PureDWTS Season 26, Week 3 – Power Rankings
In light of the fact that I’m now writing my last power rankings of the season (I think…admittedly, I haven’t been paying close attention to the schedule) and it’s only week 3, safe to say this abbreviated season has been very, very weird. I generally find myself (and the fans that follow me on Twitter) not as invested as I would be on a full 10-week season, and I think I really and truly don’t have any investment in one couple winning over another. All the pros left have never won before – so we will have a new pro champion, regardless; and that’s really enough for me, since I think their respective celebs have all had very satisfying, fulfilling journeys on the show this season. I’m actually finding myself more and more pumped to get started on DWTS Junior – more on that in the coming weeks 😉
So this week, Grandpa was back as a judge, and while I don’t think he was necessarily as helpful as Shad when it came to judging, I’m glad he was there to be the “nice” judge, and occasionally throw an optimistic bone to the couples that maybe didn’t do so hot (as evidenced by his tendency to dissent on the ballroom battles – bless him). I’ve heard a few people throwing shade in Grandpa & Shad’s direction, claiming that they “weren’t qualified” to judge, and at this point I have to ask “Have you guys actually been watching the show? And comprehending what’s been going on?” Nearly none of the guest judges are “qualified” in the same sense that the Three Stooges are – and for that, I’m glad. I don’t need another Len getting grumpy about content, or another Carrie Ann incoherently babbling about non-existent lifts, or another Bruno flamboyantly gushing about whatever it is he gushes about – anymore, it’s kind of nice to have someone on the panel that can look at a dance from a non-technical perspective and say “Y’know what? That may not have been technically perfect, but I enjoyed it!” And really, the extra points dump from a 4th judge only makes the margins closer, so it basically gives more power to the viewer vote. So if you’re bitching & moaning about unqualified judges at this point – you’re out of your element, Donnie.
We also got some pseudo-quasi mentoring from returning celebs Meryl, Nastia, & Von – and in the case of the latter, I’m thinking this was probably all thrown together fairly last-minute, as Von couldn’t even be present to actually mentor his couples in person, and did his mentoring via Skype. Have to wonder if they had another returning celeb lined up, and they had to cancel at the last minute, necessitating the scramble for another and Von maybe just happened to be (semi)available. The bumpers we got from these returning celebs ranged from rather marginal (Von) to “Ok, but was that the best choreo you could give her?” (Meryl) and “Actually pretty decent, but man was the camera work terrible!” (Nastia), and seemed like a bit of an afterthought overall. I have a love-hate relationship with the random ways they try to bring back former contestants, as it’s usually pretty flimsy, but in the same token, I do love seeing (some) alums of the show back in the ballroom.
Not a whole lot else to add – seems like the writing is on the wall with this one. Shall we?
3rd place: Tonya & Sasha
Honestly, I’m just thrilled to bits that these two made the finals. Like Emma’s face upon being announced as the winner of season 24, I don’t think I’ll ever tire of gifs of Tonya’s face after being told she made the finals. Just a profound sense of shock and joy, as if her face said “They like me. They really like me!” Thought the rumba was a risky choice for their “MVP” dance, but Tonya actually had some nice extensions and hip action. Thought there was maybe one clipped leg line, and the weird “walk away” bit at the end, but overall, it was a very respectable dance (with better technique than probably 80% of the celebs we see attempt it) and it felt very genuine & heartfelt. One thing I really respect about Tonya, with regards to her dancing, is that even if she’s not feeling super confident about doing a dance, she still sells it well – and she did just that in her cha-cha battle, even though her rehearsal package indicated that she really had no clue what she was doing. I went back and forth between putting her in 3rd or 2nd place – and a part of me still thinks it could end up being an Adam/Tonya final 2. But given that they seemed to give Josh a bit of a cushion in points this week, and I’m hearing quite a bit of “Well we got Tonya to the finals, hooray!” talk, I’m wondering if Tonya may become a bit of an afterthought when it comes to casting votes for the win – I’m getting the feeling this may be a bit of a repeat of Bill Engvall, where the voters seemed to lost a bit of interest once Bill was safely in the finals. Since a good portion of people didn’t even think she’d last through the first week, I’m wondering if her place in the finals is a gift unto itself, and her voters may turn their attention to Adam or Josh (particularly the latter, as I’m still hearing quite a bit of “let’s get Sharna her MBT!” talk). I’d be thrilled to be proven wrong, and have her actually get to 2nd place 🙂 But really, in the grand scheme of things, I think Tonya is already a winner – I just wanted her to have a fulfilling journey on this show, and she’s done just that, thanks in part to Sasha. I’m hoping this opens some doors for her – now that we’ve seen the kinder, gentler Tonya, perhaps we see start to see more of her in the media.
Runner-up: Josh & Sharna
Admittedly, I haven’t really bonded with this couple in the way other seem to have done this season – maybe it’s just the breakneck speed of this season that’s preventing me from really getting invested, but I just can’t seem to connect to Josh in the same way that I did with Donald, Shad, Jacoby, Calvin, etc. There’s nothing wrong with him – he seems like a nice guy, and a family man, and has some stage presence – he’s just the one contestant that I seemed to remember last when rattling off the contestants this season in my mind. Maybe blame it on Adam’s outgoing personality, Tonya’s backstory, Mirai…being Mirai, or Chris being unexpectedly charming, or Jennie stirring up controversy, but Josh just seems to blend in for me. C’est la vie. He’s in the finals now, and I think he’s got some good momentum coming off his contemporary MVP dance (in which I actually did see noticeable improvement in his extensions – good job listening to the judges’ critiques 🙂 ) and his win in the ballroom battle…which I still find a bit fishy. If I had to guess, I wonder if that “fraction of a percentage point” in voting that Tom referred to at the beginning of the show was perhaps between Josh & Chris – and maybe the outcome of the battle was enough to shift the points in favor of one or the other. Who knows, and in the grand scheme of things, it’s not really all that important. I don’t know that Josh (or Tonya) have the juice to knock the MBT out of Adam’s hands, but I do think it will be pretty interesting to see who ends up in 2nd place.
Winner: Adam & Jenna
Now more than ever, I just can’t envision any scenario where Adam doesn’t come out the winner of this season. Of the remaining couples, he & Jenna are just the whole package: they have the technique, they have the choreography, they have the showmanship, and they have the chemistry. Loved both of his dances last night – Jenna was really in her element when she choreographed that contemporary, and Adam’s movement style suited it perfectly. I also dug his wings & eyeshadow 🙂 Adam’s personality is also a boon – where I often found Mirai coming off as rehearsed or disingenuous, I get the impression that with him, what you see is truly what you get; the way he is, is the way he’s always been, and will always be. I unfortunately don’t have a whole lot more to add here – they’ve been great all season, I doubt that will end next week. But it’s been nice to see Jenna really stepping up to the plate as a pro, and proving that the female pros have got it all over the male ones in terms of choreographic skill these days – if Adam & Jenna pull off a win next Monday (and I’m pretty sure they will), I think the male pros really need to sit back and evaluate whether they need to bone up on their choreography.
Thoughts on the Ballroom Battles:
Jennie & Keo vs. Tonya & Sasha: This actually ended up much closer than I thought, with Jennie seeming to have the edge early on, but losing steam; and then Tonya having a slower start, and coming through in the clutch. Tonya may not have wiped the floor with Jennie (like I was hoping she would), but I think the fact that she seemed to sell the performance aspect better, and really seemed to hit a nice groove late in the battle (when the more difficult choreo seemed to kick in) is what got her the win over Jennie.
Adam & Jenna vs. Mirai & Alan: First of all, I was just a bit amused that a lot of the two couples’ choreography seemed nearly identical at certain times – like Jenna & Alan seemed to hear the same accents in the music’s phrasing and choreographed accordingly, with the same moves. That being said – I thought Adam’s technique was better, likely owing to that same lightness in his upper body I’ve mentioned the past two weeks; he really seemed to get the lift through his core and the spring in his legs much more easily than Mirai, who seemed heavier on her feet and wasn’t as sharp with her kicks and flicks. I ADORED that “drag queen split” Adam & Jenna did in perfect synch – got definite Alyssa Edwards vibes there 😎
Chris & Witney vs. Josh & Sharna: This one actually ended up the closest for me – I went in expecting Josh to just KILL this salsa battle, but he ended up more just kicking it in the shins, if you will…his moves were more impactful than Chris’, and he was more at ease, but I actually found Chris to be a bit cleaner than Josh, and Witney’s choreo a bit more content-heavy than Sharna’s. I figured it would come up pretty even, perhaps with a slight favor to Josh & Sharna, but even I thought it was a tad weird that David seemed to confidently say “Chris & Witney!” and held up their paddle, but then there was that funny business with the control room radioing Tom to tell him that David had actually written down “Josh & Sharna” and held up the wrong paddle. Just very, very weird, and makes me wonder if that fraction of a percent difference that Tom was referring to in last week’s voting could have been between Chris & Josh.
Thoughts on the eliminated couples:
I think I covered my feelings about Jennie & her dancing pretty well last week – not much to add. Still stiff, still sporting the same painted-on, pained smile this week. I’ll give Keo points for at least still choreographing a halfway-decent Viennese waltz for her, powering her through her cha-cha battle, and somehow making that pink suit look good 😉 Chris was still giving me Hinch-lite vibes in his foxtrot, which reminded me a lot of Hinch’s Cirque du Soleil quickstep. Loved that he never seemed to take himself too seriously, and really embraced the experience these past three weeks. He & Witney also seemed to gel well, and I tip my hat to Witney for continuing to improve her choreography. As for Mirai – I’m only partially shocked that she didn’t make the finals. As I said last week, I wasn’t 100% sold on her making it, and I don’t think her “valley girl” affectation helped matters – even if she was saying something fairly neutral, I found myself rubbed the wrong way. I was actually a bit surprised at how wishy-washy she looked at times in both her dances last night – the beginning section in her quickstep seemed to lack impact, and I noticed the same lack in sections of her jive. Quoting a discussion I had with someone on Twitter last night – where Adam seemed to live & breathe his dances, Mirai felt more robotic, as if she was doing “dance by numbers” and was just going through the motions. By no means did she suck – she was actually pretty good, from a technical perspective – but she just seemed to lack that special something that Adam gave us. Hope she’s not too disappointed and is a good sport about not making the finals.
So what are your thoughts on the finalists? Did the right couples make it? How do you feel about this season overall?
I would probably rate the same as you this time Court! It’s pretty obvious that no one is going to beat Adam, as I assumed before the season even began.
I give Sharna and Josh so much credit. I’ll probably be the only one who says this, but I enjoyed Josh’s contemporary more than Adam’s. You can tell he worked on what the judges critiqued him on last week. His arms were much better and he just flowed much more fluently in his dance. The lifts were incredible and I just think he had a moment that I connected to the most last night surprisingly.
I think Tonya earned her spot in the finals. She has come out each week and crushed it. Idk if she can actually win, but I agree making the finals is probably already a win for her.
As for the dance off between Josh and Chris, I’m probably the only person who noticed CA face right away when David said Witney and Chris were the winners. I noticed her face turn and look at him very confused, I thought why is she giving him that look like he messed up? Sure enough two seconds later Tom says the producers say he wrote down Josh and then said Chris. Went back and watched it again to see, and both CA an Len had looked oddly confused at David’s response to Chris and Witney.. super awkward** Either way, I enjoyed their dance off the most, and I though both men absolutely brought it and whoever won it was well deserved.
At this point, I’m with Courtney in final standings, so here is my order of favorite performances from last night:
Adam – The birdcage was such an inspired analogy. A bit dichotomous as I could’ve done without it obscuring my view of their dance as long as it did but, then again, that was the whole point in conveying his story. Wonderful contrast with their fun, athletic Jive too. On an aesthetic sidenote, Jenna should make a habit of doing whatever it was that made her pop so in the opening number.
Josh – Two solid and of the better performances last night but nothing we haven’t seen before.
Chris – Rampant Bindi Foxtrot and Hough piano ‘tailfeather shaking’ flashbacks. Entertaining in both dances, he is one that would’ve had a nice trajectory with more time. Shame they couldn’t have had a 4 person finale.
Tonya – Emotes and plays off Sasha well but not particularly impressive last night.
Mirai – No doubt one of the best dancers this season but not particularly distinct nor likable.
Jennie – While I think she went out on a decent note, she never seemed to settle into and embrace this in a way that I’m not sure would’ve improved enough even with the benefit of an extended run.
I’d Say that I knew adam could win dancing with the stars back when he was skating in the olympics. I fell in love with him there. He really is the total package and knowing we had an all athlete season in the works I saw Adam snatching that. I’m still not a Jenna fan but this season has made me dislike her a little less. I’m just hear for adam. Anything but him winning will surprise and upset me lol
I don’t dislike Mirai I think she is sweet and genuine. I was really hoping she’s make the finales. I just think on camera when people are editing you she can come off or be portrayed in an unfavorable way. It’s unfortunate for her but I don;t think a person like Adam would continue to be friends with Mirai if she wasn’t a good person. Anyways she didn’t make it and that is what it is. She was a good partner for Alan and I look forward to seeing him continue his pro journey in the fall hopefully.
Chris oh Chris. I’m so sad he’s gone. I really enjoyed him this season. I know I responded to your tweet about this last night but I do think that paddle and 1% and not to mention chris won americas vote in the dance off seems suspect. I don’t think David held up the wrong paddle I think he wrote down the wrong name or it was all a hoax. Anyways these 3 were the ones i wanted as my top 3 because I could have been happy with a mirrorball from any of them.
Sadly I won’t have that dream. So my support now goes to Adam. As for the others. Not surprised on Jennie she would have done better on a full season. Tonya is good I can’t say I’m excited shes in the finale but I’m not angry about it and will enjoy seeing Sasha choreograpy a freestyle. Josh I just don’t care for I didn’t like his package week one and I just don’t think his dances have connected with me. You are probably right that in a longer season that may have changed. I also think Sharna has lost her luster for me over the past few season. So I’m pulling for adam and will be so excited if he wins.
At this point, I think the only one that has earned the win is Adam. He and Jenna did a great job. I was very surprised with the choreography Jenna did every week because I really didn’t expect much from her. But she’s proven herself to be another great female pro.
Mirai’s attitude turned my support away from her early on. I know you have to have a boatload of confidence in yourself to make it to the olympics amid all of the cattiness that I’m sure happens, but she should have loosened up and had some fun. I felt like she was calling it in and believed the mirror ball was hers from day 1.
Tonya made it to the finals which she is very happy with. She did much better than I every expected and didn’t whine and cry about her past. That would have happened if Val had been her partner. But she she doesn’t deserve to win.
I know people are screaming give Sharna her mirror ball, but really, Jenna’s work was better as was Adam’s over Josh. And, sadly, in my opinion, I don’t look at this as a real season and the win in the same way as a regular 10 week season. It’s a mini version due to ABC wasting money on another show that needs to disappear and so in my eyes the win isn’t the same. It’s hard work to make it through 10 weeks and by the end, the winner does deserve it. I’m not saying any of the final 3 don’t deserve the win, I’m just saying I look at it completely different.
If there does turn out to be a DWTS Jr., I won’t watch. I have no interest in it. I’ll sit back and wait for the fall season to begin.
And I have to say, I LOVED a C-Bro free season even if it was short. The show goes on without them and their egos and big mouths. Let’s try it again in the fall shall we?
Agree that I am no where near as invested as usual in this short season – the vibe of it is so strange!
It is great there will be a new pro champ but to me it doesn’t have the same clout as a regular season win to me. It’s much harder to win after 10-11 weeks of competition – to keep improving, creating great dances for that long. We all know there are several instances where in a regular length season, who would be crowned the winner in week 4 of that season is not the same as who won at the end of the full season. Jenna saying in one of the interviews after the show that she wants to win and be a mirror ball away from Val’s 2 ….well, to me it only counts as a half a mirrorball 😉
I think if it had been a regular length season, Chris would have gone far and probably challenged to win because he was improving and was super likeable and would have had a great overall journey on the show. I was rooting for him most this season. Love his mom too, she’s so cute!
I am definitely fine with the 3 finalists though, wasn’t expecting Chris to make it in this shortened season format, and probably happiest for Sasha more than any of the 6 people who made it lol. I’m just not ‘super’ excited about any of the 3 couples like I have been about past couples in other seasons. It does seem realllllly obvious that Adam will win and that’s not super interesting for the finale. As a skating fan, I have enjoyed seeing him and Mirai, but they aren’t my favorite skaters out there, so it wasn’t as exciting as some of the past skaters that have done the show.
I really enjoyed seeing Meryl (especially sans C bros), and Nastia again and getting to see them dance too. Oh what might have been if they hadn’t targeted Nastia. She obviously loved the show and was so relaxed and happy coming back, wish they would have shown more of this side of her in her season.
I will say I haven’t been super impressed with Jenna’s choreography but this contemporary was her best work ever on the show as a pro, really great. I think Witney has also done great work this season.
I just hope to see some really stellar performances next week to wrap up the strange season. It might be awesome to only have a 1 hour finale, it will be packed at least instead of being way too slow an episode! Would love to have a full season of no C bros but that won’t happen.
ABC just announced DWTS original AND DWTS Jrs will be airing in the fall tv season (Monday night and Sunday night, respectively). Interesting and not sure if that is a good choice. But, they have a hard time getting any good ratings on Sundays at 8pm, so I think DWTS Jrs will probably do at least as well as the past several shows in that slot, if not better, so that might be all ABC wants.
I figured these would be the finalists from week 1, though I do wish they’d been able to have 4 couples at the end because I’m pretty sure Chris & Witney would still be in it. 🙁 At least I still have my other favorite couple (Adam & Jenna) to support in the finals. 🙂
I could honestly see any of the three winning. Tonya has a story, seems to fit with the demo the most, and is the only female left). Josh is the only remaining non-figure skater and the “it’s Sharna’s turn to win” crowd has piped up since last night. Adam has had the highest scores of the three, topping the leaderboard every week thus far. I do worry about his Freestyle, though; if they really are going with “Scooby Doo Pa Pa” it might not be particularly impactful. (I guess it’s good for them most of the voting is being done before the finale.)
Like I said, I think Chris was the one who was “less than 1%” away from making the finals, and I would guess Josh would be out instead of him.
Was disappointed but not surprised to see Mirai go. It seems there may have been a bit of a double standard at play; I noticed a lot of people on Facebook enjoying Adam’s silly/sometimes snarky comments and the Chris vs. Josh “feud” but when Mirai pretended to “throw shade” it somehow meant she thought she had the win in the bag? Whatever. She did well and it was sad to see how disappointed she and Alan were after the show. I’m sure Alan is gonna have another chance to go far and possibly win though. 🙂
I keep forgetting about Jennie if that tells you anything. XD But Keo did a pretty good job this season in my book so props to him.
I really have to give it to the female pros this season I think they really all showed how special they are. I think it will definitely be between Sharna and Jenna for their first mirrorball!
Not going to lie finding out before the show that Jenna got some outside help from Talia for this contemporary I figured here we go this is going to be something way over the top instead of a peaceful and beautiful contemporary. But I changed my mind after their dance. I think Jenna made the right decision, and I think if your not 100% trained in a certain type of dance like they are ballroom, then I respect her for trying to find the best choreography for her partner and his story. I’m very proud of Jenna this season she for sure is going to be a great pro!
Josh for me, finally had his moment I’ve been waiting for. I actually did feel connected to him and Sharna throughout the dance. Maybe because I have siblings and the package and the story really touched me. Bravo to Sharna I think she had a great season.
the dance offs for me were just so quick and rushed, and the split screen made it hard for me to focus on more than one couple so I feel like I never really watched every couple clearly. Overall, for a 4 week season I think everyone did the best with what they can work with. I’m fine with any finalist winning and would be happy with it ????
Okay so I’m just gonna say this out the gate, unpopular opinion: I am not a fan of Adam, at least in the same way everyone else is enamoured by him. It may be due to the fact that I didn’t watch the Olympics, but I was more team Mirai. However she wasn’t much more likeable than Adam to me.
I would’ve been more excited for Kareem in the finals with Tonya, and surprisingly Jamie (I personally found her the most relatable aside from Chris and Kareem) possibly because I’m I am at heart a laid back and relaxed person for the most part. Also Artem and Lindsay are why I initially watched this season, but then again Jenna also played a part in that later on.
The finalists: I haven’t decided if I’ll watch the show it as it airs or wait until it’s recorded on my dvr. I’ve been doing the later mostly this season. Anyway I think Toyna earned it but on her own. Comparatively, between Sasha-Sharna-Jenna, Sasha had the weaker choreography, but Tonya was a powerhouse of publicity and very genuine through it all that it didn’t matter if Sasha’s choreography was ho-hum vs Sharna and Jenna. Josh I gelled with right away, but these middle weeks caused him to fade into the woodwork for me. He probably won’t win, but it would be nice to see him and Sharna hoist that mirrorball on Monday. Adam definately deserves to be there, but I wasn’t a fan personally- as stated before.
I’m excited that we’ll get to see a Sasha Freestyle! They ARE doing a Freestyle, right?
I made the mistake today of going to another site and reading the comments about last night’s show. Big mistake. People are being absolutely brutal and heinous with their comments about Tanya. At first I was astonished at all the vicious vitriol, but then I realized what our current climate is like and it hit me that some people sort of revel in that hate and inhumanity. It’s disheartening
Personally, I’m happy that Tanya made the finals. It clearly meant a great deal to her to do so. She took a chance accepting a spot on the show and she’s acquitted herself nicely. I hope Sasha has a fun, strong, full of personality Freestyle planned for her.
Adam and Jenna are just matched so well as partners. They really compliment and enhance each other. I loved the Contemporary and I say that as someone who generally can take a pass on that genre. It was quirky, unique, moody and flowed seamlessly. Beautifully done.
I guess there was shade toward Jenna for borrowing the bird cage idea from sytycd.
Hope they don’t have an abbreviated 4 week season like this again. It doesn’t seem to comparable to a full season of grueling hard work for months. I would’ve rather had a full Athletics season and not have a JR season.
Hoping they finish in the order you’ve posted above. I won’t be too upset if Adam and Josh switch places, although all my votes this week went to Adam. As long as Tonya ends up no higher than third, I’ll be somewhat satisfied. I don’t think she should be in the Finals; don’t think they should have even had her on the show. But I covered my thoughts on her in the Week 2 By the Numbers post and won’t belabor the issue here.
Overall, I think this experiment was a bust. Four weeks is just not long enough, especially if they are going to include complete novices. An all star season of second and third place finishers (with their original pros); a season of celebs who were shock eliminations; a season of celebs who all have some prior (non-ballroom/Latin) dance training; a season of the pros pairing up and competing…all these, in my opinion, would make better use of a severely shortened season such as this.
I hope Josh walks away with it. If not him, then Tonya. Maybe chances are slim to none, but i’ll take slim.
I like Adam (in small doses), but he came in with all the momentum this season as expected. The contemporary style is his thing, he’s better trained than Jenna so no stretch there. Jenna got so much credit for choreography, and then we see Talia Favia posts a thank you for the opportunity to bring the birdcage vision to life. Is it a vision if you borrowed it from SYTYCD?
I think what Josh has accomplished in a few weeks is actually much more impressive and I loved the look of sheer surprise and joy in their faces. A win for Tonya would also be amazing though.
I agree with Courts rankings. I don’t think this will be Sharna’s season. After the season with Rashad, I doubt very much that I will support another NFL player anytime soon.
As far as the twitter followers commenting on the birdcage… we see similarities every season with another particular style of dance or stage props or back drop. Remember when Peta and Donald did their country freestyle….. Holy moly, suddenly Cheryl owned the rights to anything country forever. Geez!
My Power Rankings align with Courtney’s.
I think Adam and Jenna will win, Tonya and Sasha will have a Freestyle to YT on repeat, and Josh and Sharna… I’m not sure what to expect.
Sharna’s Freestyle for Hinch was maybe the most unforgettable, avant garde dance I’ve seen on DWTS, but the dances she’s designed for Josh haven’t been very memorable to me.
Me personally, I don’t see the big deal in Jenna using Talia for help with choreo-it’s a known fact that pros have used outside assistance if necessary. Adam has, pretty much, been at the top of the leaderboard since the start of this short season-if I had to put money on a couple winning at this point, I’d put it on him and Jenna winning this thing.
Tonya might just come in second to Adam over Josh-and if that’s the case, in my opinion she deserves it. She’s the better dancer over him hands down. I don’t think she has anything more to prove to anyone. She would’ve definitely earned second place if she makes it there.
I, too, don’t think this is Sharna’s season AT ALL. Josh has been a surprisingly good dancer, for a football player, for a short season, but it’s not enough to get him a win-no way. I am glad to see him in the finals though.
Ugh this short season….what to say about it? It’s over already?! I feel like it just started!????
IMHO to improve these mini seasons:
Start earlier. Have the mini BEFORE AI. We seem to be headed into a schedule now where there are dancing shows multiple times a week. People are busy in May & June. Some may forget or just not have the time. (see ratings drop)
At least 5 weeks, please. That whole voting fiasco week one helped younger viewers enormously and may have put off the older, core fans.
For transparency, announce/credit outside choreography. It’s only fair. Or at minimum, include footage in the package of any help the pro gets. I heard Adam say how helpful it was for him to have Val come by and help him with the man’s part. This is an unfair advantage to other couples. Let fans know so we can adjust our votes accordingly.
Off soap box.
Sorry, I don’t vote for stars that have been pimped/unfair advantages. Not rewarding that behavior. So Adam gets nothing from me. (and I liked Maria’s dancing better)
Also, The MBT should be 50% (40%?) the size of a regular season to reflect the work/time put in.
Just sayin’.
What difference does it make what size the mirrorball trophy is????? Isn’t it made out of like some cheap fake stuff anyway or something like that? LOL Cutting the trophy down to half it’s size b/c this is a mini-season proves what? That’s not the point of winning and believe it or not, the pros know that. They know that trophy is a cheap trinket but it means a lot to them-it means recognition for a job well done no matter how long the season is and no matter who wins it. For this short season, of the three couples, if you put aside the celebs, it would be the first time winning that trophy for any one of those pros. Short season or not, they put in the work and the time for it. Whatever couple wins it, deserves it and cutting the trophy in half won’t change that. Just my opinion.
To add the the above poster’s excellent comments, all three of the finale pros have spent seasons putting in the work on this show.
Sharna should have won with Hinch in their seasonin my opinion. She also has taken many celebs much further in the competition than they should have, at least on paper, have gone.
Sasha is, in my opinion, the most underrated male pro, at least by TPTB, on the roster. He spent years in the troupe, stepped in to replace other male pros with injuries, made pro a few times, then quietly stepped back into the troupe with humility and grace and then once he was regularly cast as a pro, has turned in fine work.
Jenna, while not everyone’s cup of tea, including my own at times I must admit, also spent years in the troupe, and often helped Val with choreography, uncredited, at least by the show. She’s done an excellent job with Adam. It’s often harder for a pro to have a ringer, than a celeb that is unexpectedly good. The pressure to dazzle with a ringer is intense, unless you’re Val or Maks.
Now, if you think the celebs don’t deserve a full size trophy, remember, it wasn’t THEIR idea to do a shortened season, it was the network/production, so why should they get short shrift, so to speak.
In many ways this shorter season has been harder than a regular season. You don’t have the necessary time to build up a regular relationship with both the viewers and your pro partner. You don’t have the longer season to show improvement, you have to impress right out of the gate. You might not get to dance the crowd pleasing dances like Paso and Argentine Tango. And finally, right when your pro partnership is really staring to gel and you start to feel more comfortable with the live shows……..bada, boom, bada, bing, it’s finale night.