PureDWTS Season 24, Week 10 – Power Rankings
Dare I say I’m actually walking away from last night’s show cautiously optimistic about the outcome of this season, despite being thoroughly disgusted by the manipulations we endured all season long? π I think the narrative shift we saw beginning last week came to full fruition this week – the judges were decidedly less “gushy” about one couple that they had gushed about all season, while becoming unusually gushy about a couple they had given a pretty hard time all season – and the third couple? Well, they just critiqued that one kindly, somewhat coming to accept that they were there, despite not being as good as the other two, and just made sure to score them low enough that they weren’t too much of a threat to the other two. I do have to wonder if the rumors about Rashad doing the tour this summer are true, and that it was a bit of a last-minute decision, hence the judges’ sudden fondness for him in the past two weeks – Rashad has been good all season, but the judges just now starting to notice it? It gives me pause. As for Normani &Β Val – I also wonder if they either promised Val he’d make it to the finals, or it was written into Normani’s contract as a condition for her doing the show; but then again, part of me wonders if TPTB were at first trying to angle for a back-to-back win for Val, but gave up after seeing that Normani didn’t have the voting clout to make it happen…or that Val wasn’t doing the tour after all. But the sudden about-face they did with regards to both Rashad & Normani? Just makes me go…hmmm…
…as predicted, though, they kinda kept David at arm’s length, and took the tack of “Well he’s here, we may as well try and justify his presence to the viewers who are pissed about Simone, even though David had nothing to do with her elimination!” Less predictable was the narrative they took with Normani, though, which read something like “You’ve just been sooooo perfect all season, that when you do make a mistake now, it is just blatantly obvious to us!” As for Rashad, they seemed to have retrograde amnesia, and completely forget about Shad’s bad feet from a few weeks back or Shad “not connecting to the dance” or whatever.Β But I’m totally okay with this, as Shad & Emma have been on the receiving end of so much unfounded nitpicking as the season has unfolded that it’s about damn time they got some love. Also totally okay with Shad getting Erin interviews after both dances, while Normani didn’t talk to Erin at all last night, after being granted beaucoup screen time all season long – we don’t need to hear Val’s self-important soapboxing, or hear from Normani’s grandma, or from Fifth Harmony, etc. I’m guessing those two were feeling the pain of suddenly not being the favored couple, as there were a few instances where the cameras panned to the couples and Normani & Val were noticeably subdued while Rashad, Emma, Lindsay, & David were smiling/clapping/actually looking happy to be there. I feel a tiny bit sorry for them (but only a tiny bit!) because this is the exact type of hammer dropping after being gushed over all season that tends to leave couples feeling pretty salty – but in Val’s case, he could use some serious humbling, so this is a good exercise in humility for him. My only worry is about the barrage of vitriol the winner is likely to get from DWM cronies/Harmonizers should the winner tonight not be Normani & Val…
Not a whole lot else to add – I imagine tonight’s show will just draaaaaaag on, with all the filler and faux suspense and whatnot.Β Some of you have expressed interest in me doing a power ranking of the Dirty Dancing movie on Wednesday on ABC, like I did for Hairspray Live! – would you guys actually read it if I did it? If there’s enough interest, I SUPPOSE I could forego my Wednesday night Handmaid’s Tale and Fargo viewing to suffer through the most awkward romantic lead in recent history…for you guys, of course π
3rd place: David & Lindsay
Y’know, people can say what they will about David – “he doesn’t deserve to be there”, “he’s not as good as some of the people that went home before him”, “he hasn’t improved”…whatever. But if the viewers are anything like me, and just adore how hard he tries and how humbled and grateful he is for the experience, then I can completely understand how he made the finals – the guy just exudes joy. His close bond with Lindsay is just an added bonus – like Rashad & Emma and Nancy & Artem, I think these two just work really, really well together. I don’t know that they’re going to be able to pull out better than 3rd place (although I think there’s an off-chance they could take 2nd, if the Harmonizers are all bark and no bite like I think they might be), but I honestly don’t think David minds one bit – the fact that he even made it this far seems to be a prize to him, and he’s perfectly fine regardless of how they place. I think that was kind of the overall tone of their freestyle, too – they just went out and had fun being themselves, without worrying about trying to do really difficult steps or anything wild and revolutionary. And David looked like he was having a blast – rocking his baseball uniform, poking fun at himself, and grooving to 90s hip-hop. Lindsay threw in nice little bits of their cha-cha, quickstep, and salsa, and some cute tricks using baseball bats.Β In the end, it felt like a sequel to their week 1 quickstep, which made nice bookends to this season for them π I think their Viennese waltz was probably the weakest dance of the evening, not because it was inherently bad, but because it just didn’t feel as special as their first and I think David got a bit stuck in his head and wasn’t quite on his game on some of the turns and footwork. I generally don’t put much weight on the redemption dance, anyway, because it’s seldom a vast improvement upon the original dance, so it is what it is. At the end of the day, I’m just glad to see these two having fun, and I’m proud of Lindsay for once again taking a partner with an iffy skill set all the way to the finals – I honestly hope these two keep in touch after the show wraps, they seem like they’ve found lifelong friends in one another π
2nd place: Normani & Val
I think I’ve finally come up with an analogy for Val that kinda illustrates what I think his problem is as a choreographer – stick with me, it’s a bit lengthy.Β As many of you know, I just got back from visiting my sister in Denver over the weekend. Denver has become kind of a “foodie” city, with all manner of cuisines and cool, unique places to dine, and whenever I’m in town we try to hit up as many different restaurants as possible. On Friday night, we went to a restaurant that I think was Val in food form – the dishes were for the most part traditional (i.e. chicken & waffles, poutine, foie gras, etc.), but they all had some sort of twist ingredient in them that didn’t always jibe well with the rest of the dish. For example, we started with a tempura eggplant appetizer – and for reasons none of us could really discern, they had coated the eggplant in local honey before deep-frying it. It didn’t enhance the dish (in fact, it was kind of weird & disruptive), it just seemed like something they did just because they could and they thought it would be cutting edge & cool. The dishes literally seemed to scream “Look at how unique and boundary-breaking we are because we have this one unexpected ingredient!” but had little regard for the overall taste & appearance of the dish. And that’s what I tend to notice in Val’s choreography – he tends to add something unexpected in an attempt to appear like a trailblazer, but the unexpected “something” often just comes across as odd or actually out-of-place in the dance – like all the goddamn high kicks he threw into nearly every dance this season π Or the many dips he threw into Normani’s redemption quickstep last night – I just found myself saying “Y tho?” On top of that, I don’t know that he could have picked a LESS appropriate costume for her quickstep – the body suit just seemed to draw attention to the lack of body contact and some iffy feet, while a pouffier skirt could have actually concealed both a bit better. It wasn’t a bad quickstep, per se – and I will give him a bit of credit for not horsing around so much before getting into hold – but it wasn’t really memorable or super-cohesive, either. Moral of the story? Just because you CAN put honey on tempura eggplant, doesn’t mean you SHOULD. As for the freestyle – ehhhhh. Again, not terrible, but not great – and in the grand scheme of things, probably not very memorable, either. The song was pretty, but the dance just kinda felt like a retooled Viennese waltz with some contemporary flailing thrown in – and the kids seemed like a bit of an afterthought, as if Normani & Val both knew they would need something to help them stand out against David & Rashad’s much punchier freestyles…but the kids had a relatively small role in it, so it didn’t help much, and even came across a bit pretentious to me…as did the light on Val’s chest and the flower. Gag. And generally, anymore, the minute I see diaphanous white fabric costumes in a freestyle, I kinda check out – it’s just all been done far, far too much, and it doesn’t really impress me. At the end of the night, I’m left wondering if Val just kinda phoned it in on both dances, or if he genuinely thought they were both super-impressive and a good display of Normani’s skills…not sure what to think, but I think the best they can hope for at this point is 2nd, and there’s still an off-shot that they could end up in 3rd, if David is getting as many votes as I think he might be. Once again, Val is handed a partner with a TON of talent – and in the end, he just doesn’t have the skill set to really harness it. Will he ever learn??? Likely not, if he continues to get coddled by the producers and judges. But if this season ends like I think it will…maybe the coddling is losing its power over the viewers…
WINNERS: Rashad & Emma
The winners of the night, hands down, and the one couple I feel has really made the most of their partnership this season. Yes, there have been several great partnerships this season – but I think these two really worked hard and took it to the next level: he came in as a currently-unsigned NFL player with a questionable fanbase and no previous dance experience; she came in as the perpetually-screwed female pro that had endured multiple seasons of hopeless partners and early-outs, as well as seasons where she got shunned completely from a pro spot. Rashad wasn’t coming off a prestigious win like David or Simone; Emma wasn’t a female pro staple like Peta or Sharna and hadn’t just come off multiple finale-runs like Lindsay.Β These two had to REALLY hustle – and it paid off, because I don’t think they could have looked any better last night π Both of their dances were the strongest of their respective rounds.Β Somehow, they actually managed to improve upon their Viennese waltz, which I thought was damn near perfect the first time around – I loved that they managed to tie it into the storyline of the first dance, and MY GOD, Shad was doing some absolutely gorgeous heel turns (with those “bad feet” of his, y’know?) and did a flourish with his arm at one point that left me hissing “niiiiiiiiiceeee” out of clenched teeth because it was just so damn perfect. Was also impressed by how well Rashad was managing the hand passes on those complex turn sequences – he did it again in their freestyle, just with a much higher speed. I also thought that Viennese waltz was some of the best choreography we’ve seen out of Emma – just brilliant stuff, and I think we’re witnessing Emma’s renaissance as a pro…or “Emmasaince”, if you will π And it really means a lot for fans that have been there since her first adorable (but technically trying) season with Bill – up until now, she’s only been able to show us how cleverly she can hide her partners shortcomings with her choreography; but now, she’s showing us how she can also help a skilled partner really shine with brilliant choreography. The freestyle? Adorable, fun, high-energy, on-point, and very Shad-appropriate – he seemed invested and connected to the song & choreo, therefore he was able to perform well.Β Again, super-impressed by how comfortably he was handling the high-speed arm passes and turns, and also appreciated how well he stayed in-sync with the backup dancers. Choreographically, I appreciated how Emma was able to hearken back a bit to the good ol’ days of freestyles, when the couples usually tried to sum up their season by picking out sequences of various dances they had done throughout the season, peppering in a few lifts, and then injecting some personality into the rest of the choreography to wrap things up with a nice, neat little bow. Judging from the responses from the judges on both dances – I’m cautiously optimistic that these two are gonna pull out the win tonight π I love that a guy with no dance experience (beset on all sides by heavy-duty female ringers!) has managed to come this far on his own merits – and with a female pro that has had to really bite the bullet for several seasons and is finally being given a chance to shine π And while up against manipulation that didn’t benefit them, no less! Tears may be shed in my house tonight, y’all, if these two win…
So how do you guys think things are gonna shake out tonight? Who did you vote for? And what performances are you looking forward to tonight? π
Great post! I think Rashad will win tonight, and I think second place is up for grabs. Yes ,@Courtney, please do a Power rankings post for the Dirty Dancing movie!!!!!
I was pleasantly agreeing with a lot of what the judges were saying last night (minus the overly gushing review of Normani’s freestyle but they did that for all 3 so I feel a bit better). Whatever caused this, it was a nice change of pace.
1) Rashad and Emma: Stole the show last night. Most memorable dance of each round. I’m so happy for both of them because they have both worked so hard. Emma’s knocked it out of the park this season, and Rashad is such a joy to watch. Hoping that all of the judges gushing and the busy phone lines I heard about are a sign of good things to come.
2) David and Lindsay: This might be me putting my homer glasses on, but I think this could actually happen. I’ve ran the numbers a bit and will save most of it for Heidi’s post. Only thing I want to say is that David needs about a 32 by my estimation to stay even with his margin from Normani. It’s still a good amount of votes to overcome, but because the votes are only split amongst 3 and the rabid Cubs fan-base, I think he could do it. Nothing would make me happier than to see 2 of the most personable people this season finish 1/2 on the show. Like I said, this is probably my Cubs fandom making me overly optimistic, but I’m going with it.
3) Normani and Val: Sigh. Normani seems like a very sweet person, but Valβ¦ugh. Between his need to do an Oscar acceptance speech after every dance, petulant/whiny comments, and trying to wax poetic too often, I’m just so over him. Between Val and Harmonizers, I’ve been left with a negative view of Normani, one I don’t think I would’ve had if she were partnered with a less obnoxious pro and had a less annoying fan-base.
I really don’t want to get my hopes up for a Rashad, David one-two finish, but oh what sweet justice it would be for two guys with no dance experience but amazing pros to beat out all the ringer girls we had this season.
I think the parts of Rashad and Emma’s journey that has hooked me is their care for each other, and Emma’s smile of pure joy.
It would be nice to see Rashad and David be the final 2 after the manipulative BS that went on this season.
Go Emma and Rashad
didn’t get to watch last night, but I usually do with my boyfriend’s mom. She’s a casual viewer who doesn’t usually vote, but last night Rashad impressed her so much I got texts from her with his number telling me to make sure I vote and letting me know she already voted from 3 different phones. Completely anecdotal, but I think the Rashad love is definitely alive and well.
FWIW, Rashad’s voting line was giving me a busy signal for a good 20 minutes after the show ended on the east coast – that’s usually a very good sign.
Wow! Rashad and Emma killed it last night. Now that’s how you do it. Queen Emma and Rashad were fantastic!!.
I think Emma’s journey on the show starting with Bill Engvail to this season with Radhad, has made her the great choreographer that we have witnessed this season. She knew she had a great partner…. she laid it all out there. That’s what’s wrong with Val he hasn’t had to work for it.
Val’s freestyle was lackluster and forgettable. Yawn!
Hoping for Rashad and Emma
Great summary for the season. I like to think that after all the BS that was endured, somehow they pulled back to focus on what matters about this show. Popularity sure, but you need to dance. Rashad is up against two seemingly large fanbases, so I am cautiously optimistic that the regular viewer just said, yep. Best Freestyler won it.
I voted for Rashad and Emma! Totally deserved to win for the whole season’s worth of championship caliber dancing and having to endure all the crappy judges comments, producer’s manipulations against them throughout the season! And if you just watched the finale, Rashad and Emma were the clear winners over the other two!
With Rashad finally getting the love from the show and Val getting the critiques that he should’ve gotten all season, made it worth all the agony and the bad taste in my mouth every previous Monday night. I finally feel redemption and will be thrilled when Rashad wins!!
I agree with your food analogy of Val’s choreo. He tries so desperately to be inventive like Derek but fails so badly. I hate how smug he is when he supposedly knows that he gets preferential treatment and he just coasts all season, over the other more hard working, creative pros.
Lindsay continues to amaze and she’s still my favorite female pro. I would be happy if David and the cubbies fans pulled out the win too. He had to work the hardest to look like a dancer but his happy personality, his sense of humor and his laugh makes me love him too.
Love Emmassaince ? I’m also hoping for a Rashad/Emma win and agree they are the most deserving as well. The VW was breathtaking and the freestyle was so fun and creative.
I was completely underwhelmed by Normani’s freestyle. There was just nothing remarkable about it. For Maks to tie it in to what happened in Manchester last night make me gag.
I’ve loved David all season. They have a great partnership and he’s improved so much. I was floored by his tango last week and his freestyle was so much fun!
Excellent post as usual I agree with you on every point and thanks to putting words to my thoughts on Val’s choreography. I think this was one of his most lackluster Finales ever! I guess the Cat Suit was his idea of being edgy and unique but it just looked plain ODD & RIDICULOUS. The Freestyle was a cop out Pretty but BORRRRRRRRRRING. Here you have a TRAINED dancer singer entertainer fresh off one tour and ready to start another and I’m YAWWWWWWNNNNING. Normani danced it fine but it should have WOWED us not PUT US TO SLEEP. Using the kids could have added to the dance but instead came off as yet another one of Val’s cheap gimmicks
By contrast David and Lindsay while they played up on the baseball theme DID NOT take the easy way out There WAS dancing and some pretty cool tricks It was a MEMORABLE routine I’d honestly love to see them place 2nd.
Rashad and Emma really blew me away!! Emma has really turned out some fantastic choreography and Rashad knocks it out of the park every single time.
Rashad & Emma for the win!
I gave my votes to Rashad and David!
Rashad, David, Normani (is my guess)
As per my usual this season, I didn’t watch. Check this site periodically during the show. I voted immediately when the show started for Rashad and Emma.
Just now, I went and watched their freestyle and David and Lindsey’s. During Rashad and Emma’s freestyle, I started tearing up. So good. Rashad is talented, nice and has worked so hard. Emma has been so under appreciated by this show. She is talented, nice and works her tail off FOR her partner. They two are so humble and if they win, which in a perfect world, they will, it will be because they EARNED.
David and Lindsey’s freestyle was so much fun. He was having a ball. They both know he is there because of the fans. I am totally okay with that. This show has never been that the absolute best dancer wins every season. It is who the funs like, who they connect with. David seems like one of us. He went into this with no illusions. He’s had a ball. He thinks he has already won. Love it. Lindsey is the bomb as a pro. Can’t say enough about how good she is with her partners.
All my votes went to Rashad. I will be totally okay if David wins. If there is a Normani win, well, I’ve barely been hanging on to this show as it is and that I think will do me in. Fingers crossed that tonight is what we wish for.
Thanks for all you do Mods.
I hope it is:
1)Rashad/Emma
2)David/Lindsey
3)Val
I hope that the final two couples would not include a C-Bro. I remember when Melissa won, Tony left her standing alone while he celebrated with the fam. Same thing when Meryl won with Maks. IMO these guys are not gracious in victory or defeat.
Both Emma & Lindsey have made the season about their partners. Should one of the men win, I am sure the other would be very happy and supportive of the other. Do not think we would get that with Val.
I couldn’t even vote for Shad last night because it was so busy. Fingers crossed that he pulls out the win. These rankings are exactly as they should be (though I actually quite liked Normani’s freestyle).
I’ve so enjoyed Lindsay and Emma’s choreo this season. Their final dances with their respective partners hit all the right notes for me.
As I vowed, I followed the blog and Courtney on twitter, but refused to watch live. I watched Rashad and David’s dances afterward. TBH, I tried to watch Normani, but that catsuit was so distracting in the first dance and the freestyle was a snooze fest as far as I was concerned.
Rashad and Emma absolutely stole the night and I’m crossing fingers and toes that it was enough to overcome those super-annoying harmonizers! If they don’t win, I think that will be the final nail in the coffin for me regarding this show!
I was sad and upset with the losses of Paige and Hinch, but this would be the worst! I truly tried to like Normani, but between Val’s smug attitude, lackluster choreography and the horrible harmonizers, they ruined her for me. Honestly, her “fans” probably have done more to turn me off than Val and that in itself is something!
Praying for the “best” team to win and for me that’s Shad and Emma (and I’d laugh myself silly if David ended up in second, although that’s unlikely).
Your last rankings post for the season. I’m already missing it, Courtney. Thank you for doing this all season long despite the annoyance the show gives you. I don’t watch live but I catch up on the show through posts like this and then head over to YT to watch the dances. Love your evaluation of the couples’ dances. Agree with your analogy for why Val hasn’t been able to choreograph an outstanding freestyle (or other dances, as well).
I, like many others here, hope for a Rashad and Emma win. But I wouldn’t mind if David’s fan base gives him the MBT. I think he deserves it, too. Because between him and Normani, David showed improvement. Normani plateaued some time ago and that’s on Val.
I am not interested in watching the Dirty Dancing TV special, but I would definitely read your post about it, Courtney. Once again, huge thanks to you and all the mods here for all the work you put in here.
The joy on Emma and Rashad’s faces when Len gave them a 10 was priceless. I don’t think their smiles could have been bigger. He deserves this win. He’s been hardworking and consistent, improving every week. I loved his freestyle. I favor faster, fun freestyles than the more serious ones, with some exceptions like Kellie and Derek’s.
David and Lindsey’s was also a lot of fun to watch. I think David will be glad to go home to his family, but I have no doubt that he had absolutely no regrets about doing the show. In his eyes, he’s already won just by making it this far. But I too hope that there is that chance he can pass Normani and get second place.
I don’t know what to say about Val anymore. I’m wondering how many high kicks he’s had Normani do all season. There was always at least one if he could get it in. His freestyle? Yes, I said I like the fast, fun ones, but this to me wasn’t a freestyle. It was a contemporary with two high kicks and little kids thrown in for some unexplainable reason. I didn’t see the point of having them there. I did notice at the end of the show when the camera panned all three couples, Val was in the middle and neither of them looked happy. I would like to think it was because Val realized his freestyle just didn’t measure up to the other two and with the non-gushing received from the judges, he was thinking the win wasn’t the lock he thought it was.
What I want to see is
1st Rashad/Emma
2nd David/Lindsey
3rd Normani/Val
All the annoying harmonizers can blow up twitter with their complaining and whining. I have nothing against Normani. I do think she would have been received better if she had a different partner, but I believe she should finish third.
Pat just tweeted me this and I thought I’d share. Context: this was from last fall’s season of Strictly…
Thoughts?
Great Post!! Agree with everything! If Rashad and Emma don’t win there will be tears in my house!! I don’t know if I can even watch tonight. Agree about Normani’s cat suit absolutely hated it!
Perfect post Courtney!! Your rankings are on point!! Rashad’s line was indeed busy for a while last night so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that’s a good sign for him and Emma tonight! ???
Totally agree Courtney!! I gave all my votes to Rashad & Emma & I really hope they win!!!
With regard to Val, if he and Normani lose tonight, I, sincerely, hope he looks at the loss as a lesson he can learn from and tries to see where he should grow and change as a person and as a dancer-it’s high time he gets knocked off that pedestal he’s put himself on and he sees that the world doesn’t revolve around him. If he and Normani win? Might as well just crown him king cause his ego is gonna take up the whole damn dance floor ??????
Thoughts? That SoB is an even bigger fraud and a cheat than I thought! And you know that I don’t think much of himself. Even while watching that VW masquerading as a freestyle, when I saw the kids, all that I came up with was product placement/advertising for DWTS Jr. Payback from the “company man.”
But now, having seen the performance from Strictly, it’s a blatant and CHEAP knockoff!!! I think I might have connected better if instead of the kids, His Egoness had brought in Grandma and Maks! And how obvious that Normani didn’t choose the song vs Emma who had Rashad contribute to the choreo for their mind blowing freestyle?!!
Hmmm hey Courtney is it presumptuous to say that maybe Val ‘borrowed’ the idea from strictly? Or should I use another word instead of borrowed? Maybe I’m assuming too much LOL ?
#Colleen could not agree more!!! ????
I think Jenna probably had something to do with Val’s freestyle. They panned to her and she was that little boy’s partner.
I blame the show in part for Val’s attitude. They allowed him to believe he could just coast along to the MBT all season and that’s exactly what he was doing. I’m still very nervous about tonight, but I do think Rashad and Emma showed everyone who won this season.
So many people said they couldn’t get through to Rashad’s line. I hope they kept trying.
WOW – that strictly clip, if I was Len or Bruno I would have lost it if it wasn’t so necessary to toe the company line. What a fraud. That freestyle was so uninspired and now seeing that?
Hit enter too quickly – obviously the winners of the night (and hopefully the competition!) were Rashad and Emma. They nailed it. And David and Lindsay – their freestyle while not as technically challenging was such a joy. Both Emma and Lindsay tailored their choreography to their partner’s strengths and it showed in the joy on both of their faces. As many other was mentioned, Val and Normani looked like they did not want to even be there.
Wow…..hadn’t even watched Normani and Val’s freestyle….because I just don’t care about them….but after watching the Strictly piece, I had to go see. Good Lord. What a fraud Val is. I mean I knew that but still, good lord. He doesn’t have an original thought at all. As a side note, what a snoozer of a freestyle that was compared to the work Emma and Lindsey did for their partners. Val isn’t on the same level.
Speaking on Val’s ego..did ya ever notice that pretty much ALL of his team names start with HIS name? VALdaya, VALENrue, VALMani, VALaur, VALENtay…smh
Agree completely. SIdenote, my family does the same thing but not with honey mustard. Just an odd pairing
I’ve watched DWTS since season 3 and i always liked Cheryl and Peta as my favorate female pros through the seasons, and when Emma came on a little later, she just had me with her looks and talents…and as the seasons went on as i believe this is her 6th or 7th, it honestly became fustrating to me to see her paired with partners with little to no potential and I honestly thought she would stop doing the show, it was like wanting to root for her but why bother, and all of a sudden…here comes Rashad. I really liked Cheryl and Peta, but the only couple i had an emotional attachment to was Hines and Kym and thought it was crazy to be feeling that way, but Rashad and Emma has got me feeling something that’s unexplainable. The way i feel is 1.She may never get the chance again and 2. If she does get a chance, I would have always wanted her first win to be with Rashad. As for as the phone lines being busy, I tried to post here and there for their supprters to start calling immediately as the show started, i called a minute to two after the show begin and got through as I’m hearing a lot of people saying 10 minutes in, it was busy the rest of the way.
How did I just find this blog now??? As a long time DWTS fan, I love your breakdown of TPTB and the manipulation of the fans by the producers. We can see from the storylines they shoot each week how they want us to feel about each person. Despite how transparent this is, I still watch the show!!
Totally cheering for Rashad & Emma because they really deserve it, he is truly a new dancer (unlike Normani) and I can’t stand to see another Chmerkovski win again…it’s just like the Houghs, too much, too boring! David is lovely but doesn’t deserve to win when you compare his ability to the others.
Thanks for the awesome blog!!
Just saw the Dwts commercial for tonight. Rashad was on the left side of the screen and Normani and David were together on the right. Also his picture looked bigger to me. Is this a precursor?! Thoughts
Wow – after watching the Strictly clip, I’m surprised Val didn’t bring in an older couple as well!
Normally, I vote as soon as the show starts but got home late, so didn’t have a chance until afterwards – got many busy signals for Rashad & Emma but did get all my votes in.
Really hope that it’s Rashad & Emma hoisting the trophy tonight but I would be perfectly fine with David and Lindsay. Thought their freestyle was a lot of fun.
I will be ecstatic if Normani and Val end up in 3rd place.
First, that Strictly Come Dancing waltz for What the World Needs Now was very cute.
Second, Val can’t come up with an original thought to save his life. Narcissistic, arrogant, lazy. I feel like he just phoned it in. I wonder if they bring up Alan from the troupe if Alan’s fun personality can rival Val in terms of popularity amongst the current male dancers? He made an impression on viewers while paired with Heather this season.
Third, was Len & Bruno towing the company line in not saying anything about that blatant appropriation of the Strictly Come Dancing waltz, or is it possible that one of them gave Val the idea?
I think I read that Rashad was flying his father in for tonight’s show. I so badly want his father to be there and witness his son winning that MBT. I so hope it happens.
I’m glad i voted for Rashad early since ppl were saying the lines were soo busy. As always, their dance made me melt. It was priceless seeing the look on Val and Normani’s face at the end where all of a sudden they didn’t look so confident like they had this in the bag. This would be heartbreaking for me if Rashad and Emma didn’t win. I love David as well. He seems like such a good guy, but he has his Cubs memories to be proud of. Normani has her prospering Harmonizer group accomplishments to be proud of, but what Rashad said about never winning anything in his life brought tears to my eyes how much he really wants this, and not just for himself, but for Emma. Such a special partnership. Such a shame Val had to cheat stealing ideas which clearly shows in that video. Both Emma and Lindsey working soo hard to be creative for their partners, and Val just stealing ideas because he couldn’t do it on his own. If Val does pull off this win, i can only imagine what his ego will be like. It would be unbearable.
#KellyK OMG I never put it together with his team names until you pointed it out!! What a friggin egomaniac!! ?
I would enjoy a liveblog of the Dirty Dancing remake. You can’t strike that kind of gold twice so I’d like to see y’all chat about the pile of pyrite we will be given instead.
I also love me some Billy Dee and he’s in the remake. If anybody has stories about Billy Dee and Emma to share in honor of the Emmascance, that would be cool!
I was a Val fan in earlier seasons, but not so much any more. I haven’t cared for most of his partners, but still thought he had great potential for the show. I didn’t even mind when he wanted to stick to classic (traditional) choreo vs. adding other styles in. However, it feels like he has been phoning it in the past few seasons and he needs a break. I felt the same with Maks who I was also a big fan of and now enjoy the new, more settled Maks. But seeing that video, I am reminded of Sharna complaining (in a PC, tow the company line way) about other DWTS shows using the US pros choreo and not being happy about it. I have felt like He was phoning it in all season and this blatant rip off just confirms it in my mind. Val needs a break and he needs some perspective. He seems like he’s repeating Maks life, in a way, with being unsettled and just floundering professionally and personally. At this point, his future partners deserve better from him.
That being said, Rashad and Emma for the win! If I look past the manipulations and just focus on the partnerships this has truely been one of the best for me. Not a lot of disagreements, pros and stars seemed to gel really well. Great casting this season, IMO!
Seeing that Rashad’s line was so busy is a good sign! But I have to wonder about Normani’s line. Was it busy too? I’m just so nervous! Anyone can win at this point.
Watching Rashad, I feel like he’s like Calvin 2.0 but he has a better chance. Great guy, great dancer, a joy to watch, the both of them. So you’d think Calvin would do better than third but both Laurie and James were highlighted a lot for topping the leaderboard.
Heart (#11), I’d be happy too if David won. Anyone but Val! I hate to feel like I’m punishing Normani but it’s the producers’ fault she’s paired with Val.
Diana (#12), Maks really did that? That is so low! π
PJ (#16) Bwahahaha! You listed both people in each couple but when you came down to Normani and Val, you just mentioned Val and not Normani. Sooooo true! Val has been trying to make it all about him, not Normani even if his fans think it’s about Normani. It’s like Normani doesn’t exist. Sorry but who’s Normani again? Oh, that young lady from 5th Harmony?
Anonymous (#25), oh god, I just remembered. Remember when Laurie won and Tom was talking to her? Val couldn’t get away from the microphone!
KellyK (#33), wow I didn’t really notice either! I bet it was Val who came up with those, not his partners. Maybe the producers but not his partners.
Lea (#37), I hadn’t seen that. I’ll have to find it online if I can.
Sandy (#40), that would be so sweet! It would be wonderful to see his dad in the audience watching his son hold up the MBT because Rashad said last night that he’s never won anything. Let’s hope he won this one!
Ha ha Yup Kelly I noticed that too GEESH
but the rip off from Strictly WOW Lazy much?
@Sandra – I actually think Rashad might be Donald 2.0 – somebody that nobody really saw coming, but ended up edging out better dancers to win his season because he was so likeable. And really, Peta was a pro nobody saw coming back then – she had just gotten eliminated first in the previous season. I feel like nobody expected that Emma would a) get a decent partner, and b) actually make the finals in a season full of ringers.
Valid point, Court.
I’m taking it as a good sign that EVERY time I called Emma and Rashad’s number last night it was BUSY! I got home very late but still had time to vote but just couldn’t because it was busy. But voted online like crazy. Please, please let them win! They truly deserve it. I seriously cried when Rashad said he’d never won anything….. and it would be sweet justice for Emma after working so hard all these years with those that had no chance to win. She was amazing with Rashad!
Interesting article i read a couple of days ago is that on a week to week scoring, Rashad has the highest scoring average than any football player on the show ever including all the winners Hines, Donald and Emmitt, which means although he’s just getting his perfect score, he’s never been in the gutter either.
Based on the show script last night, I’m hoping it’s Rashad and Emma. They both deserve it.
I must remember to set an alarm for 10:45. I know right now I’m not staying awake for 2 1/2 hours of fill.
Voted Rashad all season! Hopefully he & Emma take home the MBT tonight. All of the nitpicking by the judges all along just made me root harder for him. I enjoyed all of the dances last night. I thought Normani’s Jazz from last week would have been better for a free-style, maybe with a little “What a Wonderful World” mash-up to beef it up for the finals. Rashad and David’s dances were just more fun and memorable last night. Can’t believe this season is over tonight. Thank you for your hard work Courtney! I share your posts with my 75 y.o. friend and she looks forward to your “blob” (sic?) every week. I would read a Dirty Dancing power rankings too.
@Courtney – I know that Donald had said that he had requested Peta for that reason. I wonder if Rashad asked for Emma?
Last night was definitely Rashad’s night as everybody has said. I wasn’t 100% in love with the Freestyle, but please. When one is David and the other is yet ANOTHER contemporary freestyle by Val, this is the clear winner. Rashad’s was fun, colorful, and it had the fun lifts these dances are known for and that we’ve come to expect. I don’t think that lift was perfect, but common, it was there at least. Honestly, the worst part of that freestyle didn’t even have to do with dancing, it was the singer’s voice that I couldn’t really tolerate. So whatever, it has zero to do with anything.
Rashad would be a deserving winner and people like him have won before, so there’s a lot of hope here. The last two seasons the deserving winner came in second, I don’t know if Normani is as strong as Laurie with the votes, she definitely doesn’t have what Nyle had in his favor. So yeah, there’s something there for a Rashad win who must have votes, and has the personality, the scores. I won’t have a problem if Normani wins though, after all my issue isn’t with her (like say, with Ginger) it’s with the producers and Val’s choreography. I think she’s a great dancer and has shown it throught out the show. So at least she herself would be a deserving winner. But yeah, I’m Team Rashad…scratch that, the one I’ll freak out for is Emma.
According to George we have the SAME dance order as last night. David, Normani and Rashad.
Rashad and Emma will be dancing a Cha Cha Tango Fusion.
Already posted that in the new Live Blog, Casanova.
Agree with your rankings.Really hoping that Rashad wins. He and Emma deserve it. They’ve been amazing all season.
Last night was Rashad’s night for sure! I did all my voting, however I’m not gonna get my hopes up because I’m used to my favorite getting 2nd place. we’ll see what happens!
Courtney, great power rankings! TY.
It is sooo much easier (less wind up) to NOT watch intentionally & just read along with you. Appreciate. May do the same for all of season 25 if the BS is really deep then too.
My heart says 1) Rashad & Emma 2) David & Lindsey 3) Normani & Precious
My gut says 1) David & Lindsey 2) Rashad & Emma 3) Normani & Precious
Court – You should do a post-season blogpost as well. We would love to see you rejoicing a result like tonight after all season of mutual distaste of manipulation π
The show couldn’t have ended better today! So happy for Rashad and specially EMMA. I know Lindsay’s number is up next soon. Love that miracle-worker!
The Dirty Dancing remake is horrible! Bad casting, and zero chemistry between the leads. I hope Courtney does a Power ranking post on it. It’s such a letdown after Hairspray Live and Grease Live were so good.