Dancing with the Stars Season 28, The SEMI FINALS – LIVE BLOG
Well, tonight on DWTS, will we see how the judges REALLY feel about the various contestants?? Will Ally be in for a shock? Will James get all 30s?
I suspect that now that S___ is gone, the judges are going to get real with everyone…except Hannah, who they’ve been pretty real with all along. And James…I don’t feel like he’s been either over scored or underscored. Either way, it will be interesting.
T-minus ten minutes – and “get well soon” to Derek Hough after his emergency surgery this past weekend. At least it waited until he got back to the States.
LOL…nice infomercial. And with S___ gone, all the semi-finalists are passing for rockstars quite well.
Camerass cuts from Pasha and Daniella far too soon, but managed to catch Jenna and Val just fine.
Lauren up first! Wonder if Lauren being in the bottom is going to boost her votes? Might be more obvious sans S____. Lauren is dancing Paso to Kelly Clarkson’s Strong (and Lauren is a good singer! I knew that.) Gleb has NO REASON to be cocky so he should just shut right up.
Love the hair, but the outfit? Not so much. Opening after the stairs seemed a bit unsteady. My feeling is that he didn’t give her a lot to do and she’s just not sure about a lot of it.
Len: Lovely mix of expression and aggression. Saw more shaping. More cape, I would’ve liked. (Oooo…len clapback and Gleb
Bruno: (being suggestive) Handled it beautifully. Stronger. Lost one hand/arm over routine.
CAI: You’ve come so far, you command the dance floor. Locking knees just a bit. A bit too tight.
Okay, so we’re going to be super kind to everyone. Let’s see if the scores reflect that.
Scores: 9, 9, 9 for a total of 27 – I think that was a tad overstored. It’s an improvement for her, but…
Can’t wait to see what goes down between Hannah and CAI. Perhaps a reality check for CAI?? I certainly don’t blame Hannah – how long are you supposed to hear the complements that someone like S___ gets and then hear nothing but nitpicking??
Kel is up next, getting coached by Bruno. Who’s idea is it for all the dancers to put the damn stairs in every damn routine?? It just makes the dance look awkward. Interesting (?) costume choice again.
Kel actually looks like he’s leading! He’s quite confident and into this dance. Great ending. Well done!!
Bruno: Real, proper tango – just one mistake. Well done.
CAI: You’ve become so refined, you’ve come the furthest. Fantastic.
Len: Intensity, I liked. Some missing heel leads. Came out with enthusiasm. Well done.
Score: 9, 9, 9 for a total of 27 for a dance that was a mile ahead of the other scorer of 27. Are we back to “everyone gets a 9” gambit??
Ally up next with their V. Waltz. She’s who I’m most curious about, since I feel like a large part of her scores were to keep her out of the bottom. Side note, this is the second week in a row that Ally’s lip liner is distracting me in the package.
She looks stunning, I must say. And again with the damn stairs. Love this song and this dance is quite lovely. That was beautiful, from start to finish, actually. Was that Tom Hanks??? Nope, her dad, I think.
Len: Much more rotation, better technique. Lost a bit of rotation in couple places.
Bruno: Joy to watch.
CAI: Phrasing in this dance was beyond the movement. Emotional performer.
Scores: 10, 9, 10 for a total of 29. Hmmm, don’t know that that was that much better than Kel’s.
Hannah up next with her rumba. She actually wanted Carrie Ann (kinda). This is actually making me a bit weepy. I think it was time for someone to call out a judge for their attacks which often ARE personal. I didn’t even like their commentary to S___ last week. They go too far sometimes – more Bruno that CAI.
Wow, another stunning woman. She started off a little shaky, but she seemed to get into it as it went along. Better hip action.
Hannah is a classy young woman.
CAI: I was never offended by that. We want to make you better. You improved a heck of a lot. More open to us. Really proud of you.
Len: The hips are the rhythm and the arms are the melody and I thought you married those two beautifully.
Bruno: Whatever she did, it worked. You learned to place your foot. Blah blah blah.
Scores: 9, 9, 9, for a total of 27 – everyone gets a NINE! Except Ally. 🙂
James up next with the easiest dance of the night…and it wasn’t his lowest score either. He had another dance with the same score.
Why do they keep throwing extra dancers in? At least he isn’t using the stairs. Is there going to be cha cha…oh, there it is. Emma came off the ground, but that’s not convenient. I love James – he’s hot. But I don’t think he’s that much better than Ally or Kel at this point. He is hot though.
Len: I said cut out the gimmicks. Because disco music – I would have liked to see more cha cha cha (me too). Too much messin’ about. (Agreed)
Bruno: Disco cha cha extravaganza. You’re a great showman and you can sell it. You were off timing quite a few times (agreed – but I thought his legs were too wide).
CAI: Really entertaining. Your posture is really broken (agreed) – you’re a fantastic dancer, I’d hate to see you lose it over details.
Scores: 8, 8, 8 for a total of 24 out of 30. I find it hard to disagree with that – Kel and Ally did better. I don’t know that Hannah was that much better, but she wasn’t worse. I’d have given him at least one 9 for being hot. I think that counts. 🙂
But, how are you handed the easiest dance of the night and spend it doing Disco for a judge who TOLD you to drop the gimmicks? Bad decision. It seems the low scorers have been in the bottom two. Hopefully that’s not the case here.
Lauren up with her never-performed style – V. Waltz. I love this girl, but I can’t stand her partner. Ugh.
This dress is gorgeous. Hair? Still gorgeous. There is not much to this dance, though. Seems very simple. Doesn’t stack up against Ally’s, IMO. Gleb’s suit is yuck.
Len: Smooth, elegant, graceful. Loved the elements of slow waltz. Lovely dance.
Bruno: So sophisticated. Loved the chemistry, sizzling. Joined together, like a dream couple.
CAI: Loved you dancing as one. Great.
She’s going to get 9s for that very simple dance. I guess simple is better from time to time, but…she’s not on the same level as Kel, Ally, James or even Hannah.
Scores: 9, 9, 9 for another 27. Over all total is 54 out of 60.
Kel up next with a contemporary to Witney Houston “I will always love you”. Geez. This should be interesting.
Damn stairs again. tiny sync issue. Beautiful job, beautiful dance. There were one or two spots where I could see him thinking about it, but over all great job.
Bruno: what an achievement. Pure art. The fluidity of the lifts. Sincerity and honesty in performance. You’re a winner in my eye.
CAI: 28 season I’ve seen every type of dance – that dance makes a big impact. riveting, pure, I’m so grateful.
Len: (standing O)
This better get a damn 30, IMO.
Scores: 10, 10, 10 for our first perfect score of the night.
Ally up next – that speech seemed a bit rehearsed. She said Sasha’s name so many times. Charleston!
Even MORE stairs!! Damn. She’s ‘moving too small, there at first. She goes in and out of too small movement. Kinda weird. Good dance over all though. WTF with the stairs. Besides that, a lot of this seems familiar. Was I just talking about Shawn and Derek?? Yes I was. 🙂
CAI: Showstopper! Proved you deserve to be in the final.
Len: Fun, fabulous. Fun and Joy. Just great.
Bruno: Sparkly, exuberant. Some lindy. Classic hollywood musical number.
Scores: 10, 10, 10 for a total of 30. I would have handed out a bunch of 9s on that one.
Hmmmm…If James gets a perfect score and Hannah gets another 27, there will be a three way tie for third place. So, this season, the low scorers have typically been in the bottom (except for Hannah, S___). So what if Ally and Hannah are in the bottom?? Ally is the better dancer, but she’s been in the bottom two several times. So, the judges might automatically call her safe – but the backlash could be…bad.
Awwww…James’ wife had a miscarriage. So sad. This ought to be a tear jerker. He’s doing a foxtrot.
I love a man in tails. Emma’s dance is gorgeous. My favorite part was when the song hits the chorus. That was lovely. I was a bit distracted by the red moon in the background because I’m obsessed with Legend of Zelda right now. And now, I’m crying.
Len: For you to come out and dance with so much feeling, I admire you so much.
Bruno: You put so much heart into that dance. Wonderful spatial flow. Job well done.
CAI: I don’t know how you got through that. I feel silly talking about your posture. It was great posture.
I don’t feel that dance was particularly great, but I understand why it might not have been. Tough time in his household right now. :::sob:::
Scores: 9, 9, 9 for a total of 27. That poor little girl crying. Dressed so cute too.
Hannah is up next with her contemporary.
Ooo… a couple lovely lifts. At first I thought she was holding back, but it seemed like she got into the angry part. That lift spin towards the end was great. I think Hannah’s problem is that she tries really hard to not let the hurt show during the live show. I get that.
Bruno: You did pretty well. What I really liked – you got a wonderful dynamic in the lifts and drops. .
CAI: you move beautifully, the trust was impressive. It paid off.
Len: Normally not a fan of contemporary, but I must say I thought the emotion came out and it was a great dance together.
Scores: 9, 9, 9 for a total of 27 out of 30.
I’m feeling deep. Hannah is trying really hard to be tough, she want to be a strong, independent woman – and on the Bachelorette she was the most real person that’s ever been on that show. But she was really disappointed in it, and I think she’s been working hard only to have this be more serious than she thought it would be. I watch her dance and I feel like she’s in a very uncertain time of her life. I think James’ heartbreak translated very strongly into his dancing in a not good way (not blaming him) and I think Hannah’s tumultuous past few months and desire to be the strong powerful woman has been impacting her off and on all season.
Anyway….
SAFE: Kel (yay!)
SAFE: Hannah!
SAFE: Lauren (oh shit)
This ain’t no kinda good. They gotta save James – no question. This is not hard.
CAI: Both are fantastic. WTF she saves Ally???
Bruno: WTF!!!! He picks Ally and Sasha?????
Len: Would have voted Ally.
What the actual fuck??? Did he want to quit?? Ally tried to give it to James. She’s still apologizing.
Okay..brief post mortem. I can’t believe they just did that. How on earth do you save Ally, who has been in the bottom SEVERAL times, over James who has never been in the bottom at ALL?? James is far from perfect, but he’s objectively a better dancer than Ally 95% of the time. WTF?? I also don’t believe he’d quit and not make it known to all. Ally was SOBBING because she was saved over him. What the actual fuck?
In my opinion, the top 2 dancers were James and Kel. I like Hannah very much. But if someone were going to go home, it should have been Lauren – no offense to her, she’s a good dancer. Put very simply, Ally is NOT the audience favorite – she was the high scorer of the night and still ended up in the bottom. James was clearly in the bottom because he was at the very bottom of the leader board. A few days after his wife miscarried. So, you have to conclude that the judges weigh their opinions far above the audience.
So, which do we take?? Judges who prevent the Bobby Bones/S___ S____s of the world yet think they are so much smarter than the audience that they save the person who the audience isn’t voting for? Or the S___ S____s making the finals??
Didn’t hear about Derek! Glad he’s okay.
Ally has at least one crowd pleasing dance, but Sasha could overdo it and Len could be grumpy. I’d be surprised if the judges go hard on her, but I’m also curious as well how it will go now that Lindsay is gone.
Also curious to see if Lauren gets a boost after being in the bottom 2 last week. Super nervous for Kel, but at this point, I think everyone is playing for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in the finale. If not James then Hannah, but those are who I see as the top 2. Assuming the show does in the finale like they did last year, it’s not like we’ll even now the top 2, but regardless, I’d be surprised if anyone else besides those two wins.
Though unlike last season, I can watch the semis in peace.
That paso doble was kind of underwhelming and I thought Lauren looked kind of lost in some parts but overall she did a pretty good job
@Princess Heidi, I agree about Lauren. I liked it better than her first paso, but something about it seemed a little too simple and safe.
I’d be surprised if anyone gets below a 9 tonight. 27 seemed a little too generous for Lauren, but not surprised. Are they the only couple left who hasn’t received a 10 yet?
Lauren i can’t honestly say did anything wrong but gleb dropped the ball with that paso. Just such a meh dance. I’d give that an 8. As for Kel and Whitney….trying to figure out what I didn’t see that I needed to see but I felt like it was missing something. Maybe the song wasn’t great for the style? Idk I can’t pinpoint it. Saying that I’d give them a 9. Will admit that the costumes were fun though for both him and Lauren.
Kel did a really good job! That was very enjoyable. Definitely think that was better than Lauren’s redemption dance (but since I doubt we’ll seeing anything below a 9 tonight, he might get the same score as her).
I agree @Princess Heidi, I thought Lauren was over scored for her dance. It seemed simple and safe.
I agree with Vin, something seemed to be missing but i’m not sure what.
Gleb did Lauren no favors with that dance. Len complained that there was not enough Paso content, gives them a redemption and Gleb pulls the same stunt.
Every time I hear the word pivot I think of Ross and the couch on friends lol so Len made me laugh too much tonight. Ally and Sasha were great but I wouldn’t say that it was great costume wise. Saying that dancewise they were indeed….perfect. I’d give them a 10.
I can’t say I was impressed with Ally’s dance, either. Again with the choreography, it just seemed a little too simple and like it took too long to get going.
I think the som3g really didnt help Kel, that didnt seem like a song for a tango
The guy who looks like Tom Hanks is actually Ally’s dad. XD
Oh Hannah…..someone seems a bit too extra this week in my opinion. dance was good but I didn’t love it. I’d give it an 8. Just was very meh.
So far I think Kel’s gotten hosed in the scores.
I enjoyed that rumba way more than Hannah’s first attempt.
I miss Sean. He was a ray of light on the show. The remaining contestants are all showbiz fakes. No matter what you think of his dancing, he was real.
Wondering if Ally isn’t doing well in the votes. Obviously Hannah isn’t going anywhere, but I thought Kel and Hannah should have received 10s over Ally. Her dance wasn’t terrible, but those two were better, imo.
And both Kel and Hannah were better than Lauren.
A real LIAR, yes, Jane.
Everyone was better than Lauren so far.
James…..easily my fav dance of the night thus far. Also loved the fact that he got Len since he always seems the toughest yet somehow manages to laugh the most when coaching lol. Costumes were great too. Saying that I’d give them a ten.
I can’t remember if it was season 4 or 5, but first time I remember hearing the song ‘Canned Heat’ on here was when Maks and Val did a dance off to it.
I would have liked James’s dance without the extra dancers, but overall that was my favorite of the night. Deserving of more than 3 nines, but we’ll see.
Three 8s for James? Are they kidding me?
Was it just me or did they say that Taylor Swift was performing next week?
uhoh. whassssup with James interview with Erin???
I love Lauren and gleb this time…..I’d give her a 10 easily. Saying that, costumes were interesting…a Little Dolly Parton ish for her but gleb wins worst suit I have ever seen lol. But that dance was gorgeous so that’s all that matters.
I felt sorry for Emma. Though I give the pros credit when they own up and say it was them, rather than sit there and fight with the judges. I think I disagree simply because the scoring seems all over the place tonight, but what else is new.
@kelly, Tom said that something happened this week that James would talk about it. Emma alluded to it in her IG story, too. Not sure what it was.
I enjoyed Lauren’s second dance so much better. Though what was Gleb wearing?
Problem with James’ dance was the lack of content. Everyone else gets called on it, so I didn’t have a problem with them calling him on it. And there were quite a few weird moments. Pant were hot, no question.
Kinda irritating that you get the easiest dance of the night, Len tells you IN ADVANCE to cut the gimmicks and you risk it all and leave them in. Or most of them anyway. I guess that’s the sort of risk Derek would take from time to time, but only when he HAD to to make a big impact to keep his celeb in the game. I don’t recall him doing it with a partner he thought had a shot at winning. It’s similar to the situation when he reprised his and Shawn’s quickstep – but that wasn’t Derek’s intent, that was selected for him.
Honestly, I think my top 3 favorite couples are Kel, Hannah, and James. That being said, I like both Ally and Lauren but I just find their dances underwhelming and the judges overscoring Ally nonstop isn’t helping.
It’s definitely going to be a tough decision tonight for the judges to save one couple from being eliminated as everyone is good at dancing.
I loved the inspiration for Kel. Saying that I really wasn’t sure how it would turn out. It was incredible. that lift/trick at the end….I mean wow. I’d give them a ten. Easily.
Looking at the second dances, interesting that Ally has a fast paced crowd pleaser and everyone else has something slower and more on the emotional side.
It’s hard for me to get excited about contemporary, but I did enjoy Kel’s. I really hope he makes the finals. I especially loved the ending.
Bruno’s “your a winner” remark I hope doesn’t mean Kel is going tonight. Perfect scores were well earned. Definitely shed some tears.
I’ll be disappointed if James goes home tonight tbh. My pick to go home would be Hannah right now.
Up until this point, this season was just maddening thanks to a certain contestant that stayed around way too long. But now, although I have my favorite, I really couldn’t get upset with any of these people winning. They all seem lovely and are quite good dancers. I’m good with whatever happens from here on out!
ally may as well have begged for votes instead of having a video package. that was ridiculous
ally and Sasha were great but at the same time I kinda wish there was more charleston less swing if that makes sense. Like this screamed freestyle more than charleston to be tbh. Still would give it a 10 though.
Might as well have just kept Ally on the floor to give her her perfect scores. I didn’t find that very enjoyable, honestly. It just seemed basic. I’ve seen Sasha doing better. Truthfully, I’m put off by Ally. She’s gotten perfect scores before, and based on the comments, she likely knew it was coming. I guess it’s not her fault we went from Kel, who talked about losing a friend to gun violence, to her talking about how she’s afraid the judges won’t save her if she’s in the bottom 2.
10s? There were CLEAR MISTAKES in the beginning.
Ally is an old soul. Loved that routine and performance.
that was NOT a perfect score dance. why is she being so ridiculously over scored tonight.
I was so afraid that James was going to say his wife miscarried. So sad for him.
I’m getting annoyed by Ally, she’s not the worst dancer but the judges are trying to make it look like she’s the best (and with a good advantage) and I just don’t see it? She makes clear mistakes, other contestants have gotten worse scores for dances that were a milestone better than hers. She’s moving small and having synchronicity issues, and none of that gets called out so she won’t improve. That didn’t feel like a semifinals dance to me.
I think Lauren is going home tonight
I’m bawling right now still. James is so strong and it’s crazy he is still functioning. That was incredible easily a 10 from me.
I was dreading to hear the bad news about James. I had an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach that it was a miscarriage. He’s so strong to continue in the competition. That was a lovely Foxtrot. I’m surprised he didn’t get at least a 10 for that. I hope he gets enough votes to avoid being in the bottom.
James did amazing. Given the circumstances I don’t think I could dance that well.
@Natalie, I don’t think Ally will win (and frankly I think the backlash will be worse than it is if she’s in the bottom 2 and saved yet again). But I question if her high scores are to make up for any lack of fan votes. They seem to want her in the finals bad enough. At this point I just want James and Kel in the finals, and one of them winning. I don’t care who else is there, but I’d be fine if Ally went tonight. Just not a fan.
There was a lot of inspiration from Derek/Shawn, Vin. That bugged me a bit, because if you’re going to borrow from Derek, go ALL IN, man. Ally isn’t Shawn though, so maybe that’s unfair.
It started lst week and is sadly continuing this week, the Judges are pushing Ally and Kel. Every season they do this and this season they have made sure that their favorite gets thru each week with “the bottom 2” scam. There is no reason james didnt get a 10 for that last dance and hannah was given nothing but praise, no criticism then she gets only 9’s. whereas Ally wasnt in sync at all with her pro and her kicks were lower and not sharp compared to her pro yet she gets 10’s!!! the judging is the only thing i hate about DWTS because of the bias!
Hannah did a really good job. Haven’t always been her biggest fan this season, but I loved that dance.
Thinking Lauren or Kel are going home. If Ally is in the bottom 2, she’s probably going to get saved.
I feel like hannah redeemed herself from the first dance but at the same time….it wasn’t perfect and I’d give it an 8. Alan seemed to feel it more than her in my opinion but ATM least she looked into this one.
For me, the weakest dancer right now is Lauren. A lot of Gleb is due to Gleb’s choreography; he focuses too much on making everything sexy, it’s anoying bc he IS a great pro, he did amazing in the UK and in Russia… James and Hannah started the strongest, but Kel and Ally improved and are toe to toe with them now… Lauren is good, super fun, but she’s been in the middle this whole time for me… I’d be disappointed if any one else leaves, especially Kel, bc, frankly, I don’t expect a brilliant freestyle from Gleb. If James was in any danger before (I don’t think he was), he’ll definitely get all the votes now after all those tears… I know it’s a heartbreaking moment for the family, but the show just loves to milk those moments.
@princess Heidi: I agree they borrowed a lot from Derek and Shawn….which kinda surprised me. With ally it’s like she does everything he asks really well and can nail it but Sasha seemed to play it very safe this week which worked for both but in the end maybe he needed to go there and get super creative sincecit might be the only chance she has at winning if she makes the finale since she clearly isn’t pulling in the votes since she has been in the bottom like two or three times now.
Disappointed the finale is going to only be 1 night again. Guess that’s the new normal?
Kel is through! Now just need to hear James’s name.
I hope James is saved but they’ll most likely save Ally
Holy crap, I never expected to see James in the bottom 2.
So wrong, Ally did not deserve to be saved.
That’s what happens when you keep overscoring Ally but at least it’s still a good finale
They might as well just give it to Ally, that’s obvious who they want to win.
Well, at least it’ll be better than a Bones win, but seriously, I am soured on this show.
Tough choice. Like it’s crazy. I would have saved James tbh. This is the tightest finale I think we r going to see. Nobody saw this coming too but on the plus side James should be so proud of himself. He killed it all season.
The worst-case scenario was having Ally and James in the bottom, and I’m upset it came to that. This has been a crappy week with Michelle Visage leaving Strictly and James leaving DWTS. I’m gutted.
Sorry, but that was the completely wrong decision. I’m done with this season. First we have to put up with Lindsay’s partner all this time, and now the judges screw up again.
I think James asked to leave due to the current loss in his family. There’s NO way he would’ve been voted off, Sasha’s partner, I don’t even know her name (never cared for her), was in the bottom two too many times to suddenly be able to pass him up. That’s what I think, at least?
What were the judges thinking?! Ally has been in the bottom 2 now three times. James deserves to win the entire show. Understandably, he had not his best week and he is gone?! I’m thinking this might cause more fans to not vote for Ally. Judges, she is not clicking with America. Putting her through was the wrong choice. James got ripped off. Not to mention Lauren made it through over James? Wow.
I hate this. James should have been in the finale.He totally deserves it.
The judges aren’t picking the winner, right? Three times in the bottom 3 and Ally survives over James, who hasn’t even been at the bottom yet. Ally clearly isn’t bringing in the votes. No way she can win. It doesn’t help that they’ve over scored her the last few weeks.
Nothing against Ally but do they really think she’s going to win? She’s been in the bottom 2 3 times and James never has. I’m not watching the finale, utterly ridiculous
Welp, I was wrong… I totally expected people to vote for James, he’s so charismatic and he’s been the favorite during the whole season… But Emma made some bad choreo choices, he was at the bottom of the leaderboard tonight, and, right now, Ally has the best technique. Really tough decision. I expected CAI to save Ally, if I was Bruno I would have saved James; it just wasn’t fait for him to go lose 3×0… Shame, he was my pick to win it all…
Lauren and Bobby Bones are friends, she has a chance to win…
Now i’m rooting for Kel, but Hannah and Ally have better technique =/
I have to say that I’m a bit gutted at James elimination, on the other hand I’m happy Ally is safe because she had a better night versus James. If anything LAUREN should’ve been eliminated, and not because she’s a bad dancer, but because her pro did her such a disservice with such a crappy paso Doble. Her first one was better, and I’m flabbergasted that Len thought nothing of the lack of in hold couple dancing. Call Emma out, but not Gleb?! Gleb who always has screwed the pooch on choreography. I genuinely liked Ally’s brave attempt to eliminate herself, but it was such an emotional night that if half the show didn’t play out they way it did I’m certain Ally wouldn’t have made the gesture. Maybe she would have, but I hope she takes this moment to appreciate the whole experience, and perhaps she’ll come back better. Who knows.
I…am speechless. I cannot fathom them voting to send James, the overall best dancer of the season hands down (much to my fear as a huge Hannah stan), home over Ally who JUST. ISN’T. GETTING. THE VOTES. And on a night like this when the man announced his wife’s miscarriage…it really seems like kicking him when he’s down. The only way it makes sense to me is if James himself asked to be sent home. And if that isn’t the case (which I suppose we’ll never for sure), shame on them. Nothing makes me madder than TPTB inexplicably picking a favorite and blatantly trying to manipulate the outcome of the show to ensure said favorite’s success. Ally was overscored tonight. Others were lowballed. I would’ve gladly seen Lauren leave over her but to pick her over James? Oof.
The positive is Kel. Witney can choreograph a really great freestyle for him. She did last season with Milo. Rooting for Kel or Hannah. They are the two most improved in my opinion.
Here I gave all my votes to Kel, and was worried about him. Bruno’s comment about basing it on the season made zero sense, because Ally’s been in the bottom 2 twice (now three times). Better dancer or not, maybe take the hint. I pity the poor girl for the backlash she’s going to receive.
I’m on the Kel or Hannah bandwagon. The scores tonight were ridiculous, and if Ally goes in next week getting perfect scores and everyone else is saddles with nines, then I guess we know she’s winning. I just don’t get why they’d want her so bad. Is she going on tour and no one else is? I’m fine with Hannah winning, or even Lauren. But I really hope it’s Kel.
Let’s kick the man in the guts while he’s down. What a great country this is
Sasha’s partner didn’t “pass him”, Joan. They were both in the bottom two. The judges picked Ally. She could have been many, many thousands of votes below him – we’ll never know.
Yeah, Kel and Hannah are getting my votes. Might go all Kel if he kills it. But I’ve liked Hannah since she was on the Bachelor. I like any girl who owns her “hot mess”.
I don’t think so, Kara. She got a nearly perfect score tonight, was far ahead of everyone else and was still in the bottom two. She’s not winning unless the judges pick the winner – and I doubt they’re doing that.
I’ve seen some other people speculate James might have asked to leave, but I don’t believe that’s true. Emma looked crushed, Ally got emotional and wanted to give up her spot for him, but ultimately, he could have just bowed out. I don’t see him going through the charade and putting Ally or any of the other contestants through any backlash they might get (or in Ally’s case will get), because of him going home.
I’m just bummed for Emma mostly. She may not be back in the fall, if she and Sasha decide to go off and have a little Farber. And it’s not like she gets partners like James very often. I was hoping to see her in the final one more time before motherhood kicked in (or the show is cancelled, whichever comes first).
This is just so wrong. What utter heartless manipulaton to save someone who hasn’t been getting the votes and let go a fan favorite who just suffered a horrible loss. The judges should be ashamed.
Understandably, James’ heart wasn’t in it tonight, but this is a terrible outcome. The judges didn’t follow their own policy. Ally seemed genuinely upset and understands James had a better season overall. As someone commented above, I am soured on this show.
This “did james ask to leave” theory is absolutely ridiculous! Like, do people seriously think that’s a possibility just bc his wife lost the baby, with only 2 weeks of competition left? He’s been so invested in this, they were both in complete disbelief. He and Emma wanted to be there and wanted to win! If he wanted to go home, he would’ve withdrawn from the competition, not performed tonight & gone to the hospital to be with his wife…
Yes, Ally had the better night, she has better technique, but James has that intangible thing that winners have, and we all know it isn’t just about the dance. Incredibly difficult decision to make tonight, Lauren was the right one to go home tonight.
Wow. I think ally is a great person but really? This is where the judges save becomes a problem because she should have gone home before James. Her charleston did not deserve a perfect score, their attempt at saving her is only making people hate the show even more. I think she may be the second most hated person this season and I dont think she deserves it. The hate should be directed to the judges !
At the beginning I didnt really enjoy Hannah but now its like the only way she can get a perfect score is if she were an actual professional dancer. Lol i think she is the only one who could beat out Lauren and her country crew (incl. Bobby bones).
But THANK GOODNESS Kel made the FINALE!!!
We have been saying it for years but we need new judges. At some point TPTB can’t keep blaming viewers for voting. Seriously, the reason we get bottom two like these is because of the inconsistency in scoring. Even when Sean was on and they were giving him 6s/7s.
I do hope they consider a new panel.
Why not have the judges save until semi-finals? Then it is a straight whoever is the lowest combined total. Pretty sure that would have been Ally. Or judges can save the same star only 2 times. This is just wrong in so many ways. Season had so much promise, then they cast S____ and the save was working until their bias got in the way. So much for the redemption season, just cancel it.
Al, I agree. Bruno, Len, and CAI have been grating on me for years now. And tonight really felt like the last straw regarding my tolerance for their ridiculous decisions. And their antics in general wear thin (Bruno being over the top, Len being a curmudgeon, CAI salivating over the men and picking a single contestant [usually a lady] to just destroy over and over). If the show survives, I think hitting the refresh button on the entire judges panel would be a smart move.
Get rid of the judges they are past it
Gutted. They are pushing Ally hard. Dont get me wrong – shes a nice girl and a great dancer. But no way do you base a decision on the entire season and come to the conclusion ALL THREE OF THEM DID. Wasnt james the top scorer just a few weeks ago? And hes obviously a fan favourite. A bad night because of an awful loss to his family leads to this. Shameful. If the show continues past this season they need new judges.
What?!…I mean WHAT?! Ally is perfectly nice and I super love Sasha, but I’m stunned by this elimination. This was more surprising than any of the ones before last week’s relief. James was the only one with the juice to beat the country girls. I just know Lauren is going to win now. The scoring was so off tonight, I am almost as disappointed in this season as I was by last season
Tonight was finale manipulation by the judges pure and simple! How many times have we heard in elimination you have to consider the entire season‘s performance not just one evening? If my memory serves me correct didn’t James and Emma get a pass on a competition a couple of weeks ago because they had the highest cumulative total of all the couples to date? So how did this travesty happen? No wonder Ally the winner was sobbing and so upset at the injustice!! I truly believe the judges did not like James….too much self confidence and ego. By eliminating the front runner they think they leveled the playing field. Not one judge voted to keep James? Shame on all three of them!! What would serve them right is if Ally would do a second upset and win the Mirror Ball. Can you imagine their reaction? “Be careful what you ask for” has my vote!! ????????????
The judges completely blew it. James was the most consistent dancer this season. He should have been saved over Ally, who has improved as a dancer, but just doesn’t have the fan base that the others have.
I’m thinking that James didn’t get as many votes this week because there are people in his fan base who felt that he should just be with his wife and kids in the aftermath of his wife’s miscarriage.
One thing is clear is that the era of a dancer receiving sympathy votes has ended. In the earlier seasons, a dancer who has suffered an injury or a traumatic or tragic event and still danced would have received the votes to overcome the lower scores as a result of dancing with the injury or with their mind on the event.
As far as the finals go, while I won’t have a problem with any of the finalists winning, I would like to see either Hannah or Kel win. Right now they’re the most likely to be in the final two.
I want to say, too, that Kel reminds me so much of what this show use to be about. Someone who wasn’t a terrible dancer, but wasn’t great, either. Yet he’s learned and improved throughout the season, and I think it’s shown, especially tonight. I also appreciate that he doesn’t go crazy when he gets a 10 or perfect score. Kel was a part of my childhood growing up, so for nostalgia purposes alone I want him to win, but I think he deserves it for coming in, learning, and improving. I can’t say I’ve noticed the same from the other 3 left, except Hannah to a point. Hannah I wouldn’t mind winning just to stick it to Carrie Ann.
But I think the show as a whole needs a serious refresh. Just keep Tom. I wouldn’t mind getting new pros like Pasha, or bringing back some of the OGs. Get rid of jazz and contemporary. And maybe not try and force the audience to buy into the narrative your selling.
This whole season I’ve felt annoyed or bothered by Ally but couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Until you brought up the lip liner.
Thanks for the laugh, it’s keeping me from feeling too sad for Emma.
Something’s fishy. Thought judge’s vote was supposed to be based on the entire season – what a joke. James is a better dancer than Ally.
I’m floored.
And, poor Emma.
Voted Kel and James all season. Sticking with Kel.
@Princess Heidi, I would take Lindsay’s partner, Bobby Bones, Grocery Store Joe, or Kate Gosselin in the finals over the judges save. I honestly think it was a bust this season. Maybe the only thing it did was prevent Ally from going home earlier, but really, what purpose did it really serve? Lindsay/Jenna still made the final 5. I know there was a lot of ‘Bobby wouldn’t have won if the judges had a say’, but whose to say he was ever in the bottom 2? To get rid of the bad dancers, they have to land there in the first place. And, as we saw with Lindsay this season, that didn’t happen until last week. I’d say if they want to fix the voting to prevent Bones type situations, maybe eliminate the website voting (Ally herself was asking people to use multiple accounts to vote for her, and Bones fans last season bragged about doing that). I’d get rid of live voting and stick to text/phone voting. Will it help controversial outcomes? Maybe, although probably not, but it at least eliminates people spam voting the system. But I don’t think the show does itself any favors with its judging, scoring, and trying to get people to buy into the narrative. Assuming Ally can actually pull a win off next week, what does it say that she had to be saved 3 times by the judges. I realized tonight for the first time I heard Tom say “the judges have sent Ally/Sasha to the finals.” Not the fans, the judges. Their reasoning tonight made no sense.
I was so convinced James was making the finals, that him being in the bottom 2 was shocking enough (never mind being sent home). So while I was thinking Hannah may win this, who knows. Lauren may surprise me and end up being the victor. I do agree that she should have been the one sent home, in all fairness. Although it’s not fair she’s saddled with a partner who gives weak choreography.
Wow-didn’t see that coming. Not James’s best night (understandably), but I would think any objective person who wasn’t a huge Ally fan before the show would save James. I’m sure Ally is perfectly nice, and she’s a pleasant, capable dancer, but I’ve found her (and her desperation to survive elimination) boring for a while now.i It was touching (and sad) how distraught she was at being saved over James.
This kind of bs makes me think the show needs to go. Hoping Kel wins now, and if not, hopefully Hannah.
I came into this show with the mentality that any of the top 5 could have he chance to win the Mirror Ball, and it would make sense now that Sean’s out. The two front-runners I had in my mind in Week 1 ended up in the bottom 2 spots of the leaderboard, and the bottom 2 this week were the top scorer and the bottom scorer. This week was pretty weird.
Any employer should give support under these awful circumstances for James regardless as to who they are. The producers should not have made or allowed James to dance he lost his babe 12 hours previous knowing it could badly affect his chances of getting in the finale
The show producers and ALL judges knew what the situation was hours before the show started Yet they gave the go ahead for him to dance under these circumstances, underscored both dances then voted him off. Maybe they could of taken one of his kidneys too?
This is the most callous cold and unfeeling thing that I have ever seem DWTS do. I’m ashamed to be a fan and although it won’t make the slightest difference I cannot watch or support this show anymore when TV comes before human tragedy. After seeing the result I felt the need to take a shower as I felt dirty. This is gut wrenching
That was some utter horseshit, Carrie Ann and Bruno. Ally over James? No way. Consistently, he has been the better dancer, and he has improved. I like Ally fine, and she is a good dancer who has improved throughout the season. But for whatever reason, she’s not as popular with the voters. Saving her is a terrible mistake. She’s not going to win, whereas James had a legitimate chance at the mirror ball. I’d also like to throw a little blame Emma’s way, just for not choreographing a proper cha cha, when Len told you specifically that’s what he wanted. Just dumb. (PS and I really like Emma! And I think she looks so beautiful with her dark hair). Anyway, disappointed tonight. Of those left, I’m rooting for Kel.
I’m shocked they picked Ally over James. I thought we were in agreement that he was the best and had been since the start… but I guess that also made him a bit boring. He was always good, no real improvement journey. But I still thought he’d be in the finale.
Also Ally had clear mistakes in her dances, out of sync that even I noticed and I usually never do, and yet she still gets 10’s. Hmmmm. I was originally kinda rooting for her but now I’m over her abundance of perfect scores. Normani was so much better and wasn’t overscored like her
That said, let’s go Kel!
I will say though, Ally is a class act. My heart broke for her when she tried to give it to James. I feel bad for her because she’s gonna get the hate from the fandom when it really isn’t her fault she’s still being saved by the judges. She’s a beautiful soul and I hope she doesn’t face a lot of backlash when the season is over.
I find it hard to believe that James was legit the bottom vote getter. I believe he left because of everything going on with his family, which would make sense.
WOW! Cant believe they saved Ally over James. Glad I have not wasted my time watching this farce of a show. SMDH….
There is no way James asked to go home, he pushed past the worst week of his life only to be sent home.He pleaded that he really needed the votes. That is some kind of cold on the part of the producers/judges. . Something smells. A tragedy like what James experienced wasn’t even factored in for a fan favorite. For those who vote, I’m angry that this show disrespected what you like to see on tv. IMHO the women this season are just boring, I have absolutely no desire to follow any of their careers, so I hope Kel goes the distance, I hate the Bachelor franchise and this show is trying to promote the hell out of this so it seems it’s Alan’s or even Sasha’s.
to win. It’s like merit doesn’t even matter just give a
Mirrorball all to the next pro who doesn’t have one. That will help for the tour. Back in the day the winner didn’t always go on the tour. Now it appears to be a prerequisite. The ratings won’t improve with this “improved” show.
I’m done watching DWTS if Kel doesn’t win now. I’m honestly ticked off.
Hard to believe the best dancer of the season comes in 5th.
James joins the firm of Hinchcliffe, Bleu, Marini, & Manheim.
Geez, Evangelina, thanks for reminding me of CAI’s habit of picking one (usually very attractive) female to death every season. I had nearly forgotten that bitchy habit. Ugh. She needs to go.
Actually, James isn’t an “obviously a fan favorite” – there’s no way of knowing this. He ended up in the bottom two when he had the low score, which means he couldn’t overcome with votes Lauren or Hannah who were both three points ahead of him.
This is what I’ve been saying all season. No one is voting in great numbers anymore – that makes the judges more powerful. And they are believing their own hype about Ally and saved her over who I think is an obviously better dancer.
Of course, Ally was at the very top of the leaderboard and ended up in the bottom which means she got, like, NO votes….yet the judges saved her.
Ally ain’t gonna win – that’s either Hannah or Kel. And I’d be fine with that over Lauren or Ally winning.
But….the judges can low ball the shit out of Hannah and Kel to try to get Ally the win. Why? I got no fucking clue.
Nukegrrrl, that lip liner drives me nuts. 🙂 I can’t take my eyes off it.
I like Ally too, Wendy, and she’s a decent dancer. But while I see the rest of them as having some sort of story, and a reason to support them, Ally’s is just all about not being in the bottom and moving on to next week.
Wow, I don’t agree, Jamie. The producers should let James make up his own mind about dancing or not dancing. Then, if he dances like crap, so be it. But he didn’t dance like crap, he just had a slightly off night. And based on that, the stupid-ass judges eliminate him over someone who’s a decent dancer but who the voters AREN’T VOTING FOR. And haven’t been voting for for weeks. The producers eliminating him before the show because of the circumstances is no better than the judges doing it during the show.
I was honestly shocked they chose to save Ally or James just like most of you however hasn’t she been the top or second highest for the past few weeks? I understand the outrage that James is gone but Ally is not at fault for that, she has grown alot on the show and deserves to be in the show just as much as he does.
Be angry and upset all you want at judges/production/fan votes but don’t pretend that Ally isn’t talented or a good person and deserves her spot.
Brad, spare me the fake outrage. I have not seen one person on this thread blaming Ally or implying that she’s a bad person. And her level of talent is pretty subjective, as is how “deserving of a spot” she is…
…and you don’t get to tell people how to think, feel, or act about it.
still shaking my head in disbelief! The one tweak this show really needs is a new judging panel. Why even bother with audience votes. Sigh, we sure have come a long way but not in a good way ….
When I asked for Ally & James top 2 I didn’t mean the bottom 2!!!!
Anyways I now feel bad for Ally since she’s getting hate by some idiots like it’s her fault the judges saved her.
[…] and even win. In case you missed how the show and elimination went down last night, be sure to see Miss Heidi’s Live Blog for complete details. Court is in the thick of getting her Power Rankings written. So stay tuned […]
I’m so sad on what happened. I still can’t believe it. I thought for sure James and Emma would go all the way. He was so good.
I blame a lot of it on the voting. Half the country had to vot without knowing the judges scores. Like me. I thought James would be safe so I voted for Kel didn’t think I had to vote for James, figured he would be safe. I was wrong, and I bet others did the same thing!
Woww definitely total shock. Since last week I thought it was obvious how the judges (for some reason unknown to me) are protecting Ally. She has been improving and is a good dancer but neither her Samba last week nor her Charleston this week was worth 10s (specially when compared to the scores of the other dancers).
I did not loved James cha-cha but thought 8s were a little rough (considering S got 7s for very worst dances). But the Foxtrot was much better and one of the better dances of the night. Why give him all 9s? The same as Lauren? Did not seem fair.
But what I have absolutely no explanation for is them choosing Ally over James. When they were left as bottom 2 I was 100% sure is was going to be James. I don’t get it. He was IMO no doubt the best dancer and most consistent.
I really hope Kel wins, he has been improving and IMO has become the most entertaining.
I don’t comment often but have to say last night was total BS. In no world should James have been sent home over Ally. Its clear they’re over protecting her. Hannah or Lauren leaving would have been sad but made more sense.
I am now cheering full on for Kel & Witney.
I am so upset about last night!! There is no reason that Ally should have been saved for the THIRD time… for the semi-finals, they should have just sent the actual bottom person home, based on votes/scores and not given it to the judges because at this point it’s who the viewers want to see. And, it would be different if the judges were only suppose to base their decision on last night’s performances only…but it is repeated by Tom and Erin that is based on the season. James has had a wayyyyyy better season, I will remember his dances and zero of Ally’s. He was never in the bottom 2 all season, so right there would mean he had a better season.
Since I won’t be as excited to watch the finale now that James is gone, I’m going to give my 2 cents on the season. This show has always been a favorite of mine and look forward to it every Monday. What I have learned this season, is change is good. I think more change may be needed if there is another season ::fingers crossed:: When Sharna wasn’t a pro this season, I was a little bummed. I’ve always liked her and loved her with Hinch and loved her choreo. But, I’ve got to honest…I didn’t miss her at all. Her smug mugging and winking at the camera. Which suprised me that I didn’t miss her, and got me to thinking…. I believe it was on this website years ago, that one of the admins mentioned how the pros shouldn’t be on back-to-back seasons. That they should’ve been a fall cast and a spring cast. Or should at least mix up the pros more then they did. I didn’t really believe that at the time, but now this season with Pasha on…I think a whole bunch of new pros would be great. Granted, I really like “most” of the pros right now…but there are so many talented dancers out there. Pasha proved this season…new fresh face, new choreo, new energy, new talent. It was such a highlight of the season for me. As much as I like Cheryl, 24 (?) seasons is enough. Because at whatever point, all of Sasha’s Viennese waltzes look the same, all of Gleb’s Pasos look the same, all of Cheryl’s Argentine Tango’s and salsa look the same, all of Peta’s cha-chas look the same. With the exception of Lindsay, Emma, and sometimes Witney, (and Brandon because he’s been a pro the shortest) who try to do fun and different dances and can choreograph fun numbers….everyone else is quite repetitive and boring and they ALLLLLLL blend together and I don’t remember any of them.
Also, good change this season was the text voting, which I liked and being able to vote 10 votes per contestant. It would’ve been more helpful to do when the results were the next day to give everyone the chance to vote in different time zones, and if they watch them on DVR later. AGT gives you until 7;00 the next morning to vote, and that seems fair. DWTS is not that big of a show anymore that everyone is tuning in live, we are watching it on our DVR once the kids are in bed 😉
Also, with finding new pros, maybe new judges are more important. Because, what this show is suffering from is being stagnant. It’s the same show we’ve seen for 28 seasons, and these last couple seasons have been very stagnant. nothing changes, it’s very predictable, same pros, the pros are all paired with a certain “type”, and the themes are the same, and so on. These judges are soooooo flippin predictable and so annoying. They aren’t good at their jobs, and a new panel would be the best change I could see soon!
Also, my last complaint of this season was the music….it was just plain AWFUL!!! i mean, AWFUL!!! there were sooooooo many repeat songs…if you are trying to change things up, don’t give us duplicate songs from previous seasons, all it does is blend them all together and nothing is memorable. I hope I never see Gleb as Prince Eric again, (or even as himself on the show again) There is SOOOO much good, new music out there. Keep up with times, keep it fresh, keep it new!! There was so much shitty music that was shoehorned with certain dance styles that just sucked. Most recently, James’ cha-cha song last night. What the F was that. Nice redemption dance to a stupid F*&@ing song.
That’s it for now…thanks for letting me ramble!!
It’s very unfortunate that James was sent home, but these five contestants all had their qualities that made each of them qualified for the finals.
My concern has always been the voting protocol. As a West Coast viewer, I pretty much forgot to vote between 5-6:45 pm on Monday nights for the first several weeks.
Also, certain contestants this season have been overscored for whatever reason. I do feel like James has been underscored in the process. Did he deserve to be eliminated? No, but sometimes life isn’t fair.
I’ve never been a fan of a bloated finale, five different couples for the semi-finals and four different couples for the finals is way too much and doesn’t make the journey intimate anymore. I miss the early seasons when there was actually only two or three couples left for the finale.
Now that James is gone, I don’t care who wins the finals. Also please stop knocking Sean S all the time, he’s done and gone.
I’m really annoyed at Ally staying over James. It’s not even the voters’ fault, it’s the judges’. James was so severely underscored last night that he ended up in the bottom 2 for the first time. The second lowest scorers on the leaderboard were Hannah and Lauren, and we know for a fact that they have good voting fanbases behind them. Ally was incredibly overscored and still landed in the bottom 2 (for the 3rd time, no less) and was saved by the judges in what was probaly the stupidest move this show ever pulled. She’s not that good, she moved small in her viennese waltz and made several sync mistakes in her charleston. James in his worst night was still better than her. I don’t know what they were trying to accomplish because as soon as they leave it to the viewers, she won’t move forward. For all we know, she could have left back in week 6 instead of Sailor if there wasn’t a Judges Save. They saved a contender that has virtually zero chances of winning and will almost certainly end in 4th place, while sending home a potential champion that had an off night after being consistently great all season. They’re trying really hard to make us buy into the narrative that Ally is the best dancer this season and she’s not even in the top 3. She’s good, but she makes mistakes that are overlooked and if any of the other contestants delivered that same charleston routine with the same mistakes, they would get 8s. I thought for sure they were going to give perfect scores to Hannah’s contemporary and James’s foxtrot, I dont know what they have to do to surpass Ally in the judges’ eyes at this point. This show became a joke.
How bout you not tell us what to do, hmmm, Dixie?
Brad, the common belief is that she was getting high scores, at least in part, to save her from the S___. That’s how this show has worked for YEARS, rightly or wrongly.
Ummmm, no, Natalie. Lauren was in the bottom two, what was it, two weeks ago or just last week. At this point the only person never to have been in the bottom two is Hannah.
Now, this is simple logic. Most everyone besides S___ who ended up being the low scorer for a given week, subsequently landed in the bottom two for that week. Except Hannah. She was at the bottom of the leaderboard and was safe – once or twice, not sure. It used to be “except Hannah and James” – I would have to go back and look to see if he was ever low man on the totem pole before last night, don’t remember. So, that means that NO ONE (except maybe Hannah) has a “good voting fanbase” voting for them. And Hannah hasn’t been tested since S___ got eliminated, and that could have changed the dynamics – we don’t know.
My point is – there are no real “good voting fanbases” on the show right now (except maybe Hannah). If you only fall into the bottom two because you got low scores from the judges…people are voting in small enough numbers to not impact or over ride the judges scores. Long way of saying – there is no big fanbase right now.
@Princess Heidi, I am going to be curious how the judges score Ally next week compared to everyone in the finals. Usually it’s 9s and 10s all around, especially for the freestyle (I mean, if Bones can get a perfect score for his, then anyone should be able to). Even with perfect scores Ally’s still wound up in the bottom, so I don’t know how much low balling everyone else would help. Since Hannah hasn’t been in the bottom 2 yet, she seems the most likely to win. But who knows.
I know that everyone is, rightfully so, devastated that James is gone. I want to look at it a positive way. This is nothing but a reality show dance competition, no matter how involved we or the contestants get. I am actually happy James now has the the time to spend with his wife and family, so much more important than a mirror-ball. The crazy pressures and stress of all that goes into that last week of free styles and fusion dances and all the opening numbers of the last show and every last thing they throw in is too much. I think that would hurt James so much even though he worked so hard and does not want to disappoint Emma. This would clearly have to take away some of his time with his beautiful wife and family, who so need and want him more than DWTS does right now. He is a great dancer but a even better husband and father, he knows where he wants to be.
As far as Ally, I don’t understand all the outrage against her staying.
@Princess Heidi I see what you mean, but my point is that someone has to go to the bottom 2, and if the voting is balanced, the scores will define who goes. The voting seems to be balanced enough for some contenders, but Ally ends up there even with the best scores. There were 8 points between Ally and James, and for all we know, his total could very well still be higher than hers. He was still 3 points below the next lowest scorers (Hannah and Lauren) and 6 points below Kel. So his voting would have to make up for that, and Lauren has been saved by the votes while being near the bottom of the leaderboard before. If James’s voting is balanced with everyone else’s but Ally’s, he ended up there because of the scores. My point is that his scores were unfair and they had to underscore him to eliminate him, while Ally was overscored and still went to the bottom for a third time. I’m not saying any of the contenders left have huge fanbases (maybe Hannah has the biggest voting fanbase because the main audience of the Bachelor and DWTS is virtually the same) but James wasn’t having trouble with voting, or else we would have noticed even with his scores. He wasn’t often the best scored dancer (he got some underscores throughout the season) although his dances were consistently great. He only got the best score of the night on 5 of the 10 weeks, and he deserved more than that for the quality of his numbers in general. For comparison, Ally had best scores of the week 8 times and Hannah had 3. The public clearly isn’t seeing what the judges see in Ally (me included) and as soon as they can call the shots, she won’t last.
WHAT? I just watched the semi finals of DWTS and I cannot believe the judges chose Ally over James. What in the world were they thinking? Nothing against Alley but she has been in the bottom two theree times including tonight. James has NEVER been in the bottom two. I thought the judges were supposed to make their decision based on the entire season, not just the dancing in the semi finals. I am truly disgusted. The judges vote is as bad as the public voting for people like Sean Spencer who should have been sent home the first night. What a disappointment! I have NO faith in the judges putting the best dancer through.
It’s not outrage about Ally staying, PJC. That’s a deliberate misread of the situation. It’s that she was picked OVER A BETTER DANCER WHO HAD NEVER BEEN IN THE BOTTOM TWO. It’s not about Ally specifically, but about the damn judging.
Part of me thinks that the judges had been overscoring her so much that they just couldn’t admit that their over scoring to save her over S___ was the reality, not that she was the best dancer.
You completely missed MY point, Natalie, but I’m not going to bother to explain it to you again. I’ll just say that your logic is flawed and leave it at that.
@Princess Heidi I think you also missed my point there, reading the comments again… When I said “good voting fanbases” I didn’t mean it as “considerably better than everyone else’s”, but merely that they were getting an amount of votes that was balanced with the scores they were getting, they were not having trouble with votes. The only real imbalances I saw in votes this season were Ally and Lindsay’s partner. That being said, my point was that the judges scores sent him to the bottom 2, because if everyone’s voting is kinda balanced, the scores matter a lot. They could have spared James from the bottom 2 if they hadn’t underscored him so severely last night. Lauren was in the bottom 2 vs S____ last week but for Ally to be safe she got two perfect scores. And we don’t know, she may have barely scraped by with the votes and only had a small ‘total numbers’ advantage compared to Lauren. They were 10 points apart in score so it’s a big number to overcome. And someone has to go to the bottom 2, so if the others have ok nights and a good dancer has an off night, it makes a big difference. So yeah, I agree with you, I think I could have worded my comment better.
Exactly PH! I have been over here ruminating on this season’s tomfoolery and especially last nights. A voice in my head has been reminding me how you’ve said before that the 3 stooges don’t like to be wrong and perhaps they have actually convinced themselves that Ally is the best and they are so invested in that they can’t now say, James has been better all season long, plus the public obviously isn’t moved by Ally so it’s time to let her go. 3 strikes usually means, you’re out.
This might be an unpopular opinion based on the comments i read, but i think the decision to save Ally and Sasha was the right one. IMO its a 3 way tie with who the best dancer are (Hannah, Ally and James). However, i do think Ally has had the best overall performances. Sasha has been brilliant.
I dont think it would have been fair for the judges to choose based on votes. Meaning that Ally shouldnt be penalized because she was in the bottom 2 several times. Robert probably had more votes when he was eliminated and never been in the bottom(at the time) so he needed to go.
The judges have scored Ally high. Especially the last several weeks. To score Ally high, and higher than James, then eliminate Ally wouldnt have made much sense.
Personally i wish it was Kel or Hannah. I say that because for me, a strong partnership is extremely important. I think Ally and Sasha have the strongest with James and Emma being a close 2nd.
Overall I’m shocked and wish things happened differently, but I’m also happy for James thqt he can be with his family.
That was one of the most emotional episodes ive seen. Kudos to all the celebs. That ending had me balling. Kudos to Ally. I love Sasha and Emma.
This has been a good season for me.
Thanks.
Even though
I’ve been wondering about Hannah, and on top of what @Evangeline said about Carrie Ann and her track record, I wonder if Hannah didn’t turn out how they expected, in terms of her following some edit. Maybe TPTB were hoping she’d get into a show mance with Alan and they could ridiculously milk that, but she clearly shot that down and Erin finally quit asking. Might explain the song choices, dance styles, and low balling in the scores.
This is network politics about who is and who isn’t ABC or Disney affiliated. James isn’t Don’t be too hard on the judges over James, you may or may not be surprised to hear they have much less control over scores and comments than you might think.
Something else to note when they ( or whoever helps them with what to say/score) were hosing James in the Cha Cha Cha, they already knew he had lost his baby. How can anyone knowing he hasn’t been able to rehearse or work properly having lost his baby and nearly lost his wife be that cold and free from any human compassion? 2 hours after elimination DWTS/ABC posted a pre recorded add for the tour with Emma and Sharna having fun on a beach, did they not consider how this might make James and his family feel? Or Emma for that matter. This is the worst thing I have ever seen from DWTS and I’ve seen some bad shit. This is not ok!
Jack doo doo –
Who the heck is Robert???
Maybe in your head there’s a three-way tie for best dancer, but for the bulk of us, James was quite obviously the best.
If it’s “not fair to base it on votes”, then why have a viewer vote anyway???
It’s possible to score a couple high and have them not actually deserve it – did that occur to you?
I voted the max by text for James, and Ally.
I didn’t go for Kel’s Tango, but his Contemporary was very good. Ally’s Charleston was great. James’ Chacha was a little sloppy but was still very enjoyable.
I may not watch the finale, but it won’t be the first time I watched an entire season and skipped the finale. It is kind of anxiety-producing for me. Strange I know.
As well as, my favorite dancer isn’t in it. And my second favorite can’t win.
That’s an interesting idea, Kara. That Hannah didn’t follow the assigned, very obvious plan they had for her from Day 1. Not only did Erin badger her about Alan, but either CAI or Bruno commented on it during week 1 or 2, as well. Hannah shot that down not only on the show, but in the entertainment media for the first several weeks. So, when that narrative went away, they needed a new one – showmances have been a narrative on this show from nearly day one, but so has the redemption arc, and the drama queen arc. Hannah had a great instagram the other day where she owns ALL of herself, including the flaws, and the emotions – seems like she might take that narrative away from them as well. Including in her words to CAI after her dance this past monday. Say what you will about the girl, but she owns all her own mess. That’s why I like her and I suspect that’s why she has a decent fanbase. Hard to believe she’s only, like, 24.
Heh. Jamie, just think how good the new producers were supposed to be, seeing as how they were from Strictly and all.
@Princess Heidi Agreed, that one didn’t seem to pan out. Worst yet
new commenter but longtime reader here…first: i love you guys and your analysis! second: as for this season—sigh—i was a huge james fan and am sad to see him gone. but as many people have already mentioned, there has been some weird overscoring this season—except for james and hannah. as we’ve seen in previous seasons, the judges are always harder on people who can dance (in my opinion, it’s always worse on the women…hello, simone). maybe that’s why i’d really like to see hannah win! but i’ll confess to being lukewarm on alan and his inability to keep his shirt buttoned each week.
@Jamie
James is Disney affiliated. He is the voice of the dad on Vampirina. It may not be a big, flashy role, but that’s a pretty popular show with kids (I have a 4 year old, so unfortunately, I’m well acquainted with Disney Jr shows). Again, it’s not a huge role, but he is still employed by Disney. On the other hand, I cannot find that Ally has ties to the company, and I cannot figure out why they’ve selected her to protect over seemingly everyone else.
That was heart wrenching. I kind of wish James had withdrawn beforehand so that he didn’t have to deal with the pain of getting voted out by the judges. That was just beyond low. I keep him and his family in my heart and prayers, and to anyone else who has gone through the tragedy of a miscarriage.
I am all in for Kel. In my opinion, he is By far the best candidate of all the remains dancers and I hope he wins.
Sorry i was typing fast and had a major brain fart. I meant Sean Spicer..lol. my point is that Sean was never in the bottom (at the time) and could have had more votes so the judges eliminating him was the right choice. In that same sense I’m saying Ally shouldn’t have been eliminated because she was in the bottom several times or assuming James had more votes.
I dont know what the total score is between Ally and James, but the judges have been scoring Ally very high the last several weeks. And (in this episode) they scored her higher than James. So it would have been very contradictory for the judges to eliminate her.
Yes, I’m aware more people here think James was better. That was i said “unpopular opinion”.
Dont make me Jack Doo Doo you.
Are you threatening me, Jack doo doo?
Who are the producers from SCD? Andrew Llinares is from X-factor and Britain’s Got Talent, and Deena Katz is longtime DWTS. Neither has SCD on their IMDB bios. Andrew Cartmell was mentioned preseason. He was a producer on SCD’s sister talk show “It Takes Two”, but has no connection to DWTS per IMDB.
All the final 4 are either available for the tour or Disney affiliated but James was neither. Were you okay with how James was treated?
Deena Katz isn’t with DWTS full time. Hasn’t been all season. As for the rest of them, I’m only going by what I’ve been told. It require a great deal more interest on my part to research it.
@ Jamie
James is Disney affiliated.
Obviously, S___ WAS in the bottom two, Jack dumb ass. The night he was eliminated. Can’t believe I have to point that out.
And I’m going to ban your ass just for that last comment alone, if you don’t cut it out.