VOTE and RANK The Top Three 2nd Place Finishers On Dancing With The Stars (Final Poll)
Thanks for all of your votes in our first round in Battle Of The 2nd Place Finishers On Dancing With The Stars!! Mel B and Maks Chmerkovksiy, Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke, and Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough came in first place in the three polls! Now let’s take a final Poll to see who wins between these three couples. VOTE away and be sure to let us know in comments how you voted! You can also RANK them as well.
All three were good in different ways, but, I voted for Shawn and Derek in the end. Here’s how I’d rank them:
1. Shawn and Derek (loved their creativity, boundless energy, and over the top tricks)
2. Gilles and Cheryl (loved their passion and mobility)
3. Mel B and Maks (loved their journey and entertainment factor)
I voted for Shawn and Derek. Many of their routines were Emmy-worthy, two of which helped Derek earn an Emmy.
No contest, Shawn and Derek
No doubt Shawn and Derek BUT I have a HUGE soft spot for Mel And Maks well mainly Mel. She defined my childhood Im a bona fide 90’s English person. So for purely sentimental reasons I voted for THE ORIGINAL M&M as I coupld relate to Mel more than Shawn
Some of my all time favorite dances come from
Shawn and Derek. Hands down should have won. DWTS manipulation at its best. Mel and Maks were great, I thought her S&M style Paso was one of the best and sexiest pasos on the show and one if Maka best but Jules and Helio had the x-factor and that put them over tge top. For me Giles was handsome but nit that good. Having watched all season and many dances repetitively, I think Corbin ( trained dancer, I know) was the best male celeb followed by Mario Lopez. Mario is the best non dancer( not counting a little training as a child) ever on the show. He and Karina were robbed by the Emmitt popularity vote so for me , Giles isn’t even in my top 3 all time male dancers.
1. Derek and Shawn
2. Mel and Maks
3. Giles and Cheryl but IMO Mario and Karina ( above Mel&Mak too)
I voted for Shawn and Derek but honestly think Val and Zendaya were the best hands down!!!
I’d rank them:
Shawn & Derek: Just an amazing couple who every week gave some amazing dances with choreographies that were just brilliant. Loved them!
Mel & Maks: Now, I didn’t watch their season but I have seen several of their dances and I think between her and Gilles, I liked more of Mel’s dances.
Gilles & Cheryl: As I said, between him and Mel B, I liked more of Mel’s dances. The only dance I really liked from Gilles was his Argentine Tango… the other ones weren’t as impressive imo.
Zendaya can’t touch Shawn. Not even close. And Shawn actually danced in ballroom shoes!!
no doubt, no question, hands down miles ahead – Shawn & Derek …
I voted Shawn & Derek 1st choice
(hands down spot on no doubt about it the best dancer so far on the show, no drama or show-mancing, just great chemistry, great technically, great performance of artistry, great choreography)
I agree with PHeidi…..Shawn Johnson was way over the top compared to Zendaya.
And, Shawn was way over the top compared to Melissa W. and should have taken the win. It wouldn’t have mattered about Derek exceeding the boundaries a little, because the fix was already in the makings for Melissa & Tony anyway.
2nd choice–Gilles & Cheryl
3rd Choice–Mel B & Maks
I voted for Maks & Mel. They should have won hands down in their season Giles was great & he also deserved win his season too. I loved Shawn. & Derek. They did great, but I always believe that having a gymnastics background is an advantage, but they did deserve the win though
Yeah, and ice dancing is an advantage, being a professional cheerleader is an advantage (Melissa), Mel also had a huge advantage from the Spice Girls – no different than Nicole, on paper. Nicole just had the better partner.
Funny how it’s only when paired with Derek that these “advantages” are called out. Seems to me that DEREK is the advantage.
Without a doubt, Shawn and Derek. Zendaya isn’t even in the same class of dancing as Shawn and as someone said, Shawn danced in proper shoes, not sneakers and flats.
I couldn’t vote for Giles. I liked more of his dances than the others but I still have all star seson in my head. So that left the other two and I ended up voting for Shawn.
Shawn and Derek without a doubt. Two of their dances got Derek his well deserved Emmy, which more than makes up for them not winning the MBT. And as Heidi mentioned, Shawn danced in ballroom shoes, not sneakers and flats as Zendaya did practically every week!
I voted for Gilles and Cheryl. Not the douche bag we saw in the all-star season, but the sweet, earnest, eager to please guy we saw with Cheryl.
To me Gilles is one of the most natural dancers ever on the show. He had an innate grace and charisma on the dance floor. I love to see a graceful, yet masculine man dance.
I fully agree that Shawn and Derek should have won the all stars season. I just personally think, barefoot, sneakers, flats, whatever she chooses to wear Zendaya had something very special for a girl of 16. A league of her own, truly.
I tend to think she was something special BECAUSE she was only 16.
In my personal opinion, Zendaya at 16 was better than Shawn at 17. So I’d be interested to see what would happen if Zendaya came back a second time (and danced in ballroom shoes!) to see if she could be better than Shawn. I think she could be, but Shawn was great the second time so maybe not.
But hey, you can’t argue that things are going well for Shawn and Zendaya at the moment, anyway. Shawn’s wrapped up Celebrity Apprentice and probably got some money for her charity, and Zendaya’s snagged the lead role in the Aaliyah biopic.
Heidi, is there a private email where I can reach you.
I emailed you Della.
Wow, no contest there: Shawn & Derek without a doubt, imo. They did routines that have never been seen or done before on the show: Knight Rider Bangra for one, and that freestyle move where Shawn stood on Derek’s shoulders, for goodness sake, and then they both tumbled forward. I was aghast at that one for sure, because that could’ve been an accident waiting to happen if any other celeb or pro tried it. Those two were heads and tails above anyone else, imo, and were robbed of the MBT. But justice was sweet in that Emmy win!!
Shawn & Derek for sure. I have to admit though that this was a tough category because all the contestants were excellent their respective seasons. Shawn, however, was AMAZING!!! She was fearless with Derek! Pushing him to levels NEVER seen on DWTS. They deserved that blinged out trophy and title for BEST of the BEST!!
DW,
Justice was sweet in that Emmy WIN for Derek though!!!-ha
[…] You have selected your winner for the 2nd place finishers on Dancing With The Stars. Drum rolls please….and the winner is Derek Hough and Shawn Johnson!! To view the results, see this post. […]
Zendaya is fantastic and was a such joy to watch, but even in her first season, I think Shawn had more technical precision than Zen. But Zendaya’s got pitch perfect performance instincts like I’ve never seen. If Zendaya ever comes back for a possible All Star season, her technique could be among the best, up there with Nicole Scherzinger IMO.
As for the poll….Goodness it was so hard for me to choose my fave 2nd place finisher from seasons 13-18 I ended up not voting in the original poll lol. As an unabashed High School Musical fan I love Corbin, even though I didn’t see most of S17, so Corbin & Karina were a sentimental favorite. Loved Zendaya, the girl had undeniable star quality and I loved her passion for performing. Amy & Derek were the most remarkable and unique partnership the show’s ever had. Then again Shawn & Derek completely mesmerized me every dance. So it was a draw for me.
Now that the poll is narrowed down, I voted Shawn & Derek because she turned out top quality Emmy-winning performances and was the best dancer of All Stars, even though Mel & Maks will always be my sentimental favorite. I think they were the hottest couple to be on DWTS. Their chemistry was natural, but most importantly, they had killer performances. That was back when Maks was on fire with choreo. Those “Free Your Mind” & “Satisfaction” Pasos still give me chills. Set the standard IMO of everything a Paso should be.
Actually, Kay, that’s something I can agree with. I think Zendaya had more things that she needed to polish and to work on, but I do think once she is maybe a bit older and more ready, she could really come back and be technically even better.
Shawn and Derek – by lord they’re the best ever seen on dwts imo. I think zendaya may have seemed better than s8 Shawn because she was more outgoing and less shy, but Shawn was definitely a way better dancer.
Of course, Zendaya was a better technical dancer…she has had experience AND did get a brief “lesson” with Mark & Derek while rehearsing for that Beauty & the Beast commercial for Disney Channel. I think Shawn’s personality and like ability puts Shawn over the top.
One brief lesson for a commercial hardly makes her Cheryl or Karina, though.
It wasn’t a commercial, Jen. It was an actual SHOW. Besides that show, she did have MUCH more experience than Shawn did, no question. More dancing experience and more performing experience.
Longest clip I can find of it is 2 minutes long. If that’s a show, then I’m lost.
What dance did Zendaya learn in that Beauty & the Beast commercial? Waltz? I wouldn’t say that gave her an advantage in ballroom though. It was one dance done in multiple takes to get it right for that Disney special. I’d say it’s equal to Brandy doing the Waltz for the Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella movie. I don’t count that as real experience.
Now her hip hop training, experience performing on stage, choreographic experience on Shake It Up, and acting chops were definitely advantageous. I don’t think anyone could argue all of that.
I don’t think Shawn’s gymnastics floor routines gave her much of an edge. I mean, it didn’t do much for Aly Raisman, who wasn’t even half the dancer that Shawn was in her first season. But I digress. Zendaya had more experience, but Shawn ended up being more skilled. I think Shawn was better at finishing all her movements, so I’d give her the edge technique wise over Zendaya. But Zendaya is what I call a “power dancer”–she knocks you out with her charisma. I know that for me, she was so entertaining & full on that I wasn’t able to detect any technical errors in her dances at least the first few times I’d watch her.
Sorry, but learning a ballroom dance, even if only one, is far more experience than a lot of people who come on that show have. A ringer is a ringer. They’re different different levels but Zendaya is definitely one. My argument is with those claiming Zendaya is a better dancer than Shawn, as if they started out on equal footing. They didn’t- Zendaya had dance experience. Shawn had her athletic ability, but clearly that’s not what it takes to be a great dancer. Look at Ally.
@PH True, she has that experience on most people. But allow me to rephrase =. I just don’t think Zendaya’s one ballroom “lesson” is significant compared to her resume of performing experience. She’s a ringer whether anyone holds it over her head or not, for obvious reasons. She’s a trained hip hop dancer & does choreography as part of her profession. Similar type of a ringer as Sabrina Bryan.
But I get your point and I agree with you. And I’ll add my observation over the years: I do think that the average viewer who doesn’t know much about ballroom technique would be inclined to think Zendaya’s the better dancer because she’s a maximum impact performer. Doesn’t mean they’re right of course.
I don’t think they would say that based on Shawn’s season with *Derek* though, Kay. Derek’s season with Shawn put Zen and Val to shame, really.
Maybe not, but here’s something else I thought about: you know how judges comments affect viewer perception? Well the judges were a lot kinder to Zendaya. Lots of praise, not much criticism. But the whole season they nitpicked Shawn to death.
True…but it’s a rare thing that the judges are actually RIGHT. They wanted to level the playing field for Shawn…they had a vested interest in making sure that Zen made the finals. That guides their comments. Much like they had an interest in Maks and Meryl winning, Charlie not so much.
If only the average viewer were that astute, though. Many take the judges comments & scores as gospel. The sheeple wouldn’t be so aware that TPTB often have an agenda and that since maybe Season 10 or 11, the show has becoming increasingly manipulative.