PureDWTS Season 28, Week 9: Power Rankings
HE’S GONE, GUYS!!!! HE’S REALLY, FINALLY GONE!!! š *cue Pharrell’s “Happy”*
It only took nine weeks, but we finally shook him loose…and not a moment too soon.Ā Not sure if I was feeling more optimistic at the beginning of the season and fatigue/frustration is setting in now that we’re close to the end or what, but somehow, it seems like S*** somehow got WORSE as the season wore on. Even Bristol Palin (whose politically-charged casting I also disapproved of) managed to actually improve during the course of season 11; wacky Rick Perry even got a skosh better before he got booted in season 23. S***…not so much.Ā And yes, I still refuse to say his name – I don’t want his supporters or anyone at ABC thinking that “any publicity is good publicity”, and thus I make sure it doesn’t even show up in the search algorithm by refusing to say it. He should never have been on this show in the first place; the fact that he stuck around as long as he did is a damn travesty. But mercifully, it’s over now. And I give all the props in the world to Lindsay and Jenna for being nothing less that consummate professionals and class acts in partnering him this season š
So we saw a bit of wonky scoring last night – I don’t think that was an accident, by any means. If I had to guess what was happening, I’d say that someone in the control booth was keeping a very close eye on the votes and scores throughout the show, and was feeding the judges instructions on what scores needed to be given in order to elicit a particular outcome at the end of the night. Based on her being in the bottom 2 twice before, my guess is that the judges were instructed to protect Ally at all costs – hence, two good (but definitely not perfect) dances got gifted with gushing praise and perfect scores. I think they likely were told to go easy on Kel on his second dance, based on the number of votes the man in the control room was seeing – they got kinda nitpicky with his paso in the first hour, but had nothing but good things to say about his good (but again, not perfect) Viennese waltz in the second hour. I’m guessing Hannah and James are doing a-okay with votes, and thus weren’t spared from the full force of the judges’ nitpicking. Half the judges (Joey, who gets a pass for being the guest judge, and Carrie Ann, who refuses to take any responsibility for S***’s continued presence) whipped out the “7” paddle for S***’s first dance, but demurred for his second dance (which might have actually been slightly better than his first dance) and whipped out the “6” instead. I’d stake money on it that they were ordered to do so by the control room, as it was likely the only way to ensure he fell into the bottom 2. That left Lauren to join him in the bottom 2, and if I’m being honest, this felt like the first time this season that the bottom two actually made sense: S*** was quite obviously the worst dancer left in the competition, and I think Lauren’s the weakest one left after him. Though that really didn’t matter – the reality was that S*** was going home as soon as he fell into the bottom 2, regardless of who was there with him.Ā Keeping Ally and Kel out of the bottom two was likely more for optics than anything else…
…which brings me to my next thought (or really, a couple of semi-related thoughts): why aren’t more people voting for Ally, and at what point will the judges stop saving her if she keeps falling into the bottom 2? I’ve seen a lot of folks on Twitter trying to figure out why Ally isn’t getting more votes, especially since “Normani made it all the way to theĀ finals, the Harmonizers should be carrying Ally as well!” First, I go back to my “Not as many people are watching/voting on DWTS now” point – the show was averaging between 8-11 million viewers 2.5 years ago when Normani was on; now they’re barely hovering above 6 million. Secondly (and this is one I really have to sell folks on), I’m still not convinced that Normani was “getting tons of votes” like her fans claim. I explained the many reasons why I think she didn’t win in this post, but for the TL:DR crowd, take a look at the margins between Normani and the person voted off each week.Ā Aside from one off-week early on in the season, she always either had pretty hefty padding in terms of points or immunity to keep her safe – she didn’t actually NEED a ton of votes in order to stick around each week. Additionally, I also mention in that post the somewhat indifferent attitude DWTS fans seem to have towards female pop stars – they tend to struggle with votes, particularly if they’re young and relatively new to the music scene (read: not immediately familiar to Baby Boomers).Ā I tend to think all of these factors that Normani had stacked against her, Ally is likely dealing with as well…and to a greater degree, owing to the demise of Fifth Harmony, overall lower viewer/votership, a pro less popular than Normani’s, and a rep as “the worst dancer in Fifth Harmony” (which still I absolutely don’t understand). Plus, Ally’s up against at least three contestants (four if you count Kel; five when you throw in S***) that appeal more readily to the middle-aged, female, conservative-leaning main viewing demographic. Really and truly, Ally’s dealing with a pretty stacked deck – which SUCKS, cause she may actually be the second best dancer this season from a technical standpoint. So that brings me to my next thought: with the new format that allows the judges to pick who goes home from the bottom 2, will they ever reach a point where they stop trying to save someone that ends up there repeatedly? Ally’s been there twice already, and been saved both times; if she ends up there next week, is it worth saving her if she’s just going to keep ending up there again and again? I think at some point, the judges’ are going to have to take into account the fact that a couple that ends up in the bottom 2 repeatedly is just not clicking with fans for whatever reason – and continuing to save that couple could send the message that viewer votes don’t necessarily matter, and could risk alienating viewers. It really might be just a stay of execution, so to speak.Ā And when you take into account that she could end up there with a couple that maybe just had an off week (score-wise or votes-wise) and their being in the bottom 2 is really just a fluke…is it worth it to save the one with repeat bottom 2 appearances, and send the one-off couple that shouldn’t really even be there packing? It’s something to consider, and I saw a few people on Twitter suggesting that the judges should have a limit on how many times they can save the same couple – I don’t think it’s a bad idea, and could avoid giving the impression that the judges have ultimate control.Ā Clearly this new system for eliminations isn’t perfect – itĀ was created to help prevent another Bobby Bones, and yet it allowed one of the worst dancers this season to advance all the way to the quarterfinals; could be worth taking a closer look and see if certain aspects of the system needs tweaking.
1.) James & Emma – Despite the fact that I thought James had a bit of an off-week this week in terms of technique (which, really, for him, is maybe just getting a bit off-time and whiffing one arm extension), I still think he’s probably the one to beat headed into the finale. As I mentioned above, the judges’ tendency to nitpick to the nth degree tells me he’s likely doing fine in votes; I think Hannah is as well.Ā Where James has the edge is generally in his approach to learning each dance: he’s intense and focused, but also having the time of his life and vibing really well with Emma. His NSYNC jazz had me giggling the whole time – half because he was really kind of killing it, half because I may have had some slight secondhand embarrassment at just how serious he was taking it š You could tell he had been DYING to do that dance since…heck, when did “Bye, Bye, Bye” come out? 1999? 2000? Part of me thinks he regrets missing his true calling as a boy band member…damn you, Dawson Leery. š His jive was generally quite good, aside from some aforementioned issues with getting ahead of the beat and maybe doing something weird in the arm section at the beginning.Ā Loved the arabesque into the forward roll and the dual splits at the end. He sold both routines well and seems to be in a good position headed into the semfinals.
2.) Hannah & Alan – Hannah had a breakthrough last week, and while she seemed to regress a bit this week – she’s still on a nice trajectory headed into the semifinals. The most notable change I saw from her: while she may have had a few goofs in her salsa, I noticed that she seemed to laugh them off and keep going, rather than letting them get to her and affect her performance…so that’s real progress, in my opinion. The fact that she had a bit of a meltdown in rehearsal, though, kinda points to why I think James has an edge over her right now: if James is thoroughly enjoying and embracing the experience, Hannah…is not having quite so much fun, and may be resisting the process somewhat. I mentioned it a couple weeks back, but I feel like Hannah really went into this experience thinking it was going to be a lot easier than it actually is – and I think that’s colored a lot of her struggles on this show thus far. I feel like she tends to only nail one aspect of the dance at a time (if she’s doing the technique well, she’s struggling with showmanship, and vice-versa) and has yet to make a full dance come together in the same way that James and Ally both have. Case in point: her tango – showmanship was there, but dear LORT, sis’ tango neck was so exaggerated that she didn’t even have “checking the rafters” face like Ally did a few weeks back; sis went straight to “checking behind them for change Alan may have dropped” face. It’s probably just me, but I had a hard time getting past that one š
3.) Kel & Witney – If there’s one contestant left that has really picked a great time to peak this season, it’s Kel – he’s just been on a nice upward trajectory for the past few weeks, which could create a nice growth arc for him headed into the finale.Ā He’s officially my dark horse pick, at this point – he’s just really nailing the dances he’s being given, while still serving up showmanship and somehow bonding more with Witney. Thankfully, I think he might have actually been given a bit of a boost in votes since his one appearance in the bottom two way back in week 3 – not a huge one, but perhaps just enough that he might be able to avoid the bottom two next week. I actually loved his paso, and couldn’t really understand the judges’ nitpickiness – thought he was doing a great job of shaping through his torso, thought he locked into the aggressive mood of the dance, and (to Witney’s credit) I loved the stepping section.Ā Sure, maybe he wasn’t 100% in sync with the male pros on the knee walks, but then again, those things are ridiculously hard, and I applaud him for actually managing to do them down the floor.Ā Pipe down, Fatone…I’m pretty sure you weren’t doing knee walks in your pasos 12 years ago š As for his Viennese waltz – it was a very pretty dance, but I actually think he’s still struggling with his posture a bit and seemed a bit stiff at times…so the fact that it got a perfect score makes me think the judges were told to whip out the “10” paddles in order to keep him out of the bottom 2. I ain’t mad at about it, though – it kept him safe for another week š
4.) Ally & Sasha – From a technique perspective, I think Ally has it all over Hannah and Lauren, and only takes a slight backseat to James in terms of showmanship (seems like nerves get the better of her from time to time). That being said – I didn’t see much technique in her samba, which without hip-action and bounce seemed more like a salsa that just happened to travel around the room. She sold it decently well, though – I probably would have given it straight 9’s, but given the fact that it was likely overscored in order to flush S*** into the bottom 2, it’s fine by me. Her jazz (like many of the themed jazz routines we’ve seen this year) felt more like a freestyle, owing to all the extra people out on the floor with them; it was generally decent, though not particularly memorable. So where does that leave Ally? Now that S*** is gone and the vote totals have likely dropped further, every point is going to count next week – and while two perfect scores managed to keep her out of the bottom this week, I’m not sure they will next week…and she’s the only contestant left that has already been in the bottom two TWICE this season. I will be surprised if she somehow avoids the bottom 2 again, but not surprised if she ends up there and gets saved again. If she’s there with Lauren, saving Ally is the right call; if she’s there with anyone else, ehhhh…things get dicier. I unfortunately think if she ends up there with Kel, they save her again (even though Kel is probably the more entertaining of the two right now and I think he’d put on a better show in the finals); if she ends up there with Hannah or James (both equally unlikely, since I think they’re killing it with the votes), I think they’d 100% save James and would be 50/50 on Hannah (she’s ABC family, but if they’re trying to convince people they’re all about keeping the best dancer, I think they have to go with Ally). Should be interesting to see…
5.) Lauren & Gleb – I tinkered with the bottom 3 in my rankings this week quite a bit before settling on this configuration, and I have Lauren going home simply because she’s the weakest dancer left and I think TPTB/judges may manipulate things next week in order to ensure we’ve got the strongest 4 couples headed into the finale. I mean, they did it this week to eliminate the weakest dancer; why wouldn’t they do it next week as well, if the whole point of them getting final say in who stays and who goes is to ensure the best dancer advances? Part of me wondered if any of the viewers voting for S*** would start tossing votes Lauren or Hannah’s way (y’know, those wholesome southern girls!) now that he’s gone, thus giving them both a boost…but honestly, I think most of S***’s voters weren’t even watching the show, and were only voting to “stick it to the liberals”, so I doubt it’s going to result in any more votes for anyone else now that S***’s out. Unfortunately, I think Lauren has hit a plateau in her dancing – quickstep was decent but not particularly memorable, and there were some pretty significant body contact issues; rumba was pretty devoid of hip action, and it almost look like she and Gleb bumped heads once or twice when they were trying to be “steamy” (I got about as much steam out of that one as I do the $3 facial steamer I bought on whim on Wish – 0/10 would not recommend). And we know that Gleb is unlikely to pull anything super impressive out of his choreography hat that could save her…so I’m guessing she’s likely to be low gal on the totem pole next week, and will get flushed out. Fun personality, great energy – but she’s just not as good as the other four left.
So what are your thoughts headed into the semifinals? Who’s in trouble? And what are your thoughts about a possible limit to the judges’ save?
Just a general comment ā from the awful decisions made this season, I’ve looked forward to your power rankings more than the actual show, Courtney! Thanks for the whole team for all that they do! You guys at least make the show more enjoyable, no question.
The pleasure is mine, Tony š Glad you enjoyed!
I don’t think they can afford to save Ally again, if she hits the bottom two. Of course, the judges aren’t that bright, so….
I’m more curious to see if they continue to over score her and harsh on James and Hannah (more so Hannah). I think that things will even out a bit this week with S__’s absence. If they do…say, Ally gets 9s, Hannah gets stingy 8s with Lauren, and James and Kel both get 9s or tens, I would bet that Lauren and Ally end up the bottom two. THAT might save Ally…but it might not. I can hear the “this is your third time in the bottom and we can’t over rule the audience that much” sort of commentary from CAI and Len.
I would not be surprised to see SOMEONE – possibly Ally – becoming the new, nitpicked person because the judges always like to make it a horse race. Keep the audience off balance (as if – much harder on the contestants). When the judges get real, the difference will be in the reaction – Hannah is at the point she’s used to it and will shrug. Ally and Lauren, however, are likely to react with shock (we’ve seen it many times) – question is, how will the voters take that reaction??
I have to wonder if Ally might suffer some vote loss due to people (like myself) who voted for EVERYONE except āhe who shall not be namedā to try and get him booted. I wonāt be doing that this week; my votes will only go to one person. I would think if Ally again was in the bottom two they would let her go, but with these bozo judges, who knows?
I am getting fed up with these judges’ scores, i hope with Sean gone it will even out now. I didn’t enjoy Ally’s routines this week and she DID NOT deserve a perfect score for that samba. She really must not be doing well with votes. But giving her those scores could do more harm because people are starting to not like her and want her out.
I think next week the bottom two will be ally and kel. Unfortunately the judges won’t save kel, which sucks because I think his freestyle would be amazing, esp with Witney who has a background in hip hop. I wasn’t really happy with her in the early weeks but I think her and kel are bringing it now. Lauren wont have to worry she’ll bounce back, she has bobby bones *eye roll.
I like these semi finalists, they all have something that could get them far.
Ally has technique and is the judge’s fav which would help since she’s not getting the votes.
Lauren has the personality and the middle america vote now
Hannah is a good dancer and has ALOT of votes- alabama, BN and now i think BTS- those fans are crazy supportive, good move getting her to do a BTS song. ALL she has to do is talk about how much she loves the boy band and their fans will ensure she wins.
James has the skills and the votes as well
Kel has great rhythm which makes him a joy to watch and the growth arc. He really is the most improved.
I follow all of you on Twitter- love Courtneyās DWTS tweets????- but havenāt ever commented here. I likely couldāve missed this convo in earlier posts and/or comments, but who do you think will go on tour? I think Hannah is a for sure celeb for the tour…no other job to get back to, no young kids at home, etc. I agree sheās likely doing well with the votes, but I also think sheād be saved if she somehow landed in the bottom 2 because they want her to get through to the finals so she can be a āfinalistsā on tour. Actually they might even prevent her from being in the bottom 2 to protect her image if sheās their golden girl for the tour. Thoughts? (BTW, I love Hannah. I really enjoyed her season of The Bachelorette. I think sheās had some really challenging/bad songs this season, but Iām rooting for her to get to the finale.)
I think there’s a strong argument for adding a limit on how many times the judges can save a couple in the bottom 2 (unless the two couples have been there the same number of times, I guess). But with all the demand for good dancers to make it far the judges to have more power in the lead-up to this season, I kind of think people should have to deal with what they asked for and if they want to repeatedly save someone who is one of the better technicians, then so be it, and the people who begged for this then decided they don’t like it when their favorite gets eliminated in favor of a stronger dancer can stay pressed.
In the situation we’re in with this final 5 though, I think it could work as a deciding factor if it’s two people on the same level (ex. Ally vs. Kel). But I’m hoping Lauren ends up there again and if she does I don’t see strong justification for saving her over any of the others as of now. (I like Lauren but the other 4 are stronger dancers)
I was wondering why I wasn’t feeling James’ Jazz routine as much as others did. And then I remembered that Wanya Morris did a Jazz routine to Bye Bye Bye and arguably did it better. Of course, Wanya’s dance was longer and the tempo was faster, which gave more room for creative choreography.
I’m still rooting for James to hopefully excel in the next two weeks and win.
I’m sad we won’t be seeing an Argentine Tango from James. We only saw three AT’s this season, and I only liked Lauren’s.
I don’t think it should matter how many times a couple gets saved by the judges if the said couple is the second best im terms of dancing. It’s sad how these old conservative women just refuse to vote for young female pop stars when they clearly deserve it. Ally has a great personality, is probably the second best dancer left and you can see how much she wants to be there. I don’t get it
My rankings are exactly like yours just switch ally and hannah.
Another great recap Court!I would really love it if the final two are James and Kel. I really want James to win but Kel has improved so much over the last few weeks and he has “come alive” to me.
As for the ladies, I do like them personally (from what I can see on TV!) but their dancing just doesn’t do anything for me with with the exception of Ally. I dunno, I just don’t care for Hannah and Lauren’s dancing/ partnerships…
I do think Lauren is the next to go however but who knows? Can’t wait for Monday!
Perhaps they just like other people better, Barbara – and don’t be ageist.
If they were going to “protect” Hannah, they have a hilarious way of showing it. Crap songs, harsh criticism week after week. Yeah, I don’t thing the tour argument holds much water anymore.
I agree with your rankings for sure. I think James is headed for that mirror ball but I wouldn’t be mad to see it go to Kel, Ally or Hannah. So basically at this point I hope that you are right about Lauren going home next week. she’s the weakest of the bunch and I think also i couldn’t stand to see Gleb with a mirror ball because I don’t think he deserves it. Lauren still just looks like a deer in headlights. I just hope our skeleton nightmare from last season doesn’t pump her up enough to have her by pass the 4 better dancer who should be the final 4. I guess we shall see how it shakes out. If I had to pick who I want to win right now I’d likely say Kel. I have enjoyed him and I think hes had a good journey. I also wouldn’t mind seeing Ally win with Sasha since he is long overdue for a mirror ball. I also do love James and would love if he won too. I think Kel or Ally would just be a more unpredictable win so and might restore some viewers faith in the show. So that’s where I’m leaning. A Hannah win would be okay but i think there would be some cries of ABC manipulating it for someone that’s a part of their “family”. So i’m hoping she doesn’t win.
Agree with your rankings. Oddly enough the last couple of weeks are when I enjoyed Lauren the most, despite her dances probably being some of her weaker ones this season. I don’t think Gleb has done her any favors, and agree that he likely won’t be able to rival what the other pros can come up with for their partners.
If Ally winds up in the bottom 2 again and gets saved, it’s probably not going to help quell the backlash she’s getting already for being a judges pet. Whether she deserves to be saved or not will probably be irrelevant to the detractors. At this point, she’s likely going to be up against Lauren or Kel should she land in the bottom 2. It gets into funky territory, because this will be her third time in what, 5 weeks? Whereas Lauren just landed in the bottom 2, and Kel hasn’t been there since week 3. I don’t even know what they really base it on. It seems like it’s depending whoever the couples are. As for Ally, I don’t think she deserved perfect scores the past two weeks compared to some of the other couples, so this week will be interesting. I can say I don’t care for her and would place her 4th behind James, Hannah, and Kel. I honestly found her forgettable. But I love Sasha, and he doesn’t get partners like her very often. At this point I’d love to see James or Kel win, although I still think it’s James’s to lose (Hannah may not be far behind).
I actually agree with you on these. As far as skill level and what will likely happen is concerned. However my heart is kind hoping the judges favoring Ally seriously backfires and she gets eliminated. I also havenāt been loving sashaās choreo this season. Something just isnāt connecting for me and yes while it is a dance competition personality is part of it. As for who I think should win Iād be happy with James, Kel or Hannah (I donāt think Lauren will make the finals but would be happy if she did and would include her in a happy to see win).
[…] for saving – and yet the judges discarded him without batting an eye.Ā This is unfortunately exactly what I worried would happen with the judges’ save in my power rankings last week – the judges using it to REPEATEDLY contradict the viewer vote. I’ve seen several […]