S24.E11: The Finale Part 2

[StatMom]

9 hours ago, Curio said:

Go Rashad! But what in the world was with that awkward golf cart transition? Just let everyone celebrate in the ballroom.

9 hours ago, McManda said:

Charo's guitar playing while Keo and Whitney danced was great.

The ferris wheel can sucked, and so did the golf cart transition at the end. They do a better job when they had to rush to the Grove in the winter finales ... and that's a whole lot further than just outside.

The golf cart was hilarious! Erin drove it... what, 10 feet max? Did it get stuck in that archway frame or something? I don't know what the point of going outside was, anyway. Really didn't need to see the ferris wheel again.

I thought Charo just playing the guitar was a great move. Her beautiful and expert playing let us forget some of her ridiculous behavior earlier in the season.

[TeeMo]

Leave it to Julianne to use her final opportunity to offer one of the finalists her praise to interject a story about herself and once again make things all about her. No one cares that it is 10 years since your first season on the show Julianne or how Rashad and Emma remind you of Apollo and yourself. (Was it Rashad and Emma or David and Lindsey? I don't remember but either way it was obnoxious.)

[bealled]

I am not sure why some found Normani and Val's partnership to appear fake or non-genuine. Just like David/Lindsay and Rashad/Emma I thought they had a great connection and seemed to really enjoy working together. I honestly thought Val seemed happier and more at ease with Normani than he did with Laurie. I think Val felt a huge pressure to win with Laurie because she came in as the most high visibility star of that season and right off the Olympics success. Val seemed more relaxed to me this season, probably because Normani was not one of the hyped stars before the show started. I personally loved their routines and felt something from several of their dances moreso than most of the other contestants. I guess I'm disappointed she came third, but I felt pretty positive Rashad would win so third or second, it really doesn't matter.

Rashad has been very likeable this season and did show improvement/growth. I definitely don't think he was the best dancer (honestly I think Heather, Nancy, Simone and Normani were all better) but he was definitely the fan favorite of the season and underdog. It was also really nice for Emma to finally get a win. Did anyone else wonder if Sharna may have finally gotten her win if she had been paired with Rashad? I feel like Sharna has been a female pro to get some good male dancers, but the timing is always bad when she gets them (like with James or Nick). Yet I feel like the show wants Sharna to win, it just keeps slipping away. I doubt many expected a male winner this season based on how strong the female cast was.

[Venee]

My favorite dances were Normani and Vals fusion and hands down, Whitney's dance she choreographed for the ladies that featured Heather. That was outstanding, and I've watched it back more than once. The result was predictable once we could see the writing on the wall that this seasons theme was" revenge of the non experienced dancers"... It's vote for your favorite, and as long as the show promotes this, there's no reason to say anyone was robbed.

Going forward I think they're going to have to push the "Vote for your favorite" way more, and pump the breaks on the  "You're what this show is all about, taking someone who can't dance and teaching them to dance"  The cognitive dissonance is too much when you cast Celebs with experience. It implies one is deserving while the other isn't and plants the seed that this is how one should vote. It's either that, or stop casting Celebs with experience. I would prefer the former, because I like the mix of having all abilities. I actually would love to see Vanessa Williams do this show someday. She has mega experience in Ballroom too, but she's 54 and I would LOVE to see her on this show. I  would  also like to see,  and I've expressed this on here already, them crown a womens champion and a Mens. This is not to even up the guy vs girl winners, but it is beyond obvious that the demands in a partnership are entirely different, and not comparable. That needs to be taken into account.  I'm surprised they haven't done this by now.

[boyznkatz]

6 hours ago, PBGamer89 said:

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,.

Half of the women who won had Derek as a partner. I think people voted for him more than his partners.  I'm think Nicole would have lost to Evan L. if someone else were her partner. People may disagree, but that's what I think.

That said, I liked Rashad and I'm glad he won. Yay Rashad! Yay Emma!

[bealled]

1 minute ago, boyznkatz said:

Half of the women who won had Derek as a partner. I think people voted for him more than his partners.  I'm think Nicole would have lost to Evan L. if someone else were her partner. People may disagree, but that's what I think.

That said, I liked Rashad and I'm glad he won. Yay Rashad! Yay Emma!

Seriously if Derek were on this season with Normani or Simone he probably would have won. Derek has definitely elevated his partners to wins just because they are paired with him (of course he's a great choreographer too, but on some occasions I didn't think his partner was the best in the cast or even most likeable and they still win).

[crossover]

1 minute ago, bealled said:

Seriously if Derek were on this season with Normani or Simone he probably would have won. Derek has definitely elevated his partners to wins just because they are paired with him (of course he's a great choreographer too, but on some occasions I didn't think his partner was the best in the cast or even most likeable and they still win).

I think Derek has a dedicated fanbase who votes for him and his partner no matter what.  So the celeb doesn't have to have the largest fanbase (still has to be decent though).  He doesn't really elevate his partner but he does mask them very well.  This is an unappreciated face of his choreography.

[gohawks]

53 minutes ago, ChrisMcGraan said:

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.

And again, the show is about ratings.

Everyone watches for different reasons. I, as well as many others watch for the dancing.  If your metric is great dancing and the person you think is the best dancer loses, you may think that person was robbed.

Ultimately the show is about ratings. What each individual viewer thinks the show is about is completely subjective.  There is no rule book, no right or wrong.

 

Not sure what is so difficult to understand about that. 

Edited May 24, 2017 by gohawks

[ban1o]

Yeah I do think the show, especially this season is somewhat biased against girls but you just have to look at the fanbase. Like someone said most of the girls who have won had Derek has a partner and the DWTS audience loves Derek lmao.  Like no way Nicole Scherzinger or Amber Riley would have won if they didn't have Derek. 

I'm happy for Rashad and especially Emma though lol. 

Edited May 24, 2017 by ban1o

[boyznkatz]

1 minute ago, ban1o said:

Yeah I do think the show, especially this season is somewhat biased against girls but you just have to look at the fanbase. Like someone said most of the girls who have won had Derek has a partner and the DWTS audience loves Derek lmao.  Like no way Nicole Scherzinger or Amber Riley would have won if they didn't have Derek. 

Don't forget the ultimate whiner Jennifer Gray who would have been out in week 6 without people voting for Derek. LOL

[jmt111]

Since I'm old and can usually recognize around 15% of the "stars" I fast forward through all the interview blurbs and the predictable judges comments. I just enjoy watching good dance. Naturally I'm disappointed that Normani didn't win, but Rashad was a good choice. David was just no. 

[Snarklepuss]

2 hours ago, sab85 said:

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.

That's a good point too.  I think both things put together are actually the reason Rashad And Dave had the advantage over Normani (and any of the other female stars this season).  Being an older,  middle of the road female myself that loves hard working respectable guys, I don't favor them when I think someone not fitting that description should win, with one exception:  Donny Osmond.  OK, I will consent to voting for him because I was a teenybopper fan of his a million years ago!  But that was in spite of myself, LOL!

Edited May 24, 2017 by Snarklepuss

[crossover]

3 minutes ago, gohawks said:

Everyone watches for different reasons. I, as well as many others watch for the dancing.  If your metric is great dancing and the person you think is the best dancer loses, you may think that person was robbed.

I think the best dancer is the only metric you can use if you are saying someone was robbed.  It's measurable.  Otherwise, you'd have to say you're disappointed.  We know Rashad received the highest percentage of scores/votes but not the particulars.  And we know the scoring wasn't applied on equal terms.  No one knows how many people had Rashad as a favorite vs David or Normani.    But everyone can see that Normani is the best dancer of the 3.

The "I watch for the dancing" people just need time.  They know DWTS is not about the dancing for most voters.

[trimthatfat]

56 minutes ago, ChrisMcGraan said:

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.

For me, David didn't posses any likability. And I thought he was a terrible dancer. It was difficult for me to watch and enjoy his performance. I care more how well someone dances on this kind of show than their likability. It's okay for people to be disappointed that Normani didn't win. Just like it's okay for people to be upset Heather or Nancy or Erika didn't win. It's not a big deal. As long as people are being respectful in their opinions, they should be able to express themselves.

Edited May 24, 2017 by trimthatfat

[Primetimer]

After a ridiculously long and drawn-out finale, the show crowns another winner.

View the full article

[gohawks]

3 minutes ago, trimthatfat said:

For me, David didn't posses any likability. And I thought he was a terrible dancer. It was difficult for me to watch and enjoy his performance. It's okay for people to be disappointed that Normani didn't win. Just like it's okay for people to be upset Heather or Nancy or Erika didn't win. It's not a big deal.

This.

He was not the least bit likable to me. Join that with his complete lack of dance ability and...ugh!

[howmanywords]

55 minutes ago, ChrisMcGraan said:

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.

So much to all this. The best technical dancer has lost many times. The most recent example being Paige. Now Nyle was not a BAD dancer but Paige was overall generally considered the better dancer. Nyle had a great journey though and his story appealed to the core DWTS fans. 

Wasn't Normani in the bottom early in the season? Or placed in jeopardy? That should have been a sign she was not raking in the votes. They may occasionally put people in jeopardy for drama but it should definitely be seen as a warning.

[penbrat]

Happy for Rashad and Emma.  Great ending to a MEH season.    They are officially in my top 6 of favorite DWTS partnerships ever.

Other random thoughts on last night:

WAYYY to long. That extra half hour was not necessary.

Note to Gleb:   Pandering and Mugging for the cameras with what you think is a “sexy” look does not make you look sexy.   It makes you look sleazy.

Erin’s dress looked like a reject off of “Say Yes to the Dress”.

Not looking forward to the Junior’s version AT ALL.  I don’t even know if I will watch.

Maks and Val – please take a season or six off.   And I want Mark and Tony back next season.

[Snarklepuss]

5 minutes ago, trimthatfat said:

For me, David didn't posses any likability. And I thought he was a terrible dancer. It was difficult for me to watch and enjoy his performance. I care more how well someone dances on this kind of show than their likability. It's okay for people to be disappointed that Normani didn't win. Just like it's okay for people to be upset Heather or Nancy or Erika didn't win. It's not a big deal. As long as people are being respectful in their opinions, they should be able to express themselves.

ITA, the mortification factor was high when I watched him.  At least with some male stars that go far on this show you can rationalize that there's a certain charm or physical attraction fueling some of the vote, but not this time.  I've even felt better about cases where I thought the women were voting based on attraction than this.  Even as the "winsome everyman" that proves to the world that he can achieve anything (like that other sports star a few years back whose name escapes me) David fell short.  He didn't have half that charm, IMO.

[MsPH]

I'm really happy Rashad won! I wouldn't have minded Normani either, but truth be told, I do find it more impressive when someone with no previous dance experience shines than when it's someone who's danced since they were three. If this show was strictly about dance technique, they might as well give a ringer the trophy after the first week. Obviously if all the non-ringers suck, then it's a joke if one of them wins, but Rashad was actually very good and not just for a rookie. He clearly has natural talent and I'm all for rewarding him for it. David should've placed behind Normani (and others), but Rashad deserved his win in my opinion.

[boyznkatz]

10 minutes ago, Snarklepuss said:

ITA, the mortification factor was high when I watched him.  At least with some male stars that go far on this show you can rationalize that there's a certain charm or physical attraction fueling some of the vote, but not this time.  I've even felt better about cases where I thought the women were voting based on attraction than this.  Even as the "winsome everyman" that proves to the world that he can achieve anything (like that other sports star a few years back whose name escapes me) David fell short.  He didn't have half that charm, IMO.

Yes, most of his dances were either juvenile or embarrassing (the stripper dance). Like who wants to watch a tubby middle aged guy take off his clothes. It's like watching your friend's dad make a fool of himself. I don't even think Rashad (who has a hot body) could pull that off.

At least the women kept their clothes on and danced their assess off.

[twilightzone]

9 hours 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

And all of these women came into the competition with the most dance experience.  Whereas 0 for the guys.

The original premise of DWTS was supposed to be about contestants with no dance experience.   And it was non-dancers like Jerry Rice, Emmit Smith, Helio Castroneves, etc. who had put this show on the map.

For the record, in 24 seasons there have been 13 female winners - compared to 11 with the men.

[mtlchick]

Stopped watching midway through so only watched the parts where previous dancers returned to dance.  So in no particular order...

-As kooky as she is, Charo's guitar skills always delights me.

-Bruno and Len in Normani's dance was..."no. Stop. DO NOT TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT! -- Damn it." 

-Nick not giving a rat's ass about the Bachelor lines Erin was attempting to throw.  Clearly he's done with being it and I liked him a wee bit more. 

-Seeing Nick and Nancy dance once more made me seethe with "rage" that Bonner outlasted them both.

 

Congrats to Rashad, but it's the first time in seasons I didn't bother with the final hour, which says a lot.

[bealled]

I still can't get over how far Bonner made it this season. I see some people posting about not finding David likeable, but he did have personality and it's easy to see how he appealed to a lot of people. Bonner had zero personality and imo nothing going for him. I really did not find him that hot either when we had Rashad on the show. I can't imagine that many rodeo fans watch, so I really don't know who voted for him. I guess his sex appeal helped him get by? I know he was not capable of performing many moves to the full ability, but I feel like even if he had never been injured this guy just did not have dance ability. He looked stiff just trying to flirt with Sharna and the other female pro during his trio. That trio dance was a train wreck and he definitely deserved to go home after that.

Honestly I don't see how he beat out Heather and Nancy. Really he was worse than Erika and Nick too. Erika I understand beating because she came across so unlikeable. I felt Nick should have outlasted Bonner (although if Nick/Bonner were both ousted during the double elimination I think that would have been fair). I thought the judges gave Bonner a lot of high scores and praise (until he started outlasting better competitors) while I really felt Nick was underscored most of the season. This whole season has just been strange.

[sinycalone]

Since I have not watched every season of DWTS, I cannot tell if my question has any validity (lol):  Is it possible that the reason there have been fewer male "shocking eliminations" than women is simply because far more female celebs had what was considered dance or performance experience?  Many of the male celebs are chosen from sports with no ties to music (football, baseball, bull riding), comedians, actors (no musical performance backgrounds), etc.  On the other hand, a lot of women have been performing as singers/dancers, ice dancers, cheerleaders, and so on.

I found David extremely likable and enjoyed him every week.  Was he a great dancer...nope.  Did he work had and share his joy with us...yep.

Edited May 24, 2017 by sinycalone

[MakeMeLaugh]

44 minutes ago, PreviouslyTV said:

After a ridiculously long and drawn-out finale, the show crowns another winner.

View the full article

<kiss>Thank you!!</kiss> 

[truthaboutluv]

1 hour ago, ban1o said:

 Like no way Nicole Scherzinger or Amber Riley would have won if they didn't have Derek. 

Not getting into the deja vu Derek discussion but just FYI, Amber had a huge and dedicated voting base during her season. I was a Glee viewer at the time (even though it was god awful by that point) and know for a fact how many of them were not DWTS fans, wouldn't even watch the show but would vote for her. They were coordinated in their voting.

Tristan even said it on Afterbuzz after the finale - Amber had the crowd from Day 1 and she never didn't have them. The only person that season who likely had a bigger voting base than Amber was Bill Engvall. And yes, Derek played to her strengths which was her musicality and performance ability, which made her shine. So the combination of her fans, his fans and his giving her routines that played well onscreen, got her the win. YMMV...

Edited May 24, 2017 by truthaboutluv

[tessaforever]

I keep thinking about this interview I read with Derek when he was prepping for Kellie's freestyle. He talked about how her 3 strengths were: core, flexibility, and lines, and how he was going to use those 3 things to their full advantage in the freestyle. Which he did. 

Then I think about Normani - obviously an amazing dancer - and I want to know what Val thought her 3 strongest points were, and how he felt that their freestyle showed those off to the max. 

I just don't think Val thought about it that way, and it's too bad. Normani could have had a spectacular freestyle. Also that type of planning is why Derek has won so many times. 

[Thadeeeyus]

Couldn't be happier with the results.  It's as if I wrote the script!  :) 

[Toonces464]

8 hours ago, Callaphera said:

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. 

I dread the day Erin gets her drug dealing hockey player on the show. LOL

 

8 hours ago, voiceover said:

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

I am a part of what is generally thought to be the most obnoxious fan base in sports. The people I know are not nice. But there are a lot of fans who cheer for the sport, not the laundry.

3 hours ago, sab85 said:

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.

Exactly what I was going to say. I don't think his fan base, or lack of one, mattered. He was the perfect contestant for the demographic. And his looks and personality didn't hurt. At all.

1 hour ago, boyznkatz said:

I'm think Nicole would have lost to Evan L. if someone else were her partner. People may disagree, but that's what I think.

I do disagree. I was Team Erin & Maks that season but really thought Evan would walk away with it. His weak freestyle did him in. But even without it, I think NIcole was just that good and back then people weren't over the ringers like they are now.

Edited May 24, 2017 by Toonces464

[truthaboutluv]

5 hours ago, tessaforever said:

I keep thinking about this interview I read with Derek when he was prepping for Kellie's freestyle. He talked about how her 3 strengths were: core, flexibility, and lines, and how he was going to use those 3 things to their full advantage in the freestyle. Which he did. 

And the next season, when he had Amber, he made it clear in his blog before the finale that her strength was different from Kellie's in that Amber's was her musicality, her fluidity and her personality and that's what her freestyle was going to show, which is exactly what it did. 

Around and around this discussion will keep going until this show goes off the air. But everytime I read how Derek hid his celebrities' flaws and made them seem better than they were, I am always left confused trying to figure out why and how that's a bad thing?

I think we can all agree that none of these people, even someone as good as Normani, will be perfect ballroom dancers in 10 weeks. It just won't happen. The show is a popularity contest that a bunch of people watch to enjoy some fun dances that make them feel happy and vote for the people they like the best. That's it.

Quote

I still can't get over how far Bonner made it this season. I see some people posting about not finding David likeable, but he did have personality and it's easy to see how he appealed to a lot of people. Bonner had zero personality and imo nothing going for him.

Probably one of the biggest mysteries of the season but it just further proves that there really is no accounting for taste. Like you, I saw nothing remotely appealing or attractive in the guy and his dancing was mediocre to awful. But it is what it is. I'm more curious about the story behind his and Sharna's partnership.

It's funny that they tried to sell this big showmance between them at the start of the season because I get the impression they can't stand each other and are more than happy to never see each other again. Sharna gave it away by stating flatly at some movie premiere this past weekend that she hadn't spoken to Bonner at all since they'd been eliminated. You could tell the interviewer was a little thrown by that response.

And Nick did a podcast interview where he was asked about the Sharna and Bonner romance and he said it wasn't true and added a vague, "it's actually quite the opposite" but he didn't clarify. Considering how close Sharna and Peta are, I'm guessing he knew a thing or two about what was really happening in that partnership. 

Edited May 24, 2017 by truthaboutluv

[Sister Havana]

27 minutes ago, sinycalone said:

Since I have not watched every season of DWTS, I cannot tell if my question has any validity (lol):  Is it possible that the reason there have been fewer male "shocking eliminations" than women is simply because far more female celebs had what was considered dance or performance experience?  Many of the male celebs are chosen from sports with no ties to music (football, baseball, bull riding), comedians, actors (no musical performance backgrounds), etc.  On the other hand, a lot of women have been performing as singers/dancers, ice dancers, cheerleaders, and so on.

That's an excellent point. The only males that I think could have been considered ringers are Mario Lopez, Evan, Charlie, Roshon, Riker, Corbin, and Alfonso. Of that group, only Charlie and Roshon were "shocking eliminations." Alfonso won his season, and the rest got to the finals.

[sab85]

I think women are just way more likely to have some dance (or dance relevant) experience.  I'm one of the few females in my friends or family who had never taken any sort of dance class. But I will say there is a big distinction between someone who had 3 years of dance class as a little girl and someone who had danced 10-15 years.

[absnow54]

That's an excellent point. The only males that I think could have been considered ringers are Mario Lopez, Evan, Charlie, Roshon, Riker, Corbin, and Alfonso.

I feel like any contestant from a 90's boy band should also be considered a ringer, so I would add Drew, any Joey, Lance, and Nick to the list too (and didn't they all make the finals too?)

[sinycalone]

1 hour ago, Toonces464 said:

I am a part of what is generally thought to be the most obnoxious fan base in sports. The people I know are not nice. But there are a lot of fans who cheer for the sport, not the laundry.

Are you from the Philadelphia area, too?  lol    There many fans in the Philly region who are avid but sensible -- then there are those who are just nuts.  I like to think the people in my circle are of the former variety...and we rooted for David.

[DollEyes]

Congrats to Rashad & Emma! All the lame partners that Emma has had before makes this victory even sweeter. Rashad was the right partner at the right time. However, it was annoying that Sasha apparently didn't even get the chance to congratulate Emma-aka his fiancee'-before she & Rashad got whisked away, and in a golf cart, at that. 

[vibeology]

1 hour ago, Toonces464 said:

I dread the day Erin gets her drug dealing hockey player on the show. LOL

I've seen this brought up before but I don't understand the reference. Jarret Stoll was never charged with or found guilty of any drug dealing crimes. He was charged with felony possession of cocaine and ecstasy and pled that down to a misdemeanor possession. He was the guy caught holding on a Vegas weekend. It's not good but it certainly isn't dealing.

Thinking back on that long drawn out finale, I can only say I'm disappointed. The results are what I wanted but the way everything rolled out was not great. Between the judges having a meltdown when Normani finished third (again, if you think there's such a clear difference between her and another contestant to warrant a meltdown, score the contestants appropriately!), the strange golf cart ending that made sure that neither Rashad or David really got their moments and the fact that this was 2 1/2 hours of drawn out nothing really killed the finale and I think the season which started off so strong went out with a total whimper.

[deemac]

I didn't watch, but have dvr'd , might watch, and read through all the comments.  I'm happy about Rashad especially since it seems he didn't get picked up for a NFL team and I assume that's why he's going on the tour....

David, oh David.  I have absolutely not been able to get over his grousing over his age....40!!!!  That has bugged me all season.  I'm way way over 40, if I try real hard I can sorta remember it.  Don't mind where he wound up, don't mind where Normani wound up, glad Rashad got a temporary job.....but still gobsmacked over whining about 40 lol

[Archery]

I was switching back and forth between The Singing Show and The Dancing Show, so it was like an old time Saturday night variety TV evening for me (Lawrence Welk, Sonny and Cher, Flip Wilson -- yes, I'm ancient).  I don't think it's ever happened that the ones I was rooting for won in both competitions. 

I think my favorite moment was during Rashad and Emma's fusion dance, when Rashad went from stern-face-tango to full-smile-cha-cha, and it was like the sun came out, LOL.  I'm glad Charo got a chance to play flamenco guitar; it washed away the taste of her obnoxious craziness. 

The only male "shock boot" I can recall was Wanya, but I don't know if he was considered a ringer.  I've never really understood what makes one fit into that category. 

[Packerbrewerbadger]

Seeing highlights from Normani's season really made me miss the freestyle that might have been! 

[dustoffmom]

13 hours ago, colorbars said:

 

Quote

 

13 hours ago, colorbars said:

But I guess you can never underestimate the general public to vote for an likable white guy.

The general public will usually vote for a "likeable guy".  The adjective white was unnecessary to this statement.  JMO of course.

 

 

 

[Runningwild]

So happy Rashad won! I would have been okay with a David win too. I think it's because Normani just leaves me cold. I see no personality whereas with David and Rashad I see their charm and charisma. 

 

As as far as Derek goes - he won a lot because he choreographed the dances to showcase his partner and her strengths. Val (and Mark) don't tend to do that. They are more likely to show off their own skills (obviously Mark more than Val). 

[dynamiteguy]

I don't understand the dislike for "ringers" in this competition. If there were a season cast full of Bonners, would you watch? Would you be satisfied? Would you be entertained? There needs to be a talent gradient. And pulling people with backgrounds that may predispose them to success in ballroom dance is fair. And not everyone meets those expectations. And I've seen a bunch of reaching as to what makes a ringer. Dance forms outside of ballroom does not a ringer make. Cheerleading does not a ringer make. I've seen examples of basically anyone who has done a basic two-step at the club is now a ringer. Lol. 

[tessaforever]

2 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

And the next season, when he had Amber, he made it clear in his blog before the finale that her strength was different from Kellie's in that Amber's was her musicality, her fluidity and her personality and that's what her freestyle was going to show, which is exactly what it did. 

Around and around this discussion will keep going until this show goes off the air. But everytime I read how Derek hid his celebrities' flaws and made them seem better than they were, I am always left confused trying to figure out why and how that's a bad thing?

I think it was great strategy on Derek's part, not a bad thing (sorry if I implied otherwise). Not so much hiding their flaws as capitalizing on their strengths. Val did that with Rumer and Laurie but not Zendaya or Normani. 

22 minutes ago, Packerbrewerbadger said:

Seeing highlights from Normani's season really made me miss the freestyle that might have been! 

OMG, totally! Honestly Val had a partner that could handle just about anything, the sky was the limit!!

[skyways]

Yes once again Val laid an egg in the freestyle. I had tuned out this season since I have indeed finally understood that it is just a ratings show where the rational for the audience voting makes zero sense to me. But I tuned in just in time to catch Normani's freestyle. As soon as I saw it was a flowy number complete with a flowy dress and I said to myself..... ( get it?? lol!) Val done lay an egg! Her Jazz should have been substituted with this freestyle.

As for the dancer female/mediocre male ( that's what I call them) debate, my take is that if not for Derek.....most of the winners on this show would have been 'the smiling, charismatic, well-built male' who manages to get to the finale based on the judges like Carrie Ann over praising their 'charm and hard-work'. Nobody will listen to Len pointing out till doomsday that their technique is all wrong. Seen it all before and still annoyed by it. No male would EVER be voted off if they had half the technique that those 'shock elimination' ladies had - Paige, Heather, Zendaya, Sabrina, Stacy Kiebler.....I can go on and on. All lost to the smiling, left-footed charming athlete. Also a combination of poor freestyles when COMPARED with said male also did them in.

Well at least I predicted the winner.

[knhinson]

This season was so much fun to watch! I created this visualization using data on each contestant. Check it out! I totally understand the shock over Val/Normani finishing 3rd place, but I really think viewers felt as if she had such an advantage (with such a strong dance background). I think Rashad worked very hard & improved so much (which was really impressive).

 https://public.tableau.com/views/DancingwiththeStars/DWTS?:embed=y&:display_count=yes&:showVizHome=no

 

Edited May 24, 2017 by knhinson

[suebee12]

53 minutes ago, deemac said:

David, oh David.  I have absolutely not been able to get over his grousing over his age....40!!!!  That has bugged me all season.  I'm way way over 40, if I try real hard I can sorta remember it.  Don't mind where he wound up, don't mind where Normani wound up, glad Rashad got a temporary job.....but still gobsmacked over whining about 40 lol

I think that David was speaking from a baseball player's view. He was old for a baseball player, especially for a catcher. He and Ben Zobrist were the "oldies" on the team and as such, were the guiding force for all the really young players, thus David's nickname Gramps. ( I really loved the team name they came up with "Lady and the Gramps"....obviously David is not a gramps since his kids are all really young.

[Brynnjk]

2 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

And the next season, when he had Amber, he made it clear in his blog before the finale that her strength was different from Kellie's in that Amber's was her musicality, her fluidity and her personality and that's what her freestyle was going to show, which is exactly what it did. 

Around and around this discussion will keep going until this show goes off the air. But everytime I read how Derek hid his celebrities' flaws and made them seem better than they were, I am always left confused trying to figure out why and how that's a bad thing?

I think we can all agree that none of these people, even someone as good as Normani, will be perfect ballroom dancers in 10 weeks. It just won't happen. The show is a popularity contest that a bunch of people watch to enjoy some fun dances that make them feel happy and vote for the people they like the best. That's it.

Probably one of the biggest mysteries of the season but it just further proves that there really is no accounting for taste. Like you, I saw nothing remotely appealing or attractive in the guy and his dancing was mediocre to awful. But it is what it is. I'm more curious about the story behind his and Sharna's partnership.

It's funny that they tried to sell this big showmance between them at the start of the season because I get the impression they can't stand each other and am more than happy to never see each other again. Sharna gave it away by stating flatly at some movie premiere this past weekend that she hadn't spoken to Bonner at all since they'd been eliminated. You could tell the interviewer was a little thrown by that response.

And Nick did a podcast interview where he was asked about the Sharna and Bonner romance and he said it wasn't true and added a vague, "it's actually quite the opposite" but he didn't clarify. Considering how close Sharna and Peta are, I'm guessing he knew a thing or two about what was really happening in that partnership. 

I think part of it is fans wishing James had won.  I adored James and I was hoping Sharna would get a good partner this time.  I tried to like Bonner but quickly left that train and jumped on the Nancy or Rashad train.  I love dance technique but in a show that is all about the journey and the charisma, I tend to vote for those that inspire me to actually vote.  And as someone who has been on the dance competition circuit for years technique isn't what inspires me to vote.  It's that elusive element of chemistry between partners with a likable contestant, combined with hard work and growing technique that make me pick up my phone.  

[lavenderblue]

Paige lost to the charming deaf America's Next Top Model winner who surely was racking up the votes from all sorts of sectors, and speaking as someone for whom Paige is her all-time favorite female contestant, Paige only made it top 2 thanks to her own talent and, probably to some extent, Mark's fanbase (though Mark could only carry Willow and Alexa so far in the seasons before) -- can't imagine there was a big overlap in DWTS and UFC fanbases. Paige beat out Antonio Brown and Von Miller, two well-known NFL stars. Zendaya lost to the flexible, female country singer.

My favorite this season was Nancy, because I feel Artem gave her the most faithfully challenging ballroom content, and she delivered. I can support any argument that cites Heather as the "best" dancer, for obvious reasons, though the choreo she had to work with was, of course, hit or miss. To me Normani fell behind both of these women as ballroom dancers, and maybe tied with Simone, because I simply still don't know if she could handle a full-out content-packed routine. Val stinted on it, and when she was tasked with dancing in hold late in the season, she continued to struggle. I tie her with Simone because Normani was certainly a better performer, but I did feel that Sasha made the stronger effort to teach his partner the syllabus (though he also packed in more tricks than I might have liked).

In the end, though, with the last few standing, my vote was with Rashad -- Emma challenged him, he was good enough in a number of areas that have often been challenging for male celebrities on this show, they connected as dancers, and before Monday, when the tide suddenly turned, I never got the sense of manipulation that I did from Val and Normani's treatment. And given her third-place finish, now I think it's true the judges, and some aspects of production, were pushing her to compensate for a lack of votes. And frankly, I resented that treatment on behalf of other ladies -- Nancy and Heather were critiqued on details that were largely glossed over for Normani; Nancy never got a single 10, Heather was only given some as a farewell prize, while Normani (and, to be fair, Simone as well to a lesser degree) began picking them up like candy from an early point.

And that, frankly, might help illustrate the split vote problem that happens when you cast lots of like talent in a single season...and treat said talent in a dissimilar fashion.

No comment on David but congrats to Lindsay on one outstanding record as a pro so far, even if she should have another finals appearance on there with Wanya.

Edited May 24, 2017 by lavenderblue

[Toonces464]

1 hour ago, sinycalone said:

Are you from the Philadelphia area, too?  lol    There many fans in the Philly region who are avid but sensible -- then there are those who are just nuts.  I like to think the people in my circle are of the former variety...and we rooted for David.

New York. :)

1 hour ago, DollEyes said:

Congrats to Rashad & Emma! All the lame partners that Emma has had before makes this victory even sweeter. Rashad was the right partner at the right time. However, it was annoying that Sasha apparently didn't even get the chance to congratulate Emma-aka his fiancee'-before she & Rashad got whisked away, and in a golf cart, at that. 

It's funny because I was thinking how nice it was that Emma and Rashad had a moment for just the two of them, unlike the season Nyle won and the entire fam rushed the stage the second his name was announced.

1 hour ago, vibeology said:

I've seen this brought up before but I don't understand the reference. Jarret Stoll was never charged with or found guilty of any drug dealing crimes. He was charged with felony possession of cocaine and ecstasy and pled that down to a misdemeanor possession. He was the guy caught holding on a Vegas weekend. It's not good but it certainly isn't dealing.

The guy was carrying enough drugs to supply a small army, and at least one wasn't of the variety for a bunch of guys having a boys weekend in Vegas. YMMV. 

37 minutes ago, Archery said:

The only male "shock boot" I can recall was Wanya, but I don't know if he was considered a ringer.  I've never really understood what makes one fit into that category. 

Charlie White.