PureDWTS Season 19, The Finale – Power Rankings
ZOMG guise Janel r hurt! Janel didnt getz enuf rehursul tyme! O the humanatee!!! Seriously, felt like the lolcat sympathy hour for awhile there, with everyone reacting with such horror at poor Janel and her rib injury and lack of rehearsal time. Nevermind the fact that Alfonso has been injured FOR WEEKS, or that all of the contestants this season have outside commitments. I took Tavis to task almost 2 months ago for complaining about not having enough rehearsal time – you best believe I’m an equal-opportunity chastiser, and I’m gonna take Janel to task for it too. You don’t get to sign up for DWTS, knowing you have another commitment, and then complain about how little rehearsal time you have. Bethany & Derek made do with 7 hours for one dance. Suck it up, buttercup.
All that aside – tonight was a pretty strong night for just about every dance. Probably the strongest freestyle round, across the board, that we’ve seen in awhile, with everyone committing 100% to their dances. I don’t think anyone struggled with showmanship. Judges’ choice round could have been a bit better, but overall I think everyone did ok. Tomorrow night should be interesting, though – with only 3 points separating the leader (Alfonso) from the third place (Janel), they really are kinda throwing it to the fans to figure out – and while I’m pretty sure I know how things will shake out, the fact that they did a real bottom 2 tonight will probably whip some fans into a voting frenzy. How convenient.
As for Bethany – she should’ve stayed. Even though she fumbled a bit on her jive (dumb bed), I thought her freestyle was spot-on and was her strongest dance yet. Sorry to see her go – she seemed to have finally blossomed. But I think she and Derek went out on a high note, and can take pride in what a fantastic job they did this season. 🙂
3rd place: Janel & Val
Note that it was Bethany & Janel in the bottom 2 tonight – and this was after Janel was 2 points away from a perfect score last week. So even with a near-perfect score – she couldn’t get past Alfonso & Sadie. For that reason alone, I’m gonna venture a guess that Sadie & Alfonso are (as predicted) running away with the bulk of the votes. Now Janel will probably get a slight boost in votes from the fact that she was actually in the bottom two tonight, but my gut still says that the average viewer is gravitating towards (and voting for) either Alfonso or Sadie. I do, however, think Janel will end up with the encore – I saw some folks on Twitter just eating that freestyle up, and tweeting accordingly. Last I checked, she was the only one that was actually trending – but you know what? I say let her have the encore. If her fans are so busy tweeting, they probably aren’t voting. As for the freestyle itself – sure, she didn’t mess up, she was invested in it, and there were some pretty lifts. But you know what? Nobody tonight messed up their freestyle, EVERYONE was invested in it, and everyone had their own sets of tricks to impress. So then it becomes a matter of how memorable her freestyle was – and sorry guys, but nothing about this felt new, fresh, or unique to me. In fact, it kinda felt like a recycle of his contemporary with Kelly in season 15 – even down to some of the floor spacing, the moves, and the running up the steps. But hey, they got to make goo-goo eyes at each other, and that’s all that matters, right? As for their judges’ choice – didn’t feel much different this time around. Still didn’t feel like a samba. Oh well.
Runner-up: Sadie & Mark
Thank god this week is one of the weeks that Sadie actually got scored fairly 🙂 I think she hit a nice stride tonight – she seemed to be having a blast during her samba – maybe got a little bit of excited puppy syndrome and got a little messy on some of the footwork, but it was still very fun to watch 🙂 I actually have to give Mark major props for having the cojones to do a Super Mario Bros. freestyle – I was admittedly VERY skeptical when I heard it, thinking “Ok, this is gonna ruin Sadie’s chances of winning.” On the contrary – I think it just may have solidified her place in the top 2. Loved the energy of it, and how they incorporated some of the signature Mario moves into it – also appreciated that it was fun, playful, and not overtly sexy…it was very SADIE. And I thought she just looked stinkin’ adorable in her Princess Peach outfit 🙂 As I mentioned above, I’m pretty comfortable saying that she & Alfonso are probably the top 2 vote-getters of the season – so I still think it will come down to her and Alfonso as the last two standing. And simply because Fonz is my favorite – I’m putting Sadie 2nd. But that’s the only reason – really & truly, I think Sadie has earned the MBT every bit as much as Alfonso – I’ve seen great performances and a great attitude from her week after week, and I’ve enjoyed watching her. I’d be perfectly fine seeing her hoist that trophy tomorrow – ok, maybe not perfectly fine. MOSTLY fine 😉
The winner: Alfonso & Witney
I’ve made no secret that these two are my favorite couple of the season – hell, they were my favorite couple even before they were a couple 😛 And after tonight, I think they’ve more than earned their place not only as the winners of this season, but my favorite couple of all-time. Just love the way they’ve worked together this season – I know a lot of people scoffed when we broke the news that Witney got “Fonz” as her partner, saying that she “hadn’t paid her dues” yet, but honestly…I can’t imagine him with anyone other than her. She’s given him great choreography and worked with his strengths all season. She’s also done a bang-up job of working with his injuries. So at the end of the day – I’m glad Wit ended up being his partner instead of one of the other female pros. Anywho! These two had probably the strongest showing of the night – the jive was even more flawless this time around, and I even enjoyed the extra 30 seconds of choreography they threw in…just allowed Fonz to be his cool, smooth self. And that freestyle – wow. I think that may be my favorite of all-time on DWTS – loved the tapping. Loved the side-by-side jazz. Loved the homage to a lot of their routines this season. And ADORED the “Jump on It” interlude 😎 I think (and I hope) America was as entertained as I was and picked up the phones as a result – I’m banking on the fact that his name seemed to be on everyone’s lips this season. God I hope he’s the one going on the national tour – I’d fork over the $400 for the VIP package if I knew he was gonna be there!
So that’s my thought’s on tonight’s show…what are yours?
Courtney, I go with your ranking! Hope that is the way it will turn our tomorrow. Thank you for your amazing job on this site all season!
I have to say that I am so torn between Alfonso and Sadie. For sheer dance ability, I think Alfonso should win. My god, that man can move. Even injured. For sheer likability, Sadie should win. I was never a fan of Duck Dynasty, but she has won me over.
Wish Bethany had stayed and Janel had left. But Janel being in the real bottom two gives me hope. She’s not beating Alfonso or Sadie.
I would love to see Alfonso get the encore, but I would be fine with Bethany as well. She gave it her all this season and should be so proud. If her fans knew how to vote rather than tweet, she’d be in the final three.
I for sure LOVED Alfonso’s freestyle dance! So fun and Witney keeps impressing me more and more! Loved the encore Jive they did too. Again, I like the upbeat stuff the most. I would love for Alfonso to have the encore, but I bet Janel will.
Bethany’s 2nd dance was amazing, but did it bug anyone else how dark it was? Plus, on the youtube they didn’t have the sound to the song for like most of the song?! What’s up with that?
Sadies’ was very cute and fun. It did fit well for her & we all know it was Mark’s dream come true to dance to that song. What was the let down was her encore dance.
As usual, I didn’t watch Janel’s. I just can’t.
Yeah, the judges have thrown up their hands on this one. It’s going to be by votes.
Looking forward to the finale!
Let me say at the beginning I’m a Val fan became one on season 16 .This season I did not vote for him because of the showmance and I when with the best dancer Alfonso. There are many Val fans that are not voting for him or Janel for the same reason. Just thought I would let you know.
Its $500 for the VIP package
Great rankings Courtney! I hope you’re right. Question: Has anyone every been in the bottom two in part one of the finale, and gone on to win?
To me, Alfonso and Sadie won the freestyle round resoundingly. Sadie’s freestyle was everything I’d hoped it would be, so fun and creative and so very Sadie! And Alfonso just stole the night with his tap dance. Hands down, my favorite freestyle EVER. The choreography was fantastic, the dancing was on point, and the performance quality was amazing! I do think he will win tomorrow. I also wish he’d get the encore, but it’ll probably be either Bethany or Janel who gets it. What a great end to the season.
Most of Beth’s fan are now voting for Janel!! That’s quite a big advantage don’t you think?
Great show tonight, even despite the interruptions. The freestyles this season definitely have been stepped up and I agree with your rankings, Courtney!
Do have to say that it does seem like Maks and Val are using following Derek’s footsteps in trying to wow the viewers with contemporary but nothing will live up to his routine with Kellie. They also never let their celeb partners shine, it’s always more their journey to the mirror ball.
Can’t wait to see either Alfonso or Sadie lift that MBT!
Too bad they didn’t show the clip of Lea lying on the couch with ice pressed to her ribs after her salsa. (Thanks, All Access.) Sigh. What is it with Val and his partner’s rib injuries? Seems like the judges ate Janel’s injury right up… while Lea’s wasn’t even considered.
I’m sad to see Bethany go, but it looks like Derek really enjoyed himself this season.
I think out of all the dances tonight I loved Alfonso’s jive the best–even over all the creative freestyles. 😀
Most?? How do you know? Annecdotal. And since Beth’s fans couldn’t get her past fourth place, I wouldn’t worry too much. Some of them were splitting votes all season long.
I agree with your rankings on who will win the MBT and be the runner-up. I thought all of the freestyles were amazing and strong. I really appreciated the creativity and originality with most of them, especially Sadie’s (because I love super mario)
Bethanny’s Freestyle – I loved it, it summed up her journey in one dance and she owned it. She was very invested and that last lift was amazing! From the first week we saw her until now, it was such an amazing journey.
Sadie’s Freestyle – LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! I think this was my favorite freestyle just because it was SO unique, creative, and I’m just in love with anything mario. I think Sadie will get second place and she deserves it. She is a star! I’m so glad I was wrong about her pre-season.
Janel’s Freestyle – technically, it was good but it reminded me of Melissa’s freestyle in season 15. They were both emotionally invested which I can appreciate but the kiss just made me roll my eyes. Eh, I don’t know, it didn’t stand out for me.
Alfonso’s Freestyle – LOVED IT! It was my second favorite of the night. I loved the tap solo and I just loved his energy! Witney has done amazing with him this season. I think these two will win the MBT and they rightfully deserve it.
They shouldn’t be chasing Derek, they should be creative in their own right. Mark is doing that. Val is copying everyone around him.
Agree with your sentiments, Courtney.
Um, can we have an encore for that MINDBLOWING freestyle Beth and Derek rocked? Emmy nomination, anyone??? Honestly, hands down, one of the best freestyle, I must say — EVER! I mean, they went out on a HIGH note. Bless Bethany. She’s been gracious this whole time and it was never about winning for her (unlike Janel, cough). They did not need a win at all, since they have so much to look forward to. Felt so sorry for her for the production malfunction that screwed her over on her jive but she is a winner in my eyes. Derek is a winner, period.
3: Val and Janel. Snooze at this overrated Meryl and Maks 2.0 wannabe. Who is voting for her???? I find that I now compare every contemporary piece to Derek and Kellie’s. I mean, there’s only so much you can do in a contemporary but in order to make it work, it has to stand out. Valjanel’s contemporary piece was so boring and dull. There was nothing for me to write home about. I mean, it would’ve been great if it was Week 5 but this is a FREESTYLE in the FINALS. Plus, the song was boring and was hard for me to get into it without singing the original version in my head. If I were them, I’d pick a song with a little more beat and bass to it, or a song with a climax. Maybe do a Jazz Broadway-style piece. As for their samba, I forgot she even did a samba during the show.
2. I love these two so, so much, even though I think that Sadie’s not really much of a developed dancer, her cuteness alone just sells it for me. I loved their Duck Dynasty dance so much the first time round (I swear, I have watched it 30 times now) but this time it was really messy. It was off the timing and out of sync. I was worried about their freestyle because I thought it was gonna be more Mark than Sadie but it really did work for the both of them. So many nostalgia feels right there! Again, at times I thought it was a bit lacking in energy but I was entertained the whole way through by the concept. I would love for them to get second place!
1. Alfonso and Witney. Alfonso has never been my outright favourite on the show but I see the light now. I realise that no other contestant has matched the level of him. Really, I think he deserves it, and so does Witney for the incredible work she’s put in with him. Their freestyle was everything and more. The true definition of entertainment.
Answer Penny: NO. It’s never happened. Anyone who’s ever been in the bottom two in ANY part of the season has never won. The last person standing during jeopardy has only won ONCE.
Misty, youtube probably removed the audio due to copyright issues.
NO, the judges have not thrown up their hands. Lord, how many times do I have to say this. EVERY POINT COUNTS. Janel has to get nearly 10k more votes than Alfonso because of those points. The judges only throw up their hands when they tie the scores.
Thank you Courtney and everyone on this site for all your hard work this season!
I agree with your power rankings and I share your love for Alfonso. It’s been a dream come true for me to have him on DWTS. I’m so proud of what he has accomplished with Witney this whole season and I really hope that they are the winners tomorrow night. I absolutely loved both of their dances especially their freestyle. It was everything I was expecting and more. I loved the homage to Fresh Prince and the tap portion. In my opinion, it was the best dance of the night.
I also enjoyed Sadie and Mark’s freestyle. I’m a big fan of the Super Mario Bros. games so I thought the theme was very cool. Kudos to Mark for taking a big risk and coming up with such a fun number.
I wouldn’t worry that much about Bethany’s fans voting for Janel. I don’t think the fans of the ousted person ever vote very much, no matter what they say, because they are still usually too butthurt about their favorite going home. They also certainly aren’t going to spend all night power voting for someone else. If it were like a Meryl and Charlie thing where they had joint fans that were invested in both, but that’s not likely to be the case here.
I do have hope that the above scenario will play out. If Janel couldn’t get past either Sadie or Alfonso in votes last week when she had arguably a standout night and top scores, how is she going to get past them when they have higher scores (currently) and standout routines?
About the only thing the show can do at this point is give Sadie like 8’s for her fusion dance and give Janel 10’s. I’m hardpressed to imagine Alfonso not getting a perfect score for his last dance.
Bethany and Derek’s dance blew me away – there’s a reason he’s an Emmy-winning choreographer. The sophistication and cool factor was zonkers and that’s how you use a troupe! The troupe was integrated into the whole piece so seamlessly without overshadowing Bethany at all.
I loved Sadie and Mark’s freestyle so much and when he said in the skybox that this was his favorite season. I fell in love with them even more. I think that I was able to connect with them in a way that never even remotely connected to Janel and Val for all the chemistry and connection that they and the media touted for them. I didn’t feel any real sincerity there even with the crocodile tears.
I think Alfonso’s dance though really hit the home run when after the Jump on It part he stood alone in that spotlight and tapped for us. He is the only dancer amongst any of the others who could have held the limelight and performed like that solo. It wasn’t just the steps it was his whole personality. Plus, I loved the twinkle that he and Witney had together. There is no way that someone like Cheryl or Sharna or Karina would have brought that out in him. If he had partnered with them it would have been a much heavier relationship and his connection with Witney had just the right balance and joie de vivre- like champagne. I really hope they are the ones to raise that MBT on Tues night.
@PH why do you think they actually revealed the bottom two tonight??
I loved Bethany and Derek’s freestyle – by far their best dance of the season for me. Fantastic choreography and execution. Will probably win a well-deserved encore.
Of the remaining couples-
Could Sadie & Mark’s freestyle have been any cuter? It just made me so damn happy and laugh at their goofiness – as they’ve done all season long. I wish it hadn’t been their samba that they redid, since I think it was amazing the first time and it’s hard to reproduce that magic of the unexpected. Her likability makes me think she’ll come in 2nd and a long shot at winning.
Alfonso & Witney killed both their routines, and will win a well-deserved trophy, even if I don’t really like HIM as much as I have other winners, he is clearly dancing in a class of his own and probably the best male dancer ever to grace the show.
Janel & Val – their samba was improved, but so little bounce and her spins we weird. At least she wore proper shoes this time. But that freestyle was blah to me compared with the others – I mean, it was a good contemporary, but it didn’t have the raw emotion of Kellie’s or even Maks and Meryl (although I don’t think that was amazing either, at least it was more emotional). The kiss though is what really turned me off – I am a firm believer than a dance should never have a kiss in it unless it’s unexpected, like Derek & Sasha. I think it really detracted from it. Should come in a distant third if I had my way.
I am calling Bethany and Derek’s freestyle the “Divergent Freestyle” from now on. I hope it gets the encore over Maks and Meryl…. I mean Val and Janel 😉
Also, I can’t imagine it being anyone else than Alfonso or Janel going on the DWTS tour as a star from the finalists this season – and while the pimping of Janel makes me think it’s her, the attraction factor of Alfonso makes me think he’ll be a headliner. It seems like something he’d enjoy and excel at.
Also, not sure about her filming schedule, but a tour might make it difficult for PLL? Just not sure when they shoot.
Love the ratings courtney
Alfonso and witney
They were my faves since the begining proud of him for giving his all
And witney is amazing she killed it hope they got that MB
Sadie and mark
With mark it’s always hit or miss
It was definitely a hiti enjoyed it she looked adorable
Val and janel
I didn’t watch sorry but i cant
Bethany killed her freestyle so proud of her and i loved derek choregraphy
I want alfonso to win dont know if it will happen but i voted and we will see
Guys almost forgot to thank u all for the amazing job you are doing with the site so thank u Heidi Courtney and Vogue 😉
Alfonso just blew me away tonight and left me feeling like I’ve seen the best DWTS has ever offered. I could re watch both dances a hundred times. I’m definitely looking for him to hold that MBT tomorrow night.
I was disappointed but not shocked by the elimination. I hope I’m happier about tomorrow’s result.
Well, normally when you reveal a bottom two, you help the survivor tremendously. It boosts their followers to vote.
Well, having seen that your numerology predictions had been accurate the past 2-3 weeks, i strongly believe that Sadie will take the win.
Courtney doesn’t do “numerology predictions”. That’s another blogger.
Thank you moderators for a wonderful job this season. I have not commented much but have eagerly read the comments. I’m having a difficult time so Im abstaining from voting for the finale. The Fonz deserves to win because he was definitely the best dancer all season and that frestyle was perfect. Kudos to Whitney who is in my top 3 pro list now. However, I fell in “love” with the no-dance-experience sadie and her presence on stage. That routine that Mark did was off the hinges. I have not seen something that creative and effective in a very long time on this show. What a choice! I think either way this falls, Sadie or Fonz, Ill be okay with either result.
Oops, sorry! I’ve been commenting here for a while now, but I’m relatively new here. I just discovered this site last season, and just a question, does everyone on this site hate the “fam” or the chmerkovskiy brothers?
Julia,
That’s hard to say so broadly since there are so many readers. I’d say the readers of the site definitely lean the Hough/Ballas direction generally, but there are still plenty who read who love the Chmerkovskiy brothers. For example, I personally just love great dance. So, I don’t really care who it comes from. Although, it’s pretty clear my bias is towards blonde females, but I’m probably in the minority since I’m male 😉 Thanks for reading.
LOVING all four Freestyles! I even enjoyed Vajanel’s to an extent, and I’m actually thankful that their freestyle is more Kelly Monaco than Meryl for some reason. But 40? Nah, more like 37 for me.
Honestly, Alfonzo got my second least favourite freestyle of the night. I don’t know but after seeing the frenzy of his Jive I think I was expecting something more (especially with “Sing, Sing, Sing”). Very nice effort from him but more like 38 for me imo.
Bethany’s dance is flawless… if only Derek didn’t once again use the “robotic” theme or whatever that theme is. He has used it up at least three times this season with Beth (tango, paso, even the team dance), and while the execution is flawless (and a 40 from me), I won’t mad for something different and more Beth-esque. But at least they made no mistake there 😛
Sadie’s freestyle is definitely my favourite of the night. It IS Sadie, it’s perfectly danced to a timeless tune, and it just exudes joy all over the place. Of course I’d give this a 40. I’ve never wanted Sadie to win this more than anytime now.
About the other dances… Well Alfonso’s Jive is drop dead flawless. Janel’s and Sadie’s were about on par for me, and poor Beth getting screwed royally by the bed (I swear I could see she was pissed off after dancing last night). I wasn’t paying too much attention because I was too eager waiting for the freestyles, but I think I have no problem with the scores.
If tomorrow Janel did ended up third and Sadie won, then this season’s top 5 is very similar with S14’s. Now I want Sadie to win more than Alfonso, but honestly any of the two would make a great winner. JUST. NOT. JANEL.
If only Bethany had committed to the competition sooner, at the level Derek said changed in the package, she could have taken this! I WANTED JANEL TO GO HOME SO BADLY! Why do the producers think we want to see her dry-hump Val all of the time?? She should have auditioned for General Hospital if she wanted to make-out and dry hump on national TV, not a dancing show.
Derek said something that made sense as to why I felt underwhelmed by Beth originally. He said in the package about getting a different vibe from Bethany this week and how she was totally committed this week. She was always improving, but I think her true break-out was tonight, and unfortunately it was too late. I was totally wowed as usual by Derek’s freestyle and his contemporary was my favorite last week.
I still think Mark is underrated and deserves way more credit for his choreography. So all of my votes are going to Sadie now after splitting them for Beth, because I cannot see Janel get 2nd place. She doesn’t deserve it.
What a wonderful finale. I can t remember the last time I’ve enjoyed 3 freestyles in one finale.
Derek and Beth – This girl has come such a long way, she was fierce in her freestyle and I absolutely loved the choreography and the whole concept. No one fills a dance floor better than Derek. The dance was so powerful and Beth was awesome. Derek never disappoints, I know he had some creative blocks this season but that’s what I love ab the guy, no matter what he never throws in the towel. He dug deep and I absolutely loved the end result.
Mark and Sadie – Their samba was one of my favorites this season, I can’t count how many times I’ve watched it. Tonight they messed up a lot on that dance, but I believe in the final what matters most is the freestyle. I can t say it was the best ever, but it was perfect for this finale. Mark managed to create something new, never done before and that set them apart from all the freestyles tonight. It was also perfect for Sadie.
Alfonso and Whitney are just perfect. The freestyle was amazing, and I am so impressed with Whitney. I actually wasn t a big fan of her but she proved be wrong this season. Since I appreciate great dancing I’d love for Alfonso to win, but I’d be fine with a Sadie win as well.
Janel and Val were incredibly boring and forgettable. I couldn’t even finish watching their freestyle whereas I saw the other ones at least 3 times each. I still believe Val is a much better choreographer/dancer than his brother but this season has been his weakest. There was nothing original ab that freestyle, the staging reminded me of Mellissa’s.
Based on last night they deserved 4th place and should have been the ones to leave. In terms of concept, chemistry, choreography, staging you name it, they were so far behind the rest is not even funny.
Hope to see Alfonso and Sadie as the 2 remaining competitors.
Can I just comment on the amount of hate sadies getting because of Bethany’s elimination? Why? Why are people blaming sadie because Bethany got eliminated? The comments on her instagr are actually disgusting, why are there such hateful people in the world, no one deserves that, least not sadie, the poor thing.
As an avid fan of Bethany/Derek I was very surprised at my vote tonight. I was planning on voting for Alfonso but after watching the dances I decided to vote for Janel.
I thought Alfonso was fabulous, but hadn’t shown a lot of improvement, maybe because of his back?
I loved Sadie’s freestyle, but more for the creativity of the actual concept.
I didn’t love Janel’s freestyle. It lacked in creativity and mostly because we’ve seen a lot of contemp freestyles before. I do believe she has hurt her ribs to some extent, I can tell watching her Samba that she isn’t as free in her upper body & hip movement as she was originally.
Voted for Janel in the end, as she is the most improved and best technical dancer (maybe tied with Alfonso), she’s close friends with Bethany, and has matured from all the ‘sexiness’ of her first jive.
John, always the diplomat! 🙂 Thank you mods for this wonderful site and all the long hours you put in to maintain it!
Loved Bethany’s freestyle. I do hope there’s an Emmy nomination for it!
I will be happy if either Sadie or Alfonso wins. To be honest, I want it more for Witney than Alfonso. He could dance from week one, but Witney’s choreography is what has made him sparkle. I’s love to see her hoist that mirrorball with him. Side note: I believe she is a Ballas/Hough protege as well. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
I’m not going to watch tonight, but I will check in here for the result. Thanks guys!
(Sorry if this posts twice – internet went out during first post)
I didn’t notice Bethany’s fumble/production fail if they hadn’t said anything about it. I thought she did well and went out with a bang.
Rankings based off the freestyles:
Sadie/Mark (so creative)
Janel/Val (beautiful)
Alfonso/Witney
Based off who I actually want:
Janel/Val
Alfonso/Witney
Sadie/Mark
But as I said in the live discussion, I think they all deserve the mirror ball and I will be happy for any of them.
My Judges Pick Rankings:
1.) Alfonso. Jive, ’nuff said. (In actuality, I feel like this dance was even better than his free style dance – more to come on that.)
2.) Sadie. Her samba the first time around was one of my top favorites from her this season. “Excited Puppy” is the best way to describe this second time around before. However, how can you not just smile along with her – she’s having the time of her life! I do think that the extra 30 seconds of dance (I think they incorporated?) may have thrown them off a bit.
3.) Janel. I thought it was good, I’m glad Val went the reserved route and kept his shirt on. I’m pretty sure she wore different shoes this time around instead of the boots she had last time so I liked that better.
4.) Bethany. I feel terrible scoring her last but I think with the production mishap and also the extra 30 seconds of jive, it killed whatever momentum they had going into this. I would love to see it done over again without the mishaps to see the dance they would have produced.
My Freestyle Rankings:
1.) Sadie – let me preface this by saying the first time I originally saw it “live” I was a little disapointed. I think it had a lot do with the Mario Bro’s song, that just truly doesn’t do it for me. I then watched it again on youtube & then came away with a whole different view. Sadie AND Mark were just BEAMING! from ear to ear through the entire dance. I couldn’t help but enjoy it with them and also enjoy all the finer details that I missed the first time around.
2.) Alfonso – after his jive and all the hype about his freestyle I was feeling a little let down. I think it’s my own fault because I hold him to such a high standard that I wanted MORE! I still think he had a fantastic freestyle, but truly I enjoyed his jive so much more
3.) Janel – I actually enjoyed the 500 miles song remake.I could have done without all the kissing in between and I was a little nervous about that last life – but considering the limited rehearsal time it was a very pretty routine.
4.) Bethany – I know I’m in the minority but since it’s Derek & I was so wow’d by his last seasons freestyle I was expecting more. Part of the problem for me though was how dark the lighting was. I had trouble following Bethany during parts of it. It wasn’t my favorite freestyle from Derek, his one with Amber & Amy remain a few of my faves, but they definitely killed the lifts at the end.
TidBits etc….
-Again, I know I’m probably in the minority when I say this but I wasn’t bothered so much by Janel’s injury, rehearsal time being discussed as I was by how Tom kind of brought it up out of nowhere. I feel like that was out of Janel’s control. We’ve followed Tommy & Alfonso to the doctors for MRI, we heard saw Bethany in Australia and were told how little time they had to rehearse and we also heard & saw Whitneys back injury happen on rehearsal show day as well. Anyways, I don’t expect (and I hope I’m not wrong on this) for her injury to help her all that much – I just can’t see her getting past Alfonso & Sadie no matter how much TPTB may want to try and push for it to happen.
– Does anyone else feel like the camer angles/ blocking hasn’t been as on point as it has in seasons fast? I’ve been left feeling after quite a few dances this season that I wish I could have gotten to see a part of the dance from a different angle. OR the lighting has actually hurt the dance for me in which it’s been hard to make out the dancers at time.
– Lastly, I love Love LOVE me some Tom Bergeron but was anyone else cringing when he made that joke last night about Erin being a great stalker for Will Smith considering her history with the peeping tom? I know it all came from a good place, but I kind of cringed when that happened.
Hoping to win:
Honestly, I came into this season not invested in anyone. I wasn’t even sure I was going to tune in week after week but it’s DWTS so how did I not expect to get sucked in? I was shocked (and didn’t realize this) when Erin or Tom said last night that Janel has had the most perfect scores of this season. I mean, clearly with the underscoring of Sadie that not’s a surprise but I can’t believe she had edged out Alfonso. Unacceptable. I will be disappointed if it’s anyone BUT Alfonso & Sadie in the final 2 though. Along the way I fell in LOVE with Sadie however I wouldn’t be upset in the slightest if it’s Alfono who takes the Mirror Ball home.
@Charlotte #34, I think it happens every season. What I remember was that Bill Engvall was blamed by fans for Snooki/Nicole getting booted out in season 17, saying he didn’t deserve to stay over her. Same thing happened last season when Charlie was eliminated. So many fans blamed Amy for that, calling her names and saying that she just sat on a table and never danced. Well, that “sitting on a table” routine got nominated for an Emmy this year, along with 2 other routines by Derek. I guess fans always point a finger at someone who makes it through over their own favorite/favorites.
Julia – I think a lot of people here tend to gravitate towards Derek and sometimes Mark (but by no means is he a default), but a lot also root for their favorite couple and that may change every season. People here also love Emma, many like Sharna, or Karina, etc. I think in general, because the primary audience is female – the most passionate fans of the pros tend to line up with the males – like Derek and Maks.
I have had seasons where Maks was right up there with my favorites, and others where he and his partner were like nails on a chalkboard every time they came on screen. I think Val has more raw talent, but I prefer Maks – I think in the grand scheme of life, he is a good guy with a lot of faults and insecurities and more often than not, he entertained but rarely wowed me.
Where a lot of people don’t like them or any kind of “family” mention is that there seems to be a vocal bias for the people in their camp, and not one that’s always just positive, but can be construed as negative through word choice or omission. I think in some cases it is just enthusiasm for their closest folks, and in others some jealousy over Derek and his success. In general, the pros seem to get along really well across “family lines” but the FAM definitely has this outward expression of inclusion or exclusion – such as when Karina was on the “outs” with not just Maks – but the whole “Fam” crew.
Take that with the obvious producer influence of the past few seasons that seemed to benefit Maks and Val, and a vocal and rabid fan base between the two that is fairly divisive. Just like the producers seem to give certain personalities to the various pros, there seems to be a distinct personality type between the two fan bases of the RABID fans – not the general audience that gravitates towards different couples and pros – but the ones that align themselves with a pro, and it’s like oil and water.
I think that since Pure is so heavily moderated to maintain civility between the posters, a lot of more level-headed fans – which tend to be pro-Derek – gravitate here, because out there in the world of social media and message boards he gets so much unwarranted crap. That being said, Derek is so PC and positive that he also tends to get fans that worry over absolutely nothing and get very defensive when there’s even a suggestion that he is anything less than a god among men – which is also annoying (not accusing anyone here, just a general trait I’ve seen).
I’ve also seen many people here that DID warm up to Maks in some of his stronger seasons – like with Kirstie – and so I think a lot of Pure regulars are open to ANY of the pros if they feel they are a couple worth rooting for.
My point to this long, rambling post, way too early in the morning – yes, a lot of fans here are pro-Derek, but even more so are anti-manipulation, anti-negativity, and really just want a high level of entertainment, dance, and emotional connection with the participants of this little dance show, and Derek tends to deliver the goods in these areas season after season.
Based on last night I think Alfonso wins, Sadie in 2nd and Janel in 3rd. I keep going back and forth in my head about “what if Sadie and Alfonso are splitting votes?”, “what if Janel’s fans are robo-voting?”, “what if being in B2 will rally Janel’s fans?”, what if what if what if. My saving grace is the fact we know Janel was in the B2 even though she was the top scorer last week. As someone else said on here, if she was B2 after having a good night and being the top of the leader board it’s hard to imagine her getting past Sadie and Alfonso, who had to get quite a few votes to get past her last night. If the final four ranking was based on last night I actually think Janel would get 4th but alas it wasn’t meant to be.
Alfonso, Sadie and Bethany’s freestyles were so original though. While Janel’s may have been beautiful and executed well (were the kisses REALLY needed?) I still think you could call last night a “miss” as far as Val and freestyles go. Someone mentioned that routine would have been fine during week 5 but this is the finals and Val misplayed this one I think. We won’t know for sure until the results come in of course but his strategy this season sucked. If it wasn’t for the judges/producers pimping Janel she might have been gone a few weeks ago.
Trying to end this little message on a positive note: Alfonso and Sadie just make me smile and make me happy and put me in a good mood. I love watching them dance but more than anything I love their partnerships with their pros. As Courtney mentioned, I can’t see Alfonso with anyone other than Witney as a partner, they were just magic tonight. The same can be said about Mark and Sadie. They were such a delight to watch and I’ve grown to actual like Mark again! I would love to see either couple win.
Here is how I ranked the couples last night:
*GROWTH* 1. Alfonso and Witney – They killed their first dance and definitely grew from the first time they danced it. They were so fast. So much personality and such a showman. Well done. As for the Freestyle….I didn’t like it as much as Derek and Bethany’s, but, it was fierce in another way. Such clever choreography. They were so fast. Amazing and so entertaining.
*GROWTH* 2. Bethany and Derek -I agree with Julianne, they were so comfortable out there for their Jive….especially compared to the first time they danced the Jive. She definitely “grew” and she recovered well despite the crew messing up. As for the Freestyle…OMG, there were SO POWERFUL out there! It was OFF THE HOOK BRILLIANCE. They just topped all of my favorite freestyles. Just excellent!!
*GROWTH* 3. Mark and Sadie – I loved their Hunter dance as much this time as the first time. So creative and brilliant! They were magical out there again and all I wanted to do was smile watching them. So proud. As for the Freestyle….it was different, creative, original, and so cute. Sadie was a Princess indeed! Well done by the both of them…especially for bringing us something completely different. My dream is that they are our winners tonight since Derek and Bethany didn’t make it! But, I’d take an Alfonso and Witney win too!
*NO GROWTH* 4. Janel and Val – Once again, I thought she needed more bounce in their samba and she got lost so many times. Sorry, but, she didn’t improve this dance like the three above did on theirs. As for the Freestyle….sorry again, but, it wasn’t all that for what it could have been. Where was the power and the creativity like what the three above had? Yes, it was full of passion and the lifts were beautiful, but, it didn’t wow like the above dances. In fact, I got bored.
I voted for Sadie, but I still think Alfonso will win. Both of them were fabulous last night, they showed growth and were entertaining. Sadie’s free style was my favorite. I have been so impressed with Mark this season- his coreography was so on point and that free style was unique and innovative.
I have to say last nights free styles (save for Janels) were my favorites in a long time. It was nice to see variation and not all slow emotional contemporary. Each dance suited the dancers.
I really hope Alfonso and Sadie end up first and second.
I didn’t initially care for Bethany but ever since her switch-up with Mark she’s really started to shine and I was rooting for her move on to tomorrow. I was heartbroken when the production mistake got her off her groove during her Jive because she seemed super confident going in, I was ready for her to nail it. And then, for the freestyle I guess I’m in the minority but I was underwhelmed. Didn’t love this from Derek.
I struggle with Janelskiy because I love Val but 99 times out of 100 Janel just grates on my nerves and I wish she would’ve gone out weeks ago. Like before Michael. Also I haven’t been around this show for as long as some other people but I don’t remember the last time I saw a partner who was so polarizing among the fans of a pro. What I mean by that is that even some people who count themselves as Val stans aren’t voting for Janelskiy bc they’re so turned off by her. Very weird. Anyway I thought her samba was pretty good, loved that she didn’t wear those booties again. The freestyle was pretty as a dance but didn’t give me what I want from a freestyle and I just don’t buy their “chemistry” so all of this comes off to me as forced. Crossing my fingers they finish in third.
Alfonso killed the jive, I not in love with Witney the way that everyone else seems to be but she does know how to give alfonso what he’s good at and that jive was a prime example. I thought his freestyle started off a little lackluster but the last two portions reaaaally wowed me, that’s the kind of stuff that I wanted to see from him. I know he’s going to win and he totally deserves it as he’s certainly the best dancer…
…but I hope Sadie can somehow pull it out. I guess I just enjoyed her more because I knew nothing about her coming in (in fact, I had a negative impression of Duck Dynasty and kind of assumed shed be another Candace who annoyed the hell out of me) but she totalllly surprised me with how sweet and fun she was and also how much she committed to this experience. She makes me smile every week and even though Alfonso is clearly a superior dancer and entertaining in his own right I really appreciated Sadie’s journey with mark and would love to see them win. Mark did some of his best work this season and I would love them to be vindicated. While I wish the judges had chosen a different dance, I loved this samba again and that freestyle was next level. As Len said, it was unforgettable and showcases exactly what we love about this pair. Crossing my fingers for Sadie and Mark!
I’m actually not a fan of judges choice. Even though it’s fun to see some of the dances again I would prefer a new dance. Give them the same style but new music, costumes and steps.
I think Sadie and Mark’s and Alfonso and Witney’s Freestyle’s stood out the most for me simply because they were so damn fun and energetic.
If we’re going by creativity I have to give the nod to Mark. He took a risk that paid off tremendously. That dance fit Sadie like a pink, sparkly, adorable glove!
I think the thing that impresses me the most about Alfonso’s Freestyle was the amount of steps in the routine and how fast and sharp they were performed. He took command of the floor from the first note until the last note.
I have no clue who will win the MB between those two. I’d be happy for either one.
3rd place: Janel and Val: What more can I say that hasn’t been said. Great dancer but everything this season about her seemed a little fake kinda like Regina from Mean Girls in a way. First dance was fun but that freestyle was a non event for me.
2nd: Sadie and Mark: Great dance with the samba and that freestyle was epic. Saying that, any other season I would say she would win but there is someone that just killed it last night.
Winner: Alfonso and Witney: Jive was perfect. Freestyle had everything we expected and more. The Jump on it dance 🙂
Hit submit too quickly:
In short this is my ranking n terms of the repeat dance round:
1)Alfonso
2)Sadie
3)Janel
And the freestyle:
1)Sadie
2)alfonso
3)Janel
I truly LOVED Sadie and Mark’s Freestyle. That was my favorite dance of the night. I thought the whole evening was amazing. Can’t lie I am happy to see Bethany leave. She is the ONE that I did not want to win. I have no problems with any of the three finalists winning. Of the three I think Alfonso deserves it the most. So if they are going by the best dancer then it should be Alfonso but as he goes into night 2 of the Finale with a perfect score I am reminded once again of Katherine Jenkins and how she got a perfect score in the entire finale and did not win so again, it’s too close to call. It’s anyone’s guess.
My preference:
1. Janel
2. Alfonso
3 Sadie
What I think will happen:
1. Alfonso
2. Sadie
3. Janel
@Emily – that is actually a very good point about Janel and how polarizing she is, even among Val stans which is saying a lot. I do still wonder if those Val stans will end up voting for him but even so I don’t think they’ll be robo-voting necessarily. The fact she is so polarizing is another element that makes me think it’s very unlikely she’ll win. In order to win you really need to have a majority of the audience on your side.
It does amaze me how different things can be once a season starts and how a good celeb on paper just sometimes doesn’t work. Not even necessarily about Janel but just in general how that can happen. Goes to show you how far a likable personality goes. Someone like Sadie for example didn’t have the best freestyle as far as dance skill goes but it was just so fun to watch you learn to not care as much.
I am a Mark and Sadie fan and was before they ever set foot on the dance floor. I do however feel that the win should go to Alfonso. Even when the judges were seemingly judging him on a different scale so his scores were lower, he was still far and away the best dancer of the season for me. The partnership between him and Witney has been a joy to watch. I never understood why people were “down” on Witney when she was in the troupe. I have always thought she was cute as can be. And now she has shown herself to be a fabulous choreographer.
Janel is just bland, boring and fake to me. That freestyle was not interesting to watch at all. She should be third.
Does anyone know who won the encore dance on twitter? I know late last night Bethany was in the lead but will they count her votes or will they give the encore to someone who’s still in contention?
I have to say that I really loved the night. I still wish they did new dances instead of repeat dances instead, but what can you do. Overall, I do feel like all the pros did well in highlighting their celebs strengths. As much as I wish Bethany made it to the top 3, I’m happy she made it as far as she did. She got to experience every week of being in the competition and doesn’t have to stress tonight. I feel bad about her messed up jive. REALLY loved her freestyle…she went out with a bang. Hoping she’ll get the encore to do it again.
As for the others:
3- Janel and Val: It was good, but it didn’t wow me. When it comes to the freestyles, I want to see something new and innovative, but I just felt like I was watching something I’ve seen before.
2- Sadie and Mark: He’s always pulling out his crazy ideas and this one just worked. Sadie seemed to really be having fun and just enjoyed herself.
1- Alfonso and Witney: Holy Cow…this was amazing. I looooved his freestyle so much. He did some really great quick in sync movements with Witney, then busted out the jump on it dance (a favorite) and then into tap. Wow. I gave all my votes that I usually give to Derek to Alfonso.
In the end, I’d be happy with either Alfonso or Sadie winning. Hopefully we have one more night of good dancing ahead of us!
LSteven, voting is still open for the encore at twitter….though not sure for how long.
So I read it somewhere (I think it was here) that 3 pros and 1 contestant who were in the finale would be going on tour. I know Mark is going, Witney and Emma announced that she and Val are also going. Do you know who the contestant is? God, I hope it’s Alfonso! Even though I’m not going to watch the shows, I hope it’s not Janel. I don’t think she deserves to get that “present” based on the season they’ve had. Even though she works for an ABC show and they’ve been promoting her all season, and now that pll season is over she’s free of commitments…
I would bet that Mandy Moore choreographed Janel’s routine. I can’t see how she would have contributed much to any of the other routines as her thing is contemporary. Alrhough it seems a lot of people are really into the fact they actually kissed a few times in their routine, I would hope people would vote for the best freestyle. That was a contemporary piece we have seen more times than necessary this season. Tbh, I am not sure I will even watch tonight. The whole season has left such a bad taste for me. Although Mark was a revelation with Sadie. I think he and Witney and even Peta are the real winners this season. They have grown tremendously and hopefully one of them will be rewarded tonight. If Val wins it is only because he has the sympathy and showmance vote not because he has grown in any way this season. Imo, his choreography was lacklustre at best.
Charlotte, that hate isn’t happening here, so I’m not sure why we would want to discuss it here. I don’t read the instagram comments that Bethany got, and I never read the ones that Amy got. Hell, I don’t even read Derek’s because all three are quite vile places. Sadie isn’t the only one getting it.
I have a lot of trouble believing anyone who didn’t notice the large dude’s ass taking up the left side of the screen for a long moment during the opening of Bethany’s dance. Seriously? I’m doing five different things when the show is on and that one was hard to miss.
It really was a great finals last night.
Bethany – IMO this girl was pretty much transformed this season. She was a teenager going into the competition but her maturity on the dance floor with Derek was quite impressive for someone her age. She was so shy going in but after that Rumba I believe she had a breakthrough. From week to week, they became more connected. I really enjoyed their partnership. He did an amazing job with her in helping her to blossom into an incredible performer. He’s tough but gets results. I think one of his strengths/gifts is he takes it week to week with his partner allowing them to grow&blossom and he absolutely creates his choreography around their strengths.This is why IMO he’s won so many times. 🙂
So disappointed in the production team because Bethany was so confident going into that Jive and you could see the growth. Her freestyle was freaking amazing for me & unexpected! Fierce! This was definitely a different type of style choreographic wise for Derek! He will go far in the business as he is not complacent & is fearless with his choreography!
Courtney I also believe that it will come down to Alfonso & Sadie with Alfonso WINNING! Alfonso is the real deal & is truly in the demographic of the viewing audience.
Alfonso – Great freestyle and amazing season Witney was great with him
Sadie – Adorable -fun freestyle – Mark excels with younger contestants -IMO
Janel – Nice freestyle but like many have said if you’re going to go the route of Contemporary-you have to bring it because that freestyle Kellie/Derek did will surely go down in the history books for dwts. 🙂
Thanks for the work that you all do here at puredwts – Awesome!!
Hoping Bethany & Derek get the encore!
I too wish they wouldn’t redo an old dance but instead redo an past style with new song and choreo. But, it does help the pairs have even more time to focus on freestyles to not do a new routine from scratch.
It was the most solid night of freestyles in a long time for me. Prob ably because thee celebs were 4 really capable celebs. Loved how different they all were.
Loved Alfonso’s and Bethany’s the best. Just great choreo and super clean, strong dancing. I really did enjoy Sadie as well and the SMB theme was so cool and unique! But I did think she was a bit sloppy here and there. I really have loved her dancing and Mark’s choreo all season but I do feel there hasn’t been much growth in her actual dancing for awhile. The samba redux actually showed that for me, I wasn’t as impressed this time and I loved it before. The awesome choreo can make you forget about looking for the improvement factor each week because the dances themselves are so entertaining or unique. Love her, I just wish she would have tightened and cleaned up some of her dancing this season.
That being said, I want Alfonso to win for his stellar season even through injury, but would be very happy for Sadie as well, she is a sweet cute girl and great role model who is a truly natural dancer.
Janel & Val danced well but it lacked impact to me because it wasn’t unique. It wasn’t a unique concept/choreo in any way. I actually thought their contemporary Romeo & Juliet earlier was better and more impressive. And it wasn’t unique in the ‘oooh we’re just stripping it down’ factor. We’ve seen that for too many seasons in a row to be unique. I feel like about half way through the season Val stopped being his usual strong choreographic self and really resorted to choreo, showmance and antics of past winners to try to win the mirroball instead of really make it about the season long journey. It’s disappointing.
Really wished Bethany would have moved on to today but she already won something by having the most growth over the season of any of the 4 for me. Love their journey and how I as a show fan went from just mildly impressed to very impressed with her week to week. Just really enjoy Derek’s journeys with his partners and that he did state again in one of the after show that the show really is all about the journey of the season, not the winning or losing. JC Rubio during their Afterbuzz interview also read a fan note to them that complimented him for that approach too.
Hope Bethany gets the encore since she isn’t competing for the trophy. It would be a nice parting gift for them.
Believe me, Fig, I felt like smacking a large number of Derek fans last night. 😀
Yes to “anti-manipulation” a thousand times over. I’m also anti-negativity when it applies to the C-bros fam and their outright ugliness on twitter. I DON’T label any critical discussion as “negative” however, and I think that I differ from Derek greatly in this respect. He’s all sunshine and roses – I’m a scientist. I’ve been trained to think logically and critically. I’m a BIG fan of critical thinking But that’s NOT synonymous with “negative.” Saying you didn’t like something and explaining why isn’t simply being “negative” – I think that’s childish and simplistic. Sunshine and roses all the time leads us to a world where parents don’t discipline their children and “everyone gets a trophy!!” No. There are FAR more flaws with that worldview than there are positives. Critical thinking – in the scientific sense – is far too rare in the Social Media dominated world of today. Not only sad but disturbing.
The kissing is SUCH PANDERING. And a choreographic cop out. And very disturbing when considering that Derek will likely leave, along with Cheryl and possibly Mark.
@Heidi – Which is exactly why I get irked by the use of the word “hate” when we get people in here who have a habit of “comment shaming” – if you’re not all sunshine & rainbows about EVERYONE, you’re a big meanie and a “hater”. Oh, and you’re “bullying”, too. That seems to be a new favorite catchphrase for anyone that doesn’t agree with the way a conversation is going – guess it makes some people feel better if they can throw out the term “bullying” and feel like they’re on the moral high ground. I have to wonder if we’ve just reached a point in society where everyone’s so hung up on being politically correct that it’s become taboo to say ANYTHING that’s critical of anyone…or maybe that’s just our opposition’s new strategy for trying to silence us when they don’t like what we’re saying about their faves 😉
I have a very critical mind as well, and I try to do my best to look at things fairly or impartially, and I appreciate when others do as well – probably the main reason I love this site!
I certainly have my biases, but I always appreciate civil discourse. Unfortunately, few of the fans that are looking to engage about DWTS on social media maintain a sense of decorum, and instead let their emotions and biases cloud their thinking into irrational hate or unfettered adulation.
But the most important thing for me is to enjoy watching the show – and I always do regardless of the outcome, and I really appreciate that I can talk about it here.
Well I loved both Janel and Alfonso and I hope that Alfonso wins. Sorry but I did not like Bethany or Sadie’s freestyle at all.
@Nancy – Why apologize? It’s just your opinion.
Some of the commenters who do that, Courtney, are very psychologically transparent. Like glass. 🙂 The new use of the word “bullying” (usually by Janel fans) is what they think is a clever way to try to link us to something we know Bethany and Derek don’t like. So they horribly misuse the word to try to make a point.
And for the record, if Derek EVER misused that word – thereby denigrating the true meaning and the impact on actual people – I would slap the shit out of him.
For those that mentioned the tour, I’m pretty sure Janel is the one going on tour and it’s not necessarily a gift. It’s more like she’s done filming PLL for the season and has nothing else going on.
Bethany was never going to do the tour. She’s on the rise in the industry and has so many career things going that I can’t imagine she would have the time or the inclination. It does nothing to move her career forward.
Alfonso has other stuff going on as well. He has a new show starting in February that I think he’s hosting and he’s also supposed to be directing some episodes of Zendaya’s new television show at some point in the next month or two. So again, I think Alfonso has too much else going on.
Sadie I just don’t think would do it, plus the minor thing makes everything more difficult.
Didn’t Janel hurt her ribs? How long does that take to heal?
I like Alfonso and Sadies freestyles the best, I just love more upbeat dances in general.
I wish for the redo dance they would of gave the celebs new music to dance to, for me it kind of makes the dance less fun/memorable when they do it a second time live. But I can see why the producers did that to make it less stressful on the couples having to learn a whole new dance.
I think Alfonso will win, Sadie second and Janel third.
I really enjoyed all the dances but I’m in the camp of people who wish they would change songs/choreo for a repeat dance to make it more interesting.
I liked the variety of freestyles.
I’m super sad to see Bethany go as I think she’s really grown as a dancer and performer. Even during interviews you can see drastically improved posture, her chin isn’t jutting anymore. Great job to her, and to Derek for taking someone so unfit and un-athletic and with no performance background so far. She’s a beautiful young woman and she’ll continue to go far in life.
Mark and Sadie’s freestyle made me feel so happy. It’s nice when the cooky brain Mark has a celeb who can handle his cookiness.
I agree with Len, Alfonso’s dancing is like Sinatra singing. So darn easy on the eyes. Alfonso and Witney got all my votes. Sure, he’s such a performer that he would have looked great with anyone, but she contributed a freshness and great choreography, they are a great pair.
I didn’t like Sadie and Mark’s Freestyle. It was cute BUT I don’t think Sadie executed it as well as she could’ve.
Didn’t care for Vajanels either because it was a redux of their earlier Romeo and Juliet Freestyle and a remake of the Maksyl one.
Loved Bethany’s and Derek’s dance.
Also loved Alfonso and Witney’s freetyle too! I CALLED IT! Them doing the “Apache Jump on It” dance from Fresh Prince of Bel Air!! 😀 I threw some votes their way via my phones and Facebook. Hope they win it!
I enjoyed most of last night. With the exception of Alfonso, I really didn’t think any of the couples improved much on the dance they repeated. Like others, I wish they could have done new choreography/new song/new costumes, like they used to do when the judges chose a dance style they want to see improved upon.
And all of them choreographed fabulous freestyles, and all of them seemed to really “fit” (sort of) the celebrity.
Alfonso and Witney’s was fantastic, full of the “showman” and I loved the tapping! Sadie and Mark’s was very “Mark” yet at the same time, very “Sadie.” It felt to me like it touched on her personality a bit, and was young and innocent and fun. Bethany and Derek’s was very strong, like she’s learned to be. Janel and Val’s was well danced. It definitely wasn’t my favorite, but Val did exactly what he was told. From the beginning, we were told she’s a sexy and sensual dancer, and he very dutifully gave her only routines that fit that. Everyone else showed different sides of their partners, Val emphasized only one. Even Carrie Ann mentioned in (I think) more than one of her Parade blog that THAT was her strength and her fault. What did the producers show at the beginning? Alfonso, courage. Bethany, heart. Sadie, spirit. Janel, sensual. Her strength is sensual and sexy because that’s what they were told it was (only my thoughts, I have no proof). Val being desperate for the win, went along with the script. And, he HAD to have help choreographing the freestyle, because he was so set and determined to win this season, that he didn’t rely on HIS strengths, and relied on Maks and everyone else to tell him how to handle every single step. And, in the freestyle, he had 3 other pros who have been giving very creative and difficult (for their partner) choreography, and all have shown tremendous growth. And Witney’s learned A LOT from Mark and Derek!
Anyway, when the Fam in the finale has a partner that’s the “best dancer”, the script is that the best dancer should win. When they’re the “most improved”, it’s that the most improved should win. This season, they can’t say Janel’s the best dancer, or the most improved, or the one who has never had dance experience. So, the script is that Janel and Val have to win because they’re “the most real.”
Oh well.
Great post Lori, ITA.
And the last paragraph had me laughing because the evidence of that totally being true is right on the C bros twitter pages over the years:)
Figured I’d do this before the finale:
Just wanted to say thanks to all the mods for everything this season. It has been one crazy (in good and bad ways) season but you guys have really been AWESOME all season. Can’t wait for next season and the eventual casting rumors 🙂