Las Vegas Odds For The DWTS Season 20 Finale : Let Us Know What You Think
So, the odds makers at Sports Bovada have placed their bets for the Dancing With The Stars Season 20 Finale. I have to say, I am not surprised how they placed them again for the story boarding that has taken place on this show, the last elimination (that I’m still not over. 🙁 ), and how much promotion there has been for Rumer and Val. Though one thing to note: the odds makers haven’t been right about who they’ve placed first or last this whole season. Anyway, take a look below and let us know what you think in comments.
Rumer Willis 2/5
Riker Lynch 7/4
Noah Galloway 12/1
My thoughts: They most likely have it right. Rumer and Val are going to win…especially being TPTB seem to be getting their way for how they want this show to turn out this season. And how convenient too with a looming summer tour about to take place. So, all odds are in Rumer and Val’s favor. But, with everything I am, I hope Riker or Noah (either one) win this competition. I’m not a fan of manipulation and promo of one couple being shoved down my throat. When it happens, I run the other way. I’m not a fan to egotistical pros who diss their fellow pros. With that said, I want Riker and Allison to win for all of their hard work, dancing ability, and creative and powerful productions. I’d also love to see Noah and Sharna win for how they’ve touched us week after week and all of their productions too…..and I especially loved their cool lifts. So, I imagine you know how I’ll be voting. 🙂
Let’s see what Courtney and Miss Heidi think…..
Courtney: I’m having a really, really hard time with this – especially since Nastia’s elimination is still not adding up to me, since it seemed to really go against what we know from the history of this show to be typical voting behavior. It was almost as if Nastia got Sabrina’d – but that only happens when a celeb seems to struggle with votes for the ENTIRE SEASON, and we know for a fact that Nastia was leading in the votes at some point, because of what Tom said. The only thing that I think may have legit contributed to it was the unflattering, Russian ice-princess portrayal they gave Nastia last week – both in her package AND that sorry excuse for Dance Center humor. Since when is being Russophobic funny? It’s not – except when you somehow need to make a symbol of national pride (an Olympic gold medalist) somehow unpalatable to a conservative-leaning viewing audience. I would hope that viewers would have seen through all that, but clearly I may overestimate their collective emotional intelligence. It all just BUGS. While the pattern of pimping and cramming Rumer & Val down our throats makes part of me want to throw in the towel and go “Fine, you win – now go away!”, a bigger part thinks Nastia’s elim may actually make it harder for Rumer to win – because now you’ve got quite a few pissed off fans looking to get even, and the random sampling I’m seeing online seem to be directing their blame for Nastia’s elim towards Rumer or Noah. This may give Riker a bit of an edge – ability-wise, he’s got the best chance of beating out Rumer, and nobody seems to really be blaming him for Nastia’s elimination. But then there’s the two elephants in the room: he’s got dance experience (which Tallulah Willis seems to be losing sleep over on the regular) AND some folks seem to still have a bee in their bonnet over the fact that he’s a distant relative of the Houghs. So that brings us to Noah – ability-wise, he’s got the hardest row to hoe of the 3 finalists, but he also seems to have the strongest sympathy (and patriotic) vote on his side. But as I mentioned before, I also see him getting quite a bit of blame for Nastia going home – even though I’m not convinced that he would have been the one leaving if Nastia had stayed. As for Rumer – TPTB have done a bang-up job of making sure she comes out smelling like roses next to the other two. They’re still pushing the “I have no dance experience!” narrative (lie), the bullying narrative, and the “Val’s never won!” narrative (nevermind that neither of the other 2 pros in the finale this season have, either – IT’S VAL’S SEASON, Y’ALL!!!), and there’s the fact that she’s the only female finalist in a season right after one where a dude won (never understood some fans’ need to “alternate” between a male & female champion, but some really seem hung up on it) – on paper, it’s looking like she’s going to win this. But part of me is still holding out hope that manipulation we’ve endured all season backfires, and we see Noah or Riker hoist that trophy.
Heidi: I’m going to do my best to make sure they’re NOT right. 🙂 I haven’t seen the blame on Noah, however. What I have seen are a bunch of Derek/Nastia fans who are: a) Pissed at the producers for the obvious manipulative efforts to get rid of Nastia (confirmed to a degree by Derek in his post show interviews and blog), and b) a bunch of Derek fans pissed at Val for being…Val. Typically idiotic. That’s quite a combo. Is it the perfect storm? I have a feeling there will be a lot of people voting for anyone but Val – whether that will work or not, I have no idea. The manipulation is still on full force. Saw a commercial last night for DWTS and it was all Rumer, some Riker and very little Noah. That tells me I need to vote Noah. 🙂 At the end of the day, I have no idea if people will actually power vote against Val, but some may. It might be enough. They are pushing so hard for it, I would LOVE to see it backfire. It’s very possible that Rumer will end up winning this thing, but I wouldn’t call it in the bag by any stretch. They’re working so hard to make it happen, ya gotta wonder. I wonder who they will sandbag on Monday night. Both men, or just Noah? And I wonder if Rob Wade will take his hand off the wheel a bit in the finale, after Kristyn Burtt finally got her real reporter wings by grilling him a bit last night at the Paley Center. He was squirming a good bit. Yo, Rob, Conrad always read this site a lot – maybe you should start, cuz people are really seeing the man behind the curtain now and it wasn’t so obvious when Conrad was that man. The road to cancellation is paved with video tapes of highly manipulated episodes.
in voting HARD for Riker. Could you imagine Val losing AGAIN to a second year pro? When they were interviewing the pros I could almost see Vals face turn when Allison mentioned it’s her second year. Plus I think people are underestimating not only Rikers fan base, but the new fans he’s gained because how well-matched Riker and Allison are.
Let’s hope since the oddmakers have gotten it wrong all season they will continue. I’m pulling for Noah 100%. He has really gone through a journey on this show unlike the other two left. I’m sick of having Rumer shoved down my throat- it is not making me like her TPTB….and Riker is a good dancer because he is trained…people harped on Alfonso and Meryl having training…well I’d say competing in Latin against Jenna, Witney, Lindsay, and Brittany takes the cake for me.
I have loved watching Noah grow and discover new things he can do, and Sharna has grown as a choreographer and had to change things as major as in hold position for ballroom, but she has always made it work! I don’t care that Noah isn’t the best dancer, he won me over with his attitude.
I am all team Ralison but I don’t think he was the first one to be safe, I think it was Noah rumer riker and then Nastia and the fact that they kept putting him in jeopardy is to boost his votes in order to be in the finale and to make a nice competition against Rumer so it wont be so obvious but they threw Nastia under the bus because she would have been a major threat to her .
I knew derek was not going to win from week one and when I saw that package about Nastia being a Russian girl and her parents with the russian accent I knew she was doomed next to the classic American hero and the technically southern girl at heart (well played rumer well played ) and in a way Riker has been the underdog for general audience .
for me I hope people will vote for Riker be cause he is the one that his journey was about him and not his partner or his parents and he Can dance .
even deep down I know it is going to be Rumer Taking it home .
As much as I loved Nastia And Derek and voted for them all season, I’m more motivated now to vote against Val in the finale. Whoever has the best shot at beating Val has all of my and my family’s votes.
I still haven’t really decided who I’m going to vote. Heidi, I’m in you a.) AND b.) group 😉 If the judges are going to be ‘let the audience decide’ and score Noah the same as they did this week, I’m gonna throw all my votes to him. Otherwise, Riker is my choice. I so hope it backfires because they really went too far this season.
Ahh I am so confused :-(. My husband who does not watch the show at all keep hearing about it from me he watched few clips and may be 1 or 2 episodes partially said to me last week that Nastia and Derek are good but they will not make the Finals let alone win as long as Julianne is the judge in the panel and since he has been in the final always it does not look good for the show. The show will keep him around but wont let them win. I was so MAD at him for saying that and kept arguing with him and he was say wat u may vote as much as u want they will not make the Finals and now I think back yup hubby was right 🙁 he is right about the part that they will keep him in to get viewers Amy and Derek dancing again ( Thats to keep Derek fans happy)
2nd point even without watching the show he thinks that the result belongs to Rummer coz she is a celeb child only person who can really beat her is NOAH now I am super confused on who I should vote for I want to vote for Ryker ( I am biased) sorry but I want Allison coz she is also the one who says Derek is her inspiration but again are they the right bet. I will have to wait till the Freestyles.
Well, i agree with the odds. At the moment, i also feel Rumer has the maximum chances of winning. But i’ll give my votes based on whose freestyle i like better -Rumer or Riker’s. Both of ’em are great dancers, and deserves to win.
I still don’t feel Noah deserves to be in the finals just based on his dancing. He’s no way as good as Rumer, Riker, Nastia or Willow. He’s to me, the worst finalist since Marie Osmond and Bristol Palin -totally undeserving. I also think, if he dint do the whole proposal thingy…he would’ve been out and not Nastia. So i’m gonna do my best to make sure he doesn’t win as this is a DANCE CONTEST for crying out loud!!
But i feel its anyone’s game this season. Freestyle has been a game changer in so many occasions, so anything can happen. Let’s see..
PS. Strictly my opinions only.
I’d do almost anything to derail the Valenrue steamroller at this point. But the problem, as I see it, is that those who feel the same way are divided in whether they are going to power vote for Riker or Noah. But by dividing our votes, don’t we defeat our own purpose?
I adore Riker and have enjoyed seeing him perform each week. But has he connected well enough to overcome Valenrue if Derek/Nastia didn’t? Especially with this final, sickening push from TPTB and their media assistants? As someone else pointed out, while there is nothing negative to him, since the ringer status doesn’t seem to matter now, what story does he have? Or built in voting base?
Noah has a great story, a built in Southern/ Conservative voting base and I’m betting his real life romance will be highlighted again on Finals night perhaps even reshowing his reunion with Jamie or the proposal. On the downside, he isn’t the best dancer and some (many?) are turned off by seeing his amputations.
Forgetting DWTS, I don’t think Mama Demi or Papa Bruce will let their daughter lose at this point. I’m thinking they pulled every favor they have to get her a full media campaign. I want to be hopeful but I just can’t see her not winning at this point. Short of Val completely blowing the freestyle and Riker and/or Noah hitting it out of the park, it just seems fairly unlikely.
I do think a lot of people will end up voting against Val/Rumer now that Nastia is gone but unless there is a full scale mobilization I think the votes will be split between Riker and Noah.
Now of course anything is possible but I don’t think it’s very probable. I’ll still vote like crazy but I think Val finally will get his MBT. Only good thing to come of it is at least it will be over and done with and we can (hopefully) move on.
@Meghan Yes he competed against Brittany, Jenna… when he was 14, when he was a child but since he stopped whereas they continued. When Riker was 14, they were 11-12. He didn’t compete against pros but against girls who became pros a few years later whereas he stopped. Now these girls have many more experiences (9 years) than Riker. Personnally I don’t think that it’s really comparable 😉
I had the same thought as Colleen, is there a general consensus on who the members of this website want to vote for? Norah or Ryker? I mean, I guess it is only a small percentage of the overall voters, but at least it would be a more concentrated, organised effort.
I really like all the celebrities in this season. The producers have made great damage and Nastija and Val with their packages. At the end of the game, I would still like to see Rumer as winners. During the season she struggled with hatred that was sent from fans of Val’s last season. However, she has shown only the dignity and good dancing. I wish Rumer, Noah and Riker a good life and happiness, because they deserve it.
I am on board with those here who want to put their votes towards anyone who is not Val/Rumer. I will put my accounts I created for Nastia to the person who has the best chances of beating Val. Does anyone have an idea who that might be? I am not as good as Derek is at reading the signs the producers put out.
We may not actually know who stands a better chance until Monday – will depend on the scoring. Maybe Heidi can be persuaded to make a snap recommendation during her live post on Monday night, based on the scores? 🙂
My mind says that Riker will have the scores necessary to put him within spitting distance of Rumer, but Noah might have more votes. Tough call.
I’m so happy to read people will be using their votes!! Maybe RB doesn’t realize how blatant he’s being. That would explain why he may not have realized that un-tethering outraged Houghkin fans BEFORE the finals, when there is the opportunity to directly influence the outcome, was not a good move. I would love for us to teach him that lesson. For Star Trek fans, I’m thinking of the episode where Kirk develops telekinetic powers by consuming mass quantities of a native plant, thereby demonstrating to the rulers that they’re not all that special.
I’m going for Riker for a variety of reasons. I think he really captured the imagination of a substantial cross-section of viewers with his Pirates of the Caribbean routine, and I think his freestyle will be the most impressive. I have to say that another reason is that Val would be able to dismiss a loss to Noah much more easily than a loss to Riker, and I don’t want to give him an inch. I think that Riker being Derek’s relative and Allison being a second season pro would add sting for Val, and that works for me.
If all that’s left to me is to be an unintended consequence of some very wrong-headed decisions, I’ll take it.
All of our mods should tweet out Monday night who has the best chance to overthrow the the same pimp express. I hope Riker wins , but if Noah has a better chance, I’ll vote all out for him.
Agreed Lili! Yes, Riker had dance classes/ experience as a kid. DWTS has seen others with more and recent pro dance experience in recent seasons. Zendaya, Amber, Elizabeth Berkley, Corbin, Alfonso, off the top of my head. They had ice dancers Meryl and Charlie.
And who believed Rumor when she claimed she didn’t even work out before DWTS?!!! The producers storyboarding and instructions about what to say and not to say has been very obvious. Contestants, judges, friendly media outlets …….
I’m not usually one to support conspiracy theories. But even before it began I read here that they had been trying hard to get Rydell or Riker Lynch on. Ross is the most known/ popular due to his show on the Disney Channel. So to me, they wanted Riker or Rydell precisely for their dance experience and connection to the Houghs. A young, safe celeb to make the final to appear to be a challenge to Val and his partner. Unlike Derek and a partner who could be a real threat. While I don’t think they can outright fix the votes, they know who is puling them in and who isn’t. And the producers have a lot of tools at their disposal to influence both the judges comments and scores plus the general audience. What’s interesting is how desperate they are to make sure Valenrue wins. Tour? Connected parents? A “study” saying Americans want things fair which they’ve interpreted to mean “everyone gets a trophy” and “Derek has won too many times?”
Do we have any scoop on how the freestyles are going? Allison is my girl, but worried she may go overboard on her first freestyle….just a little bit of pressure huh? 😉
I like the way you think Courtney! I agree with everyone that Riker and Allison have created some fun performances with real flair. Boy can dance and might be the only one who can keep up with her. Their Contemporary showed more control and Riker was surer on the lifts. But what will her Freestyle look like? Will it be too frentic or will she try to push to hard and falter?
Sharna and Noah have created some touching and memorable dances. And the judges have been very, very careful in their critiques. Last week, they were even generous in their scores. My gut says Noah beats Riker in public votes. Does he pull in more votes than the Valenrue machine? We know she scores better and will probably top the leaderboard no matter what on Monday. Riker might be really close scorewise. If they give Noah close scores too, doesn’t the whole then come down to votes/popularity?
Miss Heidi, I agree with you, Nastia’s elimination is clearly a manipulation by the producers, and it disgusts me how they bring out Amy to dance with Derek on the finale show.
I love Amy but I really feel like they’re now manipulating Dereks fans into still watching the show after tptb must have seen our tweets about how we won’t watch the finale of DWTS, and they are trying to fix that problem they created themselves with their scheming to get Val the win.
Now I will power vote for Ricker, maybe I’ll switch for Noah if Heidi gives us intructions to vote en masse.
Right now I don’t care who wins, as long as it’s not Rumer, nothing against her, but the clear manipulations honestly has turned me off, and I’d compare her situation to Zendaya’s, where up till finale, everybody thought she had it in the bag, up until Derek and Kellie did what is now my favorite Freestyle, and won the whole thing right under Val’s nose.
I just hope, even though they got rid of Derek to keep this situation from happening again, that Allison or will come up with a fantastic FS and will steal the show and the MBT, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, and power vote for Ricker or Noah, or Ricker! ;D
Another part of the finale is that the judges get to score the final 2 dancers again after TPTB know how the voting has gone. I am just sure they are already getting promo’s to promote the DWTS tour this summer with the season 20 winners dancing. GAG….I would in no way support that after the turn the show has taken this season.
There are few articles reporting that Val’s Diss at Derek may have cost Rumer the trophy and most are turned off by his comment. I was also reading few comments on those articles which I normally avoid becoz of the hate towards Derek but I was pleasantly surprised to c a lot people calling out his behavior and saying they will vote for Ryker. I mean a few even said he should not be allowed to come back on the show for his unprofessional behavior interesting. I am anyways team RYKER +ALLISON.
For what Allison said sounds like she doesnt know if shell be back for another season… She didnt gave them enough drama for Robs TV and always has nice things to say about the other contestans, so I wouldnt be suprise if this is her second and last.
I’ll be voting for Riker, I enjoyed his dances more. I personally prefer the good dancers, I know I am in the minority and not pay much attention to their “journeys” because they are produced by a bunch of people who want ratings and money. But I think if you are a good dancer you don need shomances or parents PR or judges/producers pimping, if you do Im not voting for you.
Also I hate when the judges makes their celebs think their is somenthing emotionally wrong with them because the dont see “connection” when they are seeing a technically flawless dance(obviously the actress will have the stronger “connection”) and actually makes me feel there is something wrong w me for not caring for it. Lol
After seeing what happen w Nastia I hope other celebs really think before signing for s21
Don’t split the vote between Riker and Noah, pick one. I’m going Riker because on social media Team RALLISON is all the DWTS fans talk about. Plus his fans stay up 24/7 to vote for him including his international fans. Plus, I think Riker is more deserving to wins dance competition. ALL of his dances have been memorable in my eyes. Where Rumer has had some bad dances, jive etc.
This has probably already been answered elsewhere, if so I’m sorry I missed it: Are they only doing freestyles on Monday, or do they have regular dances first?
@Dom… Rallison’s international fan here. Last Monday, I used all means to give them as many votes as possible. I even managed to convince a few social media friends to vote for them. teehee! I know I’m not the only outside U.S doing this. =)
You guys are underestimating the r5 fandom insanely, we have people from Europe and Asia changing their IP adress and voting for Riker, we are calling in on every phone we have, I even ran to my neighbour’s house and voted on all of their phones. We have millions and millions of 16+ fans voting. 60% of the fandom is 16 and older, so don’t think we’re a bunch of ex one direction fans. Cause most of us are old enough to legally date the band and we are willing to make sure Riker wins at all costs. We even found sites that give us fake emails for an hour just to vote.
Also I have to say that I believe both Noah and Riker deserve the trophy, and I wouldnt be mad if Noah won. I’m putting my effort on Riker because I enjoyed his dances almost every week and always split my votes w him. I really wanna se Noah and Riker being the top 2. 3rd for Rumer is already more than good for her season.
Right now, this is how I’m thinking. IF Noah dances as well as he did last week (and he’s all tear jerky) and manages to be within three points of first place, then I’ll likely vote for him.
If he’s farther than that out of first place, I’ll likely go Riker.
What will be really bad is if they make it a three way tie on Monday night. Then I won’t know what to do. If they have a dance that is scored on Tuesday like they usually do, and that is also a tie – Rumer probably has it in the bag. I don’t think they will do that. I will run the numbers during the show, to see how bad it looks for Noah. If they REALLY sandbag him, then I almost have to go with Riker.
Clear as mud??
We’re not underestimating anything, Mia. YOU are underestimating the power that Noah has. At the same time, you forget that MOST people Riker’s age do not win the show, because while they have millions of fans, those fans don’t typically vote. See Bethany. See Sadie. See Brant. See whatshisface blond guy. See many more.
Team Rallison is not the only team that knows how to power vote and about fake emails, etc. Trust me on that. We knew it years ago.
Riker may be the one we end up going with – it may be the only smart move. But I have to see the dances.
PH Do you see any significance in Riker being the only team called safe on Tuesday?
As always, I will be on this site Monday evening. I will be looking for direction on how to vote. I know it seems we are all split between the two. I suspect this is exactly what tptb want so I will wait to vote until I have some idea from this site where I should send my votes. Anyone but Val. Thanks for all your help!!!
#3 – thanks for the reminder about Rumer saying she was a “Southern girl at heart” or whatever. That was the only time I’ve ever disliked her this season, because it seemed disingenuous and an absolutely blatant attempt to appeal to the demographic by her. The rest has been very much done by the producers, but I don’t dislike her because of it.
However what I haven’t liked is most of their routines, even if she dances them well. I loved their salsa and a couple of others, but I’ve enjoyed Riker’s routines more. We’ll see how Monday goes, I suppose!
I’ve got to give some major props to KB for last night. Not only did she go “there” but she went for the jugular. You could see Rob squirm, especially when she brought up the number of times it was shown, what Derek had to say about it and the fact that Derek’s fans were angry. In one swoop she basically said, “people know you manipulated and railroaded Derek and Nastia, so the question is why?” It was bloody brilliant and I owe that chick a high five. She cornered him and he basically admitted that he purposely aired that package to change the public’s view of Nastia. He might not realize it but she got him to admit he set out to use that package to manipulate the viewers. Which is exactly what KB was going for.
If Rob was smart he’d do anything he could to stop Val from winning because right now all eyes are on the show as to whether the producers got rid of the strongest competition to rig the win. You got the package issue, you have Derek actually calling it out, and you have the media starting to raise their eyebrows. The curtain covering the manipulation is falling and it could really affect the continued success of the show.
I will be reading on Monday and voting for whomever has the best chance. I know that many people read this blog (even if they don’t comment) and maybe we can have an effect on the results.
That would be teaching the producers a lesson! We aren’t dumb and we know what’s going on. We want a real and fair competition and if you want to control/rig the results we sill try our best to control/rig the votes.
I’ve loved this show since the beginning and this clear manipulation from productions is becoming so obvious that it really makes me sad and makes me miss the show I love. I actually think I might have loved Rumer and Val in any normal circumstance and the reason I’m so against them winning is because of the pimping. I know the show is produced but they have been crossing the line.
Very well stated Michelle and I couldn’t agree more!
I hope Rob gets the boot because this show is so obviously fixed who would want to waste their time ever watching it again.
As for me I will also be watching closely to see how things are going and vote for ANYBODY BUT VAL!! What a disgusting thing to say about another couple.
I know the tour is coming up and they want him to win but did they ever think the public will be so angry they won’t buy tickets.
FED UP!
Courtney, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Dance Center piece as well. What kind of questions could they possibly be asking Nastia for her to constantly respond that Derek doesn’t want her to talk about it. It was awful.
After the results I realized Nastia was Charlie’d. Charlie was criticized all season and shown very small packages. The week he was eliminated he was given great scores, high praise, and Meryl was criticized and docked points. The same thing happened with Nastia. She was put in first place, high scores, lots of praise, and Rumer was a few points back. People were worried for her and Noah, assuming Nastia was okay in first place, so they threw their votes elsewhere.
I can see any of them winning. Fans love Noah’s journey even though some will say that the proposal to Jamie was a pretty blatant attempt at manipulating votes. I see Rumer and Val winning. It really is time for Val to win one, and he’s done an outstanding job all season. Riker and Allison? A real dark horse. There haven’t been many under-25 men as stars (Cody Linley strikes me as the first one, then Cody Simpson and James Maslow in Season 18), and Riker blows them all away. But against these two finalists? I’m not sure Riker and Allison have the fan base to win it.
Even if DWTS is not a dance competition, or even a dance show dancers should be professional and classy, Val throws sportsmanship in a bucket every season.
I just saw a screencap on twitter of one of Vals friends defending him, saying that there is no source (I assume he is talking about pure) and kept refering to Nastia as “nastya”…
I cant believe how his fans idiolize people like these (who tbh feel they are famous by association) they do nothing but trash the competition, their behavior is disgusting.
I started really watching dwts during season 16 and I thought he was a nice guy until he lost…And then his friends throwing shade at Kelly,
Derek, Alfonso or who ever Val was against. Why would anyone want to see a person like that holding the trophy of what is supposed to be a family show?(And with TPTB help)
Maybe Rumer is a nice person and a good dancer but the fact that she is following his lead, just no.
Can producers just allocate fewer lines to the contestants they do not want to win? I was ways wondering who allocates lines and how
Nastia was so awesome and she was competing in the wrong season, this is Val’s season.
Just like Season 18 was Maks’s, remember Charlie and Sharna (who were incredible) got eliminated to open the doors. Sharna gave Charlie very difficult choreography and he handled it and the judges were hard on him as they were with Nastia and putting on the negative packages is wrong. Val and Rumer were on GMA the the other day, when do they do that unless you are eliminated. TPTB will figure out a way to manipulate the votes, a line will go down or something. This show is losing it’s credibility and Rob Wade should let the fans enjoy supporting these hard working talented dancers, and not try to decide who should win the show. We saw it with Tony and Melissa, Derek and Shawn had the most incredible dances but Tony had been on forever and had not won, so it was push Tony.
Derek is the best and it makes it hard for the others, but do not punish the celebrity. I feel Nastia was treated unfairly, there are angry and hurt fans, but Val will win what a shame.
Sorry Ken: “It really is time for Val to win one” — No.
It will be time for Val to win one when he’s good enough and earns it. Even if (tho I don’t think so) his choreography and attitude and performances were better this season than they’ve ever been, I doubt very greatly that he would be in the position he’s in WITHOUT all the extra everything he got from TPTB, and all the extra everything TPTB put in place of those who might actually have challenged him. If he wins, by definition, he will not have earned it on the merits. Problem is Chmercockies don’t care how they get the mirrorball. They just want it.
Ken, I disagree about Val doing an “outstanding” job all season. I’ve liked their dances these past couple of weeks, but, that’s it. I don’t think it’s “his time” to win either. But, I don’t base it on a pros “time” put into the show for who should win. I base it on the work in the season itself…..just like football, tennis, racing or any other sport or competition.
The people I have talked to about DWTS are saying they are voting for Noah. Of course, I do live in the south and Noah is a southerner. These same folks have been voting for him all along. After Willow was eliminated, I gave Nastia and Derek all my votes. Nastia is such a beautiful dancer and should be there in the finals. The dances I will remember all belong to Nastia and Derek, and yet, I will be voting. Hope I make the right choice!
Brave of the bookies to stick Noah out at 12/1. I’d be very tempted to throw a bit of cash at that. Anyhow, Noah’s got my votes, him and Sharna are the only ones I feel deserving of my votes. I like Rumer but Val is a turn off while Allison doesn’t deserve the trophy. I’d even rather see Val win than Allison (and believe me that takes a lot). Riker fans can make as much noise as they like on social media, but it’s the phone votes that win this show and America won’t vote for 23 year old disney star with a marmite pro to win over a disabled vet or a 26 year old girl that was bullied in her youth. If Riker did win I’d be more shocked than I was at Nastia and Willow’s eliminations put together.
All my votes will go to Riker and only my guess but I think Noah has the smallest chance of winning at this point. I agree with Courtney that after Nastia’s shocking elimination, people were really vocal how Noah shouldn’t be in the finals as he’s not that great of a dancer. I don’t want to sound harsh but I guess people will ‘get real’ now and might not vote all that much for Noah anymore unless he performs a fantastic freestyle.
What does appear clear at this point PH is that you have a good segment of battle hardened troops here at the ready to vote AnyoneButVal on Monday! Just awaiting your signal.
One of the reasons Riker may have been called safe is because he was bottom two and they don’t want his fans to vote. OR, he could be leading the pack. You never know till the season is over how they’re playing the game. Nastia was never in jeopardy, so it makes me wonder if Riker was bottom two.
As a Houghkin fan, I’m definitely voting Rallison all the way. I love Allison and hope they nail their freestyle next Monday.
I definitely think Noah has an inspiring story and deserves to be in the finale (no issue there) but I actually think he’s really competitive and it comes off as a bit aggressive at times. That proposal was a beautiful thing but the timing of it was so odd to me. Why would someone choose that moment, right in the middle of a chaotic room while getting scored to do something so intimate? Proposing on the show is a great idea but why not orchestrate a completely unique moment on the results show when it’s not smack dab in the middle of competing? Strange. I also remember his interview at the 20th Anniversary after party; when he was asked about Derek’s injury, all he could say was he was thankful to have a partner like Sharna who was willing to spend the time and attention needed for their partnership and that Derek spread himself to thin. Nice way to be sympathetic to your competition. Anyway, for me it’s Rallison.
I’ve decided to vote Riker. Noah has had low scores all season and manages to be in the finals. Clearly there is a huge public vote for him to make up the difference all the time.
I also like some of the reasons it will irk certain people if Riker wins. I’ve never believed in rewarding bad behavior.
So I’ll be power voting Riker and Allison and dedicate it to Nastia. A beautiful classy lady, who came in at the last minute for a celeb who dropped out. She helped DWTS out, danced incredibly, had multiple partners and an injured pro. She handled it all and this is the thanks she gets. The repeated package and the lame dance center was just too much for me to take. I’m really feeling sad that Rob Wade has destroyed this once beautiful dance show.
Steph, they could have asked the same question over the course of the season and just edited them altogether.
That’s another thing Val doesn’t get – guilt by association. Most thinking people know that you are who you run with. If all your friends are trash talking, they likely do it with your approval, if not active participation.
Wow, I missed where someone actually tried to claim Val did an outstanding job. If he wins it will be on the poorest choreography for a ringer ever.
+1!!!
#28 I think it’s obvious why they ruined Nastia’s packages. No matter how much producers want Derek on the show, they DO NOT want him to win ever again! They know his strength with freestyles so they didn’t even give him a chance to get to the finale. In their logic, drama and surprises bring in viewers, and what would be the point of the show if one pro is always winning? Derek has become too big for DWTS. I think producers know it too, so they are pimping and latching on to Val and other pros to replace him. The only problem is none have the charm that Derek has – especially not Val! I hope Derek realizes this show no longer appreciates talent and is now all about ratings. He should work hard to find better things.
PH. See # 38 above.
#jenni. That’s what makes this so delicious — they didn’t want Derek performing a freestyle, and that is what has led to all the disgruntled Derek fans being free to vote to sabotage their agenda. Reminds me of Roy Scheider’s line from “Jaws” after his first glimpse of the shark — “I think we’re gonna need a bigger boat.” TPTB have no idea what they’ve unleashed. It is my fondest wish to send that message loud and clear.
Steph (37)- I think Nastia was Charlie’d also. There are definite similarities. I’m sure the producers wanted Maks to win possibly before the season even started, but when they saw M&M chemistry and showromance angle that the fans also loved, they completely took off with that storyline for the season and left Charlie in the dust. Charlie and Sharna also had great technique and choreography, a drama-free platonic relationship and got hosed in criticism from judges and short packages. Too bad the producers think that we don’t want to see drama-free, romance-free people! I think with Charlie they couldn’t go the rude angle because he is so warm and friendly, so they just went the criticism of the dancing route to convince people to vote for the other ice dancer instead.
This is why I still think Rumer & Val will most likely win (like M&M did), because this season mirrors S18 more than last season. Didn’t M&M also get the most air time and press that season too? But it should be close. Hoping to be wrong though!
This really stinks. Before the season started producer Rob said, “I think this is Val’s season.” And from that instant forward it seems like TPTB did everything they could to make it happen, including somehow taking the one pro with the most powerful voting groups and eliminating him before the finals. The Olympic voting group alone should have kept Nastia in the finals let alone all of Derek’s groups. Sure would like to see the raw, verified vote totals for last week. All that aside the blatant focus on giving Val the trophy just angers people. Maybe he and Rumer should win. But right now I and all of my friends will vote, and vote diligently for anyone BUT Rumer and Val just because of the obvious effort of the producers and Val’s arrogance all season. And btw, there are still laws that govern “voting” and game decisions on television. The BBC and Producer Rob should be aware that the FCC might like to poke around in search of vote manipulation and ABC would be none-too-happy about that.
I’m really torn about who to vote for now that Derek and Nastia are out. For those of you who say, “oh Riker just took some dance lessons as a kid”…you have obviously never been in a ballroom studio and seen the kids there practicing. They start them off young and they practice them HARD. The kids can totally dance circles around us adults in both the actual steps and the technique. And they dont have just casual coaches either. They have the russian teachers who are VERY serious about it and work them super hard. It is not a casual thing like a kid who takes some dance classes and does this cute little routine with their class. Riker had to have had ALOT of years of lessons to get to the point of competing at the level that he did. And then there is Allison. I love and adore ballroom as it is….as it has been for hundreds of years…and I dont like the people who come in wanting to change it and make it “new” or “fresh”. If I wanted something new or fresh, I’d take up hip hop or crumping or something rather than doing the international standard ballroom which i love so much. And then there is Noah….while I greatly admire him and acknowledge that he has come a long way (and that he has done some cool moves), he is still barely doing any ballroom steps because of his limitations. It is very awkward to watch him dance and I don’t think he should be in the finals at all. So I dont really want to vote for him either (though I do love Sharna). Totally torn as to what to do. Ugh.
I also think Nastia & Derek got the Apolo & Karina treatment from All-Stars. Both had the “lack of connection” critiques (which I didn’t think was true for either couples), and those comments stayed with the viewers. Also didn’t help that Karina had to tell some (obviously made-up) story about how they (her & Apolo) had a fight right before their dance and that Henry had the gall to talk about Nastia & Derek’s lack of chemistry/friction in their video package.
Whoops! Forgot to say in my comment above (guess I thought you could read my mind) that I like Rumer but voting for her is not even an option now because of Val dropping the ball so much with regards to choreography, me being tired of all the extra pimpage trying to convince me to like them and vote for them, and Val’s attitude towards the show/Derek/the other dancers. And the attitude he and Maks seem to encourage in their fans. I dont like all the negativity. So yeah, super confused as to who to vote for.
#EP. The big difference between season 18 and now is that Derek was still in it and we were all still voting for him. Derek voters hadn’t been released prior to the freestyle, we’re not available to inject themselves into the scenario. Plus, I don’t think Valenrue’s journey has been as successful as the Maksyl love fest, so I think there’s more wriggle room. I am just pumped to,see if we can derail the cherished agenda.
I like Rumer and will continue to Vote for her, I just thnk she is the total talented package and it is not her fault she was paired with Val or by what he says.
Regarding Tom’s carefully worded comment about each semi-final couple having topped the combined scores/votes for at least one week this season: That doesn’t necessarily mean that Nastia must have had the most votes at some point.
For example: Looking at the scores on Wikipedia, it seems Week 7 was the week Nastia had the biggest scoring lead over the other semi-finalists. Granted, there was never an elimination based on just week 7 scores and votes, but that doesn’t matter wrt what Tom said. If week 7 was the only week that Nastia “won” based on scores and votes, then it’s worth noting that she had ~ 1% lead on Noah and ~ 1.5% lead on Rumer and Riker in scores that week. IOW, it’s mathematically possible that Nastia consistently trailed the other semi-finalists in votes throughout the season, yet still led in combined scores/votes for at least one week.
I find it interesting that Tom’s comments were taken to mean that each couple must have had the most votes at some point during the season. That’s certainly possible, but as the example above shows, that’s not necessarily true. It makes me wonder if Tom’s announcement at the start of Monday’s show wasn’t intended to lull various fan groups into a false sense of security.
P.S. I’ve posted under “Kathleen” in previous seasons, but there’s been a different “Kathleen” posting this season. I’ve changed my name to indicate when I started reading PureDWTS (Season 13). FWIW, this is my first post this season, and I have no strong feelings about who wins. I like all three remaining celebrities, and my favorite pros haven’t been on DWTS for several seasons now.
I’m sorry. I know this is kind of the wrong place for this. But in my mind, it connects with who the general public might be voting for. Riker was “in jeopardy” several times. We discussed how a very young fanbase often don’t watch/vote reliably. Note Willow who also would have a main fanbase of about the same age. Add some both because he’s male and because Riker’s performances have been “different” for DWTS and he does have experience, talent and flair. But Tom did not say what week(s) Riker led the placement.
We’ve discussed the obvious and overwhelming pimpage Valenrue have been getting. Especially lately. And the very, very odd onscreen remarks about being sure that you are dialing the correct number to keep them in the competition. It does make one wonder if Rumer lagged in votes for a bit that they are this afraid the outcome of the season won’t be what they want.
How much was Nastia affected not just by the obnoxious edit of her package but by Derek being semi sidelined? Also, the judges concept seemed to help Noah last week while not do too much for Valenrue. (Just more of the same-ish for me.) But Riker and Nastia were actually harmed IMO. While Julianne did seem to instruct Team Rallison a bit about slowing down slightly and controlling his long limbs better, she made their AT too cluttered and in including herself, distracted from what she could have done just by working on technique with them for the week. And while Len’s idea was so touching and Derek and Nastia’s execution fantastic, that whole performance and everything after it was totally about LEN. How much did Nastia get lost in the viewer’s minds when it came time to vote for her, Derek (and Sasha)?
#63 #Terasia – GUILTY BY ASSOCIATION! She is as big of a PIMP as VAL is!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, Paul Kirkland And Mark Ballas are in Noah’s freestyle. Looks incredible!
#20 Cynthia. That was exactly what I was thinking when I saw about Amy and Derek performing. TPTB still trying to squeeze every bit of Derek’s fans viewership. It ain’t going to work for me because I can still watch that segment on YouTube. Can any one of you ladies tweet who will have the best chance of winning? I’m going to vote whoever it is between Noah or Riker. Thanks.
Most likely all my votes will be going to Riker – he’s been my second favorite all along. I have thrown a few towards Noah at times too, so maybe I’ll wait to see how the freestyles go.
Do people really believe that Rumer has no dance experience? Sometimes she can be really well spoken but other times she puts little jabs in – like “give the song to Nastia and Derek” or “I’m not an athlete,” “I never work out at a gym” – no, you just go to an aerial class and I’m sure have taken many a dance class.
I so hope that Riker and his brother can motivate their fans to actually pick up the phone and not just tweet about it. I think a lot of us older ladies like Riker too and will be voting for him – he’s very charming and a great performer.
I can’t understand why the push to get Val a mirror ball was so heavy handed this season? It’s really been too much!
Help! Someone please tell me this is true! I just read on a twitter sight that Mark is dancing in Noah’s final. Is this true? There was even a reference to possibly Derek dancing too. Clear this up for me. If Mark is throwing his support behind Noah, then he has my votes. Please tell me it is so…
# 67 Lynn – Too Funny! I have enjoyed Rumer and Val is insignificant to me.
@ GinnyD, I watched Noah & Sharna’s All Access Live Stream today and yes, Mark is dancing in their Freestyle. So is Paul (Sharna’s BF), Lindsay & Jenna. I don’t think Derek is dancing in it though. He did make a 2-second cameo during their live stream just to say hello and I think that’s all.
Coleen I’m betting the week Riker topped the vote was spring break week. Rumer, Nastia and Noah all had off nights, Riker got a couple of 10s and killed it in the team dance number. I’d be surprised if he topped the leader board in any other week.
Er, Kathleen, I’ve seen NO one assume that Nastia had the most votes. I think everyone, myself included, has been very clear that it’s the total score where everyone had the highest at least once.
The rest is entirely conjecture.
As for a false sense of security…if anyone got that message (which I highly doubt), they are idiots.
I think the idea of us matching all our votes for one person is very risky. None of us really knows who has been leading or will lead in votes! Everyone seems to have a different theory. If we get it wrong, we could actually become the reason Valenrue takes it home. I think we should all watch the dances and go with our gut feeling; at least half of us would get it right that way. We just need to vote hard for the person we do pick.
My comments were in response to the part of the main blog entry that reads “we know for a fact that Nastia was leading in the votes at some point, because of what Tom said”. If I misunderstood what that intends, then I apologize.
Kathleen, based on the context of the conversation, I think the person meant total. Not just votes.
That said, there is no way of knowing. Nastia could have been leading in votes until the negative package (and Dance Center) torpedoed her. There’s just no way of knowing.
Extremely upset with this week.
Nastia….
CLEARLY got ice water dumped on her
for being A sweetheart AND being so great.
Embarrassing for her,her family and Derek fans.
America is not blind.
I just look at the finals this way…last season, especially with the tour starting up, it was pretty obvious that Alfonso was going to win…you could see the way he was promoted, and the fact that his partner was on the tour. As much as Val hoped against hope that he might have a shot at the MBT, it was pretty obvious last season that no matter what, Alfonso or Sadie would win, but most likely Alfonso because he had talent and experienceT. his season, with another tour happening and now the hoards of people clamoring for anyone but Val, votes will be split between Riker and Noah since no one has picked ONE alternate to anyone but Val…just saw this in the Chicago mayoral race…and the incumbent won after a hard fight…just saying. Even though everyone wanted anyone but…that one won by default after the splitting of votes and everyone ended up right back where they started.
Splitting of votes doesn’t matter if enough people are actually voting. Otherwise, it could be an issue. Problem here also is that we have no idea how any of the three are actually doing. Is Noah killing it so hard in votes that Riker doesn’t stand a chance?? Is Rumer killing it?? Riker?? No clue.
And even when I look at the numbers on Monday, and tweet/post who I think has the best shot…I still won’t be sure. I could pick Noah and everyone here could vote Noah, but Riker could already be getting enough votes to beat HIM, but not Rumer. You understand what I’m saying?? Getting everyone to vote for one or the other is not a sure thing.
I don’t agree with half the people here. I am voting for Val. I think he is great at what he does
STFW, Carol. Should we care that you don’t agree with half the people here? :::rolls eyes::: Thanks for sharing.
Carol – Himself has a fan page – go over there and visit.
Carol — Only half? Then there’s still hope!!
I see striking similarities between this and the last two seasons. If Rotten Rob and his crew repeat things often enough the general audience begins to believe it and, just as PH says that the judges like to be right, I think the majority of viewers like to be right also.
Alfonso made me sick in the Paley clip I viewed where Kristyn confronted RW. I think we can see that everyone there is in on it. Never thought I would see that.
Still hoping Noah can snatch it from the arrogant pro.
Alfonso is starting to come off as a bit pathetic if you ask me. Dude, move on. You are one of 19 winners, that does not make you a pro on this show. It like you career is now “DWTS spokesman”.
I think here we know and understand that there are no sure bets. All we can do is take a chance that voting for Noah or Riker might overturn the machine.
What we do know for sure is TPTB are working very, very hard towards a specific outcome using all that they have in their power. I don’t believe they can actually alter public votes. Aren’t those tabulated by an outside service? But perhaps, if we vote, and vote hard, Season 20 can have another surprising outcome!
Alfonso is swimming in the shallow end of the self respect pool right now.
I apologize in advance for saying the same thing over and over again, but every time I read someone say that this season reminds them of some other one I feel compelled to again mention that there has not been a season like this in at least the last 5. This is the first time that Derek’s voters have been cut loose before the freestyles and the voting therefore.
Season 15 — Shawn places 2nd
Season 16 — Kellie wins
Season 17 — Amber wins
Season 18 — Amy places 2d
Season 19 — Bethany places 4th AFTER freestyles were performed and voted on
Maybe I’m fooling myself, but this seems like it could be a game-changing difference. I believe in their zeal to make sure that Valenrue didn’t encounter competition that might derail their win, TPTB neglected to take into account what it would mean to release Derek’s ticked off voters. I had been wondering why this season changed from a 4-team final to a 3-team final and I now think this might have been the reason — to engineer Nastia and Derek’s departure from the competition before they could do any “damage” with the certain-to-be phenomenal freestyle they would perform. It is my fondest wish to surpass the anticipated damage (which they believe they’ve avoided) with some actual damage, skewing the vote away from Valenrue to either Noah or Riker. As much as they might manipulate to achieve a particular result, they are stuck with the vote, however it turns out. The opportunity to influence the outcome in this way may well never come again. We may never have another opportunity to vote for Derek as a pro, and while this is not a vote directly for him, it is a vote to deny the win for which they were cruelly sacrificed. So the next time this season starts reminding you of some other one, remember how it’s completely different.
Soapbox now ceded. Mods please feel free to delete if everyone’s had enough of this.
#83 Princess Heidi, I’m sorry I offended so many people. it’s just that I am such a hugh Val fan & I hate the way that so many ditch him all the time, I didn’t mean to be snippy. I’ll keep my opionions to myself Sorry
#Suzy, U just echoed everything I was thinking last few days. I kept thinking if I would feel the same way if Derek had done his freestyle and yet ended up 4th I guess may be not I would sure be disappointed but I would not feel so cheated. U r right on in saying that not letting Derek & Nastia be in finals and robbing us of the freestyle + those horrible packages has made huge difference this time. Anyways, I will be voting like crazy for Ryker for sure so that they don’t underestimate the viewers so much.
I’ve been a Derek & Nastia fan all season but oh well.. TPTB decided to waste everybody’s time by eliminating them for most likely no good reason but for themselves I think.
It’s not even Allison’s 2nd Year, although the years have changed, the girl’s been on the show for one, almost two seasons, which is about equivalent to 1 Year. Sharna’s been on longer, but considering her other partners in the past except for Charlie, in which they didn’t deserve to be eliminated, weren’t something I think we could really judge Sharna’s max. choreography level for, I think it would still be just as amazing for her and Noah to win. I mean, considering that Val dropped to the floor when Nastia & Derek were eliminated, I’ll just love to see the reaction, if they get called second, or even third.
On another note, was it just me, or did it irk anyone else that when Nastia & Derek got eliminated, Demi and Rumer’s sister didn’t even take a moment to applaud Nastia and Derek but instead be overjoyed over Rumer’s stay? I get the excitement, but I thought it was a tad rude.
Julia — I noticed the same things you did, the reaction to Nastia’s elimination of Val falling to his knees and Rumer’s support gleeful. I would LOVE to see Val not win, and will vote as hard as I would have for Nastia to try to make that happen.
I was listening to the DWTS Radio and the guy from the Odds said that is between Rumer and Noa (they think should be Rumer), and they placed Riker 3rd because when they brought his brother to the show people saw he is a good dancer too and he is related to the Houghs so people might think the whole family is dance oriented and that will hurt him in the votes.
In his interview Val didnt sound very excited he just said he is confident because Rumer feels confident about the final.
All the little segments basically ignored Rikers existence and focus on Rumer and Noah and how America loves them. They also mentioned that Nastias elimination was because voters didnt connect w her (and agreed w Vals comments on them) and she was so good that she stayed on the same level and they didn’t expect Riker to make the finals.
*Even the pros on the Road to the finals were pimping Rumer.. Peta even mentioned “she is not a trained dancer…”
@Lotus did you notice to the road to the finals that Riker had the shortest package of the three ? and they we’re pimping Rumer to the max…
Did you also notice how everyone was nice when they needed to talk about the strength and weekness of each couple… I think Val should take some notes on how to respond some questions without being an asshole haha !
I give you all a lot of credit for listening to/watching these things. I could not do it. Just reading your reports is making me feel nuts. At this point I’ll be interested to see who they’ll be able to get for next season.
I have to say I am extremely suspicious of the extent to which Noah seems to be promoted at the expense of Riker. Knowing that Rumer is “supposed to” win, whomever is a bigger threat to that happening should get the least air time. They would only promote Noah more than Riker if he wasn’t as big a threat to Rumer’s win. So my conclusion is that Riker is actually the bigger threat and that’s why he’s being left in the dust. Because of the way they behaved particularly with Nastia, I just can’t see them giving Noah that much exposure if that could threaten Rumer’s win.
The other two felt longer, don’t know if they actually were. What I noticed is that they are trying to tell the audience what they want to see, or how a freestyle “should” be. “You want a freestyle to be emotional, you want to be moved by the freestyle” idk, like they are preparing the people for a certain dance and expect them to be “yeah, I want emotional contemporaries and connection and fierce performance”.
This is the last season I’m watching (I’ll watch monday but not the results show), the dwts book is getting to predictable and boring.. “The closest final yet”, queue the injuries and the “is he/she gonna be able to perform in the final?” packages, and the dress rehearsal suspense, and the “I’ve been here 243 seasons and I haven’t won” argument.
Omg i thaught it was only my imagination going or that i was getting panaroid about the manipulation on the show hahaha (about the freestyle segment haha)
At first, I didn’t mind who between Noah and Riker would win the mirrorball trophy but this past two days, I feel they are making Noah and Rumer happen wayyyyyy to much for me… but Noah is less intense than Rumer…
@Suzy yeah, I’m with you. It is suspicious.
And I think it has to do a little bit w him not giving them what they wanted from him (Rivalry w Derek or rockstar bad attitude) so they don’t care for him. He is still the wild card thought.
Idk is the DWTS Radio is oficially affiliated to the show? the girl there even said she is #teamvalenrue, and insinuated everyone else there is too.
@Lotus — I think at this point the only thing they calculate is whether something/someone is a plus or a minus in terms of Valenrue winning. That’s it. They started marginalizing Riker right at the top of the show on Tuesday. Called him safe first, and then the rest of the drama for the evening focused on the other three teams. Kind of a subliminal “What other team? Is there another team? I don’t see another team. Let’s just keep focusing on these three teams here, shall we? … ” Ordinarily the goal of promotion would be to generate as much excitement as possible for a person/event, which will translate one way or another to a revenue stream. Because of their obsession, they don’t want to build excitement for anything or anyone that could threaten the planned coronation.
I agree with Suzy. I didn’t have a timer on but to the best of my memory this is roughly how long each got coverage: Noah’s package was 25 minutes, Riker’s was 15 and Rumer’s 20. However, outside of the package Rumer was the one best praised. I also don’t think it was a coincidence that her package was last! If she was leading far ahead in votes, I don’t think TPTB would feel this much need to promote her like this. It’s obvious though that they want her to be remembered the most. We are literally being told she is the best. Riker is definitely getting the shortest end of the stick not only in packages but also from the judges, other pros, and press. They are acting as if he’s not really a contender, which leads me to believe that he actually has the best shot. I also think that his young fans are actually voting, and here’s why: from what I’ve seen his fans seem more invested in his performances, and actually are discussing DWTS and the dancing and not just him, which means they are invested in the show enough to vote. (Their only problem is they think everyone loves Riker as much as they do!) Other young stars like Cody Simpson/Linely, however, had a fan base largely built on their good-looks and how cool they act, which does not really lend itself to the kind of loyal people who’d care about a dance competition. Riker seems different, so I think he’s been doing well despite his age.
I’m still not convinced that Riker is pulling in a lot of votes. My gut feeling is that Noah garners a good amount of votes. Especially lately with the engagement happening right on their TV show. He has a feel good story that would also generate a lot of favorable publicity for DWTS if he should by any chance over take Valenrue. So just like the judges who start “liking” anyone whom they think might win, the producers are preparing for the possibility of another outcome too.
OR, they might think that highlighting Noah too screens their manipulations for Valenrue a bit. And neither Allison nor Riker seem pushy, so it’s easy to short change them and use the extra time and effort to pushing the team on TPTB’s agenda.
I guess the writing was on the wall from the first promo pic of sesson 20. Val on billboards and commercials front and centre. They removed all the pros like Derek and Mark, for example, who they knew would present obstacles to their desired outcome. They must not have been able to predict the dark horses of Riker and Noah though. So the producers have set the stage for Val’s win as best as they can. The only thing that gives me satisfaction in this travesty is the fact that he will can only win against two other women pros who have never won. I Don’t think Val is a very enlightened man regarding women and that might seem to him like a cheap win. I hope the producers plan explodes in their faces but I am not sure anything can be done now to stop the steamroller.
I’m really starting to wonder if this show isn’t actually rigged after all, seeing one or two comments posted on this site after Nastia was eliminated. Who’s to stop the producers from not counting votes?
As far as riker goes, and I don’t have anything against contestants with dance experience, especially since Meryl and Charlie have been on, how relevant is his experience, dance wise? He#s only 23, so if he competed in junior ballroom at 14, wouldn’t that still be somewhat relevant?
EDITED BY COURT: State your opinion, but you don’t get to call others’ opinions “ridiculous”.
Rumer deserves this win because for me, she is the best of the three remaining dancers. I love Noah and think he is adorable and his girlfriend is so cute – he’s a true inspiration. However, I don’t think he should win. I think that Ryker is also great and during the entire season, I thought the judges gave him far lower numbers that he deserved, especially at the beginning of the season. But I like Rumer’s and Val’s chemistry, etc. more than I like Ryker’s and Sharna’s. Finally, the reason the Olympic girl, Natsia, was eliminated was that she was not very likeable. She just didn’t catch on with the audience like Amber or some of Derek’s other partners.
For me, Val and Rumer are the winners and not because Rumer was bullied or that it’s Val’s turn, but because their dancing is FANTASTIC and they deserve it!!
This show means different things to different people. For me it about the person that lands in the final with the least amount of performance experience.
With the lower scores given to Noah by the judges, I think Noah was getting the votes and was the biggest threat to Rumer and Val. I love to see someone win with no dance experience.
For me, all season long TPTB made sure that a bad picture was painted for Nastia . And the judges nit-picked her worse than anyone, while failing to call Val out on his BORING choreography and not even challenging Rumer. And, the viewers that were enjoying both Nastia and Rumer were being manipulated into believing what the judges were conveying and what the producers were pushing at them. Both of my parents always told me that “what goes around comes around” so TPTB and the judges just might get a backfire with their “pimping” of Val (their crybaby). I remember in Season 18 in rehearsal of the Duo Team dance Val made a comment to Danica “we are going to earn out points” and I strongly felt he was referring to Amy. So, Val better watch his mouth because he may have already jeopardized Rumer chances. And, I would be just as happy if Noah won instead of Riker, even though I voted tons of votes to Riker only. Vals words against an amputee just might come back and bite him in the face. There is a reason why his brother took so long to win the MBT. It’s that Chmercoskiy MOUTH!! and their lack of talent in their choreography of every dance style. They only seem to be good at Latin, Tango & P.Doble.
I remember a paparazzi video of Derek and Nastia having lunch in NYC very early in the season. One paparazzi asked if he’s going to win, and Derek was somewhat defeated in his answer. His answer surprised me because it was very uncharacteristic of Derek. This has been definitely Val’s season.
The one big piece to this puzzle of “pimping” is why does Julianne agree to be a judge and be part of dissing her brother and Nastia? With all Nastia & Derek went through with their schedules and his injury, why would Julianne want to be part of getting her brother and his partner eliminated (out of the way) since it’s obvious that Nastia was an awesome performer and a dangerous threat to Rumer & Val (and their pimpage). Just why would she discredit her own brother and his partner???? Something isn’t quite right here, and all I can think is that each season is pre-arranged and pre-acted. The judges seem to obvious (especially this season) that they have their speeches in their judgment of each dance already written down and rehearsed. This is the first season that I really noticed this for sure. I used to be so anxious between seasons for the next one to come; but, somehow I don’t feel that’s going to happen after this season.
I feel like Julianne tries to go easier on Derek than the other judges do, at least keeping some of her integrity when it comes to screwing him over. I looked at the numbers, the ONLY time Julianne ever gave Valenrue a higher score than Derek and Nastia was in the quarter finals, when Nastia danced a Paso and Rumer a Rumba, when they’d clearly been told “Nothing but 10s for Rumer.” I don’t think that’s favouritism either, because the sibling rivalry is pretty strong even though they’re really close. Julianne is far as away my favourite judge right now, because she tries to rise above the bullshit and do her job, and I appreciate her critiques.
Part of me wonders what kind of dialog goes on between Julianne and Derek now that she’s a judge. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t think she shows him any favoritism at all, just that she’s less shitty to him than the other judges are – especially since he and his partner haven’t deserved it. But does she ever let him in on producer thoughts/agenda, etc. I don’t know for certain. What I do think that if Maks ever made it as a permanent judge you-know-who pros would probably get an earful, all the time.
It’s possible, but I feel like Derek’s always known more or less what the score is. He’s very perceptive, and remembering back to season 14, probably the first season to feature any major “pimpage,” he had clearly told Maria to expect to go home in the semi final despite the high score.
Oh for sure, I don’t think Derek NEEDS any kind of insights from Julianne to understand how the show works. But I just wonder if there’s any kind of gossip that goes on between them. 🙂
I didn’t feel that Julianne was easy on Nastia at all. She said the same stupid judgments that the others said. Of course everything pointed to Nastia that way Julianne could save her butt by not directing things at Derek point blank. She knew exactly what the producers and judges were doing, and went along with it. She had to do what her boss told her to do even if it was making Nastia look bad to the viewers. And, I can’t believe viewers fell for the antics. When I look back over Nastia’s journey, all I can do is shake my head in wonderment of how that girl was able to dance over all her hurtles and still perform outstandingly well like she did, and certainly deserved to be in the finals. Shame on the producers and judges for throwing her under the bus. I hope all of Derek and Nastia’s fans all threw their tons of votes toward either Noah or Rker and not split them. I sure hope they all stayed in the game of the most popular (because the hell with whether a couple dances good or best) just vote for your favorite.
Personally, Fig, I don’t think the producers have a meeting and tell the judges directly what to say or do about certain teams. Instead they might have meetings where “studies” or surveys are discussed. Like Len saying Americans want things to be fair! I felt like that was fed to him along with the idea that the sheeple don’t think it fair that Derek wins season after season while other pros haven’t received a trophy yet. They also probably shared the network’s execs desire to increase their share of viewers in the key 18-34 year old bracket. And then they’d bring up the latest contestant being an up and coming 16 year old Disney star. And they’d let Len and company figure it out themselves without outright score tampering.
But of course, a smart pro would also sense the way the wind is blowing and plan their strategy accordingly too. And when things stink too much, like with Charlie/Sharna and Derek/Nastia, they might have things to say to TPTB about future seasons and their participation. Or about what they might choose to say to the hungry media that always surrounds these pros too.