-so-often view, is that they intentionally had a lot of good women dancers so they knew the vote would split and a man would sneak in with the win.  I honestly don't think they thought David would get this close, however!:)

So agree.  They really didn't have to do a lot of manipulation until they had to make sure that Simone didn't make the finals.  I don't even think they thought David was a surprise.  They knew how the Cubs/Red Sox fans are.

 

17 minutes ago, MrsRafaelBarba said:

Not a 5H fan, but Normani should've won.

 

I see she' isn'tliked much here, not surprised.

Normani wasn't my favorite.  But after the 2nd week, she was my #2.  I loved watching her.  You could tell how much dance meant to her through her movement.   She needed a huge scoring advantage if she were going to win.  Once I saw them bring out the 9 paddles for David, I knew she was done.

I was hoping for a David win.  He was sweet but I could see TPTB heads exploding had they not been able to fend him off.  I really thought he had a chance because Rashad was not that well known.  After Monday, he was within 5 points of Normani with a weak DWTS support system but Rashad had 7 points on him with the NFL fans.  Obviously, a majority of NFL fans are DWTS fans.

[sab85]

I really don't know if I would say that NFL fans gave Rashad the win. It's been shown over and over again that rabid social-media wielding fan bases can't compete with the casual fan core of the show. The demo on this show tends to be older, conservative and female which lines up perfectly to vote for a hard-working, respectful, good-looking guy who's also not a bad dancer.

[gohawks]

I knew Normani would not win. I did not need to watch the finale to know her outcome. Deplorable. 

I am very happy David did not win. While I know it's  a popularity contest that has almost nothing to do with dance, the David's on this show just make me ill.

Happy for Rashad and especially Emma.

Edited May 24, 2017 by gohawks

[nutty1]

I am so happy he won. I will never expect the winner to win because he/she is the best dancer. I think the winner is usually someone who has definitely done fairly well with the dancing and is very likable. It's human nature when the audience votes. We aren't dance pros. But we all have hearts. The person who gives his all, dances well (not expertly) and makes me smile though all the dances.....that is who gets my vote.

[Lady Calypso]

1 hour ago, MrsRafaelBarba said:

Not a 5H fan, but Normani should've won.

I see she' isn'tliked much here, not surprised.

Personally, I don't think Normani should have gotten 3rd, but I would have been just as content with her taking 2nd as I would have if she won. For me, I liked both Rashad and Normani, and thought both had their strengths and weaknesses. But I think what did it for me is the fact that Rashad has no dancing experience, so he came into this competition fresh. I thought he deserved the win because he really was a joy to watch. Were all of his dances great? No, I personally didn't like his Disney dance or his Vegas Night dance. But he really did show growth and he showed that he had the ability to dance, and I actually can remember his dances a little better than Normani's.

Now, Normani's a talented dancer and she deserved that second place way more than David, but the odds were stacked against her because it was clear that she wasn't getting the fans votes. Hence, the very high scores and the very high praise. Yes, she's talented enough to get those scores, but I now realize that they probably were trying to get her scores as high as possible because the votes just weren't cutting it. The majority of her fans are probably a little too young to vote for this show, or (if they're on the East Coast) they couldn't vote because the show ends later. Whatever the reason is, that week with Normani/Val in the bottom, it probably should have been a big clue that the votes were not there and they needed to overcompensate. Plus, David was also getting a very high edit, with his extra bits (like the mention of the Cubs getting to watch his dance during one of their games, or the Skype call with his family) so I just think it came down to the fans' votes. And it was just clear that in the end, Normani didn't have the votes. They couldn't save her from getting those votes to take second place or first.

She would have been a fine winner, really. But I was really drawn to Rashad more, in this particular case. And they presented him more as the underdog because they balanced his praise with his criticism, something they didn't do with Normani much. Plus, I did feel more with his dances early on. Normani's dances were not all memorable. Only her later ones were for me, but by that time, it's almost too late. Not that I can vote as a Canadian anyway, so my votes wouldn't have counted. And she really seems like a sweetheart and I do wish her all the best. This definitely gave her and her girl group exposure. I heard about her group and have listened to two of her songs on the radio, but I never paid attention to the members (besides the other girl who quit a few months ago). Now, well, I still won't care about her group and her music, because I hate that type of music, but I'll actually pay attention to Normani's future. 

[trimthatfat]

I am an unapologetic Normani fan. I had actually never even heard of her prior to this show, but think she's just a very poised young woman who is super talented. She moves very elegantly and she was just the superior dancer in my eyes. I never vote and tried to vote for her for the final win, but honestly couldn't get through. I was very disappointed to see her take 3rd. But I equally adored Rashad and am so glad he took 1st!! He deserved it and earned it.

I don't think David should have gotten 2nd. I really don't. I didn't think he was a very good dancer and just wasn't drawn to him like I was Normani and Rashad.

[ChrisMcGraan]

One more time because it can't be said enough....THE.WINNER.IS.NOT.THE.BEST.DANCER. This show is about who the is able to combine dance skill with likability. Just because Normani was the best dancer this season doesn't mean she should have automatically won. She didn't get the votes, plain and simple. People can be upset Normani didn't win but please don't pretend that was she robbed.