PureDWTS Season 28, Week 10: Power Rankings – Who Will Win?
Before the show each week, I start to compile a list of talking points in my head that I can include in the intro to the week’s power rankings. General, all-encompassing thoughts that seem to summarize what is going on on the show at any given time. Headed into Monday night’s show, my thoughts were something along the lines of “Y’know, aside from you-know-who and maybe Ray being included this season, this has actually been a really great cast and the funny business has been kept to a minimum. Glad that we’re headed into the finale with the right group of people!” Well, strike that – the judges managed to ruin that sentiment in one unceremonious swoop last night, when they opted to eliminate possibly the best and most consistent dancer this season (who had never been in the bottom two before) in favor of saving someone who was in the bottom two for the third time (and is consistently overscored). Do I even need to mention that James likely only fell into the bottom two owing to personal tragedy striking over the weekend, which likely affected his performances? His bottom two appearance was a fluke, and he had a record of solid performances over the span of this season that should have made him the easy choice for saving – and yet the judges discarded him without batting an eye. 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 theories from folks trying to make sense of why James was eliminated over Ally, and I guess I’ll just address them in list form:
“Maybe James asked to be eliminated so he could go home to be with his family!”
We’ve had contestants that have dropped out for all sorts of reasons over the years – injuries (i.e. Misty May-Treanor, Dorothy Hamill), illnesses (i.e. Tamar Braxton, Kim Zolciak), even interpersonal issues (Sara Evans left season 3 because she was getting divorced). If James wanted to go home, he could have very easily just announced that he was withdrawing, and I don’t think anyone would have begrudged him for it. Why go through the whole song and dance of rigging an elimination, and making the judges look absolutely insane??? And why have James beg for votes after getting his second score? Both he and Emma looked genuinely shocked and devastated when they were eliminated, so I tend to think this was NOT pre-planned. He seemed to be enjoying the experience of DWTS too much to just withdraw.
“Did James maybe pose too much of a threat to Hannah winning, so they got rid of him?”
I would say he was probably the most likely to play spoiler to a Hannah win, but why would they put so much emphasis on Hannah winning??? Sure, she’s ABC family, but I don’t think they had to make a bunch of wacky promises to get her to sign onto the cast (she seemed pretty willing to do the show), and she’s arguably at the END of her ABC shelf life (Bachelor & Bachelorette stints are already over, the possibility of a Tyler C. reconciliation is dead and buried, Bachelor in Paradise won’t air until next fall – IF they would even cast her)…so I don’t really see an advantage for ABC propping her up for the win. It would have actually made more sense to me to ensure James won, as it would uphold the narrative that the new system works to make sure dancers that are both good and popular with the audience win (and we don’t get another Bones).
“Did the judges maybe think James needed to go be with his family?”
If so, they had no business projecting that onto James – PERIODT. Ask James if he wants to go home; don’t assume he wants to go home because of what he’s going through, or assume that it’s the “right thing to do” given the circumstances. Bitch please – give the poor man agency over his own life, and don’t be so arrogant so as to assume you know what’s best for him.
“Are they trying to make sure that Ally wins?”
If so, it’s a fool’s errand – she’s been in the bottom two THREE times now; do they judges think she’s somehow gonna miraculously rally the votes to take home the MBT next week??? ‘Cause I sure don’t. If the viewers weren’t voting for her by now, they’re not gonna vote for her next week – especially now that she’s got the stink of being the one that the judges eliminated James for hanging over her head. Not her fault, but I’ll admit that I’m probably not going to be throwing any votes her way – she should have been gone by now. Additionally – WHAT DOES THE SHOW GAIN FROM ALLY WINNING? Are they trying to change the narrative to “screw the viewer votes, the judges know best!” Because that’s the only outcome I see from the unlikely event that Ally somehow manages to win. She’s part of a defunct girl group, she’s not got any huge projects in the pipeline…is she the tour celeb??? One of the celebs on this new, ill-conceived DWTS vacay??? Who knows. Bottom line: I don’t see any great benefit to the show or the network in the highly unlikely event Ally wins.
“Ally was clearly the better dancer, so it makes sense that James got eliminated!”
Delusion, thy name is Harmonizers. It could be argued that Ally’s a better all-around dancer than Lauren, possibly a better showman than Hannah, and perhaps a better technician than Kel – I even said last week that I think Ally’s probably the second-best dancer this season. But James had Ally beat on ALL FRONTS, and he was the only one I thought for sure that the judges would ditch Ally for. Sis’ two dances last night were okay-to-decent – but they weren’t James-level polished, and when you take into account the fact that James (even in his off-weeks) consistently was by and large better than everyone else this season, the decision to keep him should have been a no-brainer. Ally’s a great girl and a good dancer – but she ain’t the best. Overscored, sure. It’s not even subjective at this point – James was the better dancer, period.
Was this all just for drama?
Who knows – maybe. With the unmentionable one gone, did they somehow need to stir up drama in another way? If so, this was a dangerous (and possibly counter-intuitive) game to play – I feel James would have been someone that people specifically tuned in to watch in the finale, and now that he’s gone, I could see ratings taking a tumble. Are people talking about what happened Monday night? Sure. But will it translate to viewers? Doubtful.
All conspiracy theories aside, I’m honestly gutted for James – both for the tragedy he’s currently enduring on the home front, as well as his magical journey on DWTS coming to an abrupt and unexpected end. I was really looking forward to seeing a freestyle from him & Emma! I think he’s right up there with Hinch and Shad as one of the best male celebs without dance experience that we’ve had on the show – hell, he might be THE best male celeb without dance experience that we’ve had on the show. He’s also a class act that hasn’t said one bitter word since his elim (though I would not shame him if he did), and has been nothing but gracious and supportive of the remaining finalists. To Ally’s credit, she also tearfully begged James to take her spot in the finals – she saw the writing on the wall (that James was the better dancer with the better track record) and also felt terrible that he got eliminated in a week where he had already endured so much sorrow. So to make my stance clear: what happened sucked, but I don’t blame anyone but the judges – it was their low-balling and just mind-boggling decision-making that caused James’ elimination, NOT Ally. So sending her (or any of the other remaining contestants) bad energy or abuse? Not a good look – I would hope our readers here are smarter and more emotionally intelligent than that 😉
4th place: Ally & Sasha
It is what it is – I just don’t see Ally getting the votes to do any better than 4th place next week, after three-peat appearances in the bottom two despite some hefty overscoring from the judges. For real – she could get 60/60 on her two dances on Monday, and I still don’t see her doing better than 4th place. This is the problem you end up with when you repeatedly save someone that viewers clearly aren’t voting for: a high-scoring (but overscored) finalist that can’t get past lesser dancers with lower scores, and there’s not really anything you can realistically do about it without upsetting the apple cart. Her two dances this week were good but not great (and certainly not perfect); she was better out-of-hold than in-hold in her Viennese waltz, which is a problem when you consider that at least 75% of that dance should be done in-hold. She also seemed to be doing something shuffle-y with her feet – it was hard to see the characteristic “back-side-together, back-side-cross” footwork characteristic of the Viennese waltz. As for her Charleston…oof. That was one dance that was simply trying wayyyy too hard…and got pretty sloppy as a result, so I was gobsmacked when the judges started raving about how “in sync” and “clean” it was. Sasha should have probably sat Lindsay down and picked her brain to help him choreograph a good Charleston, cause she’s the only one on this show that seems to be able to consistently deliver really solid ones (Jordan & Lindsay’s 2nd Charleston is my gold standard for a good meat-and-potatoes Charleston that isn’t trying too hard). Sasha could have probably replaced half of the more flashy tricks and lifts with basic steps and ended up with a much more technically sound routine. But all things considered, Ally has had a nice journey this season – she has showed improvement, and aside from all the bottom 2 appearances, she’s been a pleasant, unproblematic contestant this season. I wish her the best in the future.
3rd: Lauren & Gleb
Honestly, I think Lauren’s spot in the finals should have gone to James – and had the judges scored James fairly on Monday night, it would probably have been Lauren in the bottom two with Ally and Lauren probably would have been sent packing. She’s the weakest dancer left, with a pro that doesn’t really seem to care about the quality of choreography he gives her. She’s doing the best she can – I just don’t think she’s getting adequate support and tutelage from Gleb 🙁 Seeing her in the finale pains me for two reasons, then – the fact that it should have been James in it and not her, and a pro that does pretty much whatever the heck he wants (judges be damned!) and puts in the bare minimum effort gets a free pass to the finale. Her two dances on Monday were decent but didn’t really wow me – paso was maybe a slightly improvement on her first one, but I still saw a few movements in hold that looked awkward, and Gleb’s choreo was as uninspired as ever and made unnecessarily heavy use of extra dancers. It was overscored relative to other couples (particularly James) and is unlikely to be a dance I really remember. Ditto for her Viennese waltz – just ok for me, not terribly memorable except for Gleb’s oddly-printed suited (what was that supposed to be – technicolor cow print?). On that note, though, one thing I did like: Lauren’s two costumes this week. I loved her black paso costume with the thigh-high stockings, and the pink confection they had her in for her waltz was giving me Tammy Wynette/Patsy Cline/Grand Ol’ Opry vibes. So I know that there has been some concern about Lauren winning the whole thing, owing to her ties to Bones and his promotion of her on his radio show; and while I feel less confident about my hunches this season than I ever have before when watching this show (I mean, the judges sent home the best dancer this season without batting an eye – I daresay that’s something none of us saw coming!), I tend to think that Lauren isn’t gonna win this whole thing. Here’s why: she’s already fallen into the bottom two once before, and the judges seem to score her more realistically than, say, Ally. Everyone left with the exception of Hannah has fallen into the bottom 2 at some point – and I tend to think that’s because there’s so few votes being cast total (so every vote is important), so if the judges lowball someone relative to everyone else, the odds are good that they’re going to topple into the bottom 2. I’m also not banking on Gleb pulling anything super-duper amazing out of his hat for the finale, choreo-wise (unless he opts to hire an outside choreographer – to my knowledge, the only time he’s done that was for Kenzie & Sage’s freestyle on Juniors…which was still underwhelming). All this considered, even if Bones manages to rally his lemmings to power vote for Lauren (I doubt they’re going to be as invested in her as they were in him), I just don’t see her doing much better than third, MAYBE an outside chance of 2nd place. And just to clarify (since I’ve apparently been reduced to explaining nuance to some less-emotionally-intelligent folks on Twitter these days) – I don’t hate Lauren. I just think she’s the weakest dancer left, probably owing to a less-than-competent pro. She seems like a laid back girl that has just been enjoying the journey, which I appreciate; I just think she would have done better with basically any other male pro they could’ve given her. It is what it is…
2nd: Kel & Witney
If there ever was an example of picking the right time to peak on this show, it’s Kel – as I’ve mentioned in previous weeks, he’s just been getting better and better as the weeks have worn on, just quietly and steadily improving and managing to stay out of any drama. Even Witney seems to be peaking at the right time – while many of us seemed worried about a lack of chemistry between the two earlier in the season (and some ho-hum choreo from Witney), it seems like they’ve hit a nice stride these past few weeks – it seemed to start with Kel’s quickstep, improve with his jive, and really hit a high note with his contemporary this week. I think the appeal for me in that dance was largely in its sincerity – rather than being one of the frantic, overwrought contemporary routines we’ve become accustomed to on the show over the years, this felt more like a calm, wistful “I miss you” to Kel’s departed childhood friend. Loved that Witney seemed to be paying a bit of an homage to this routine she did seemingly forever ago on SYTYCD; this routine seemed to be as meaningful for her as it was for Kel. And Kel impressed the hell outta me with some of those lifts and extensions he was pulling off! Tango was a great improvement for him, too – much cleaner and more confident than the first go-round in week 1, and I liked that Witney seemed to go for more of an Argentine-flavored one than sticking strictly to standard tango steps. I’m kinda gutted that we saw so few Argentine tangos this season 🙁 So where does that leave Kel in the grand scheme of the finale? I’m thinking Witney is going to deliver probably the strongest freestyle, choreo-wise, of all the remaining pros; I also think his late-in-the-game peak is likely to serve him well with the judges, who seem to be valuing growth this season (at least that’s what I gathered from Carrie Ann’s bullshit explanation of why she picked Ally over James – she also focused on how traumatic the whole thing was for her…wow). I think he’s experienced a nice ground swell of votes with the fans, too, as he has yet to topple back into the bottom 2 since his rogue appearance there back in week 3. I would have zero qualms with him winning and would love to be pleasantly surprised if he can pull it off 🙂 However, I think he’s probably going to get bested by someone that has yet to fall into the bottom 2. But man – he’s really had a nice journey this season, and should be proud of the progress he’s made! He’s the only finalist left that I feel strongly positive about, as opposed to my being indifferent or negative about the rest.
WINNER: Hannah & Alan
I’ll admit, Hannah hasn’t really lived up to the standards I had for her when the season started – ability-wise, I think we all expected her to be better than she has been; but personality-wise, I think we all kinda expected her to…I don’t know, be having more fun? Enjoying this experience more? I think that’s what’s made me feel more lukewarm about her than anything else: I don’t really feel like she’s been having fun this season, which I probably why her breakdown over Carrie Ann’s comments to her just rubbed me the wrong way. Now a significant number of you have tweeted me to defend her, either citing personal tragedy that she chose not to mention on the show or the fact that you think the powers that be were pressuring her into a showmance with Alan and have been punishing her for not cooperating or that she’s still healing from her Bachelorette heartbreak – I get it, everyone’s dealing with sh*t behind the scenes that we might not always see. But her fixating on Carrie Ann’s really-not-so-bad critiques? Still just felt a tad frivolous to me, especially given that Carrie Ann seems to talk out of her ass on a fairly regular basis and we all just kind of shake our heads and mutter “Sure, Jan” whenever she gets on one. Had Hannah shown us more vulnerability during the season and chosen to share more of the things that were maybe contributing to her angst, I might have warmed up to her a bit more; but as it stands right now, I just feel “meh” about her and her dancing. Her dances this week were…decent; her rumba was a slight improvement on her previous one, although I thought her hip action was far better in the rehearsal package than during the actual performance; I liked the lifts in her contemporary number, but was overall not as moved by it as I was by Kel’s contemporary. I’m thinking Alan could be partially to blame, as it seems like he’s still trying to find his footing as a choreographer; the technique is there, but I don’t often find a lot of emotional connection to the routines we see from him. Anywho – owing to the Bachelor nation and the fact that Hannah’s been the only contestant that hasn’t fallen into the bottom 2 (and still been scored realistically – sometimes underscored), I think we’ll likely see her hoisting the trophy come Monday night. Which…is okay, I guess. It’s better than another Bones winning, and she’s a better dancer than Lauren and more popular than Ally; I still prefer Kel, but I guess if he can’t win, then I’d rather have it be Hannah than either of the other two. Man, I hate that I’m so blase about this show at this point, but this season has just exhausted me with its shenanigans 🙁
So that’s my final hot take…do you agree? And do you think this is the last power ranking I’ll ever write, owing to the poor performance of the show this season contributing to its possible cancellation?
I really do pray for new judges because at this point they are just ruining the show and so many problems are steaming for the scoring.
Given how harsh they were in the beginning with scores I am kinda shock they just hand out 10s to Ally like that.
Personally I would do a 4 judging panel. My dream panel would be
– Debbie Allen (she’s part of the ABC family)
– A new head judge from one of the international one (good to go with a unknown, qualified ballroom)
– Maybe a likeable pro (Like Kym?)
– They can keep Bruno I guess (the least problematic of the 3)
I was enjoying James the most this season and pulling for him and Emma to win, but now that’s not gonna happen because of the judges. Suppose I agree Hannah is the most likely to win of all the contestants left, but I do think Lauren has a chance despite being the weakest dancer remaining. If the judges don’t provide a large enough gap in the scores (I mean her and Hannah got the same scores which didn’t seem right), Lauren could possibly win due to support of Bobby Bones and country stars. Did folks see all the country stars come out Monday night on SM asking for votes for Lauren? Carrie Underwood tweeted for her, Luke Bryan posted, Little Big Town, many did…
I think you are right. I do think its a toss up for 2nd tho between Lauren & Kel but I think Kel is the better dancer and should be 1 or 2 at the very minimum. I enjoy watching him.
What I want MOST out of the finals is for the judges to FINALLY START judging fairly when each contestant and not play favorites (over-score some, underscore some). If they want to over-score, then over-score everyone equally, if they want to underscore, than underscore everyone equally. I am looking at you CARRIE ANN & LEN! If they can do that, I will be impressed but I am not holding my breath.
I agree with the rankings. Although I have some hope that Kel will manage to take it all, especially if Witney pulls out a great Freestyle.
As for Hannah winning, she’s definitely not a bad dancer but she has also not had any WOW dances. Also, I agree that CAI comments have not been that terrible. Most of the time I have agreed that she needed more strength and confidence (and less cheerleader face) in order to make an impact. She reminded me to Melissa Richoft (don’t know the correct spelling) in that she was not a bad dancer but her dances were extremely uninteresting and bland. Also I didn’t like in her package when she did even want CAI to touch her. I can imagine that every contestant in every season has has difficulties and personal/emotional problems, but most of the time the show helps the contestants grow. That’s why (I believe) for so many contestants they call it therapeutic. She, on the other hand does not seem to be embracing the experience to the point where she can have fun an grow from it. And we all know that the journey on this show is as important (or more) than the actual dancing. Because of this, I don’t really care for her I would prefer Kel to win.
I also agree that Lauren’s problem might be Gleb. I believe she could have had many more memorable dances and improved much more int technique had she gotten a better pro. She has potential but Gleb hasn’t managed to turn that into greatness. Still, not mad she’s still here.
Finally, about Ally, I have commented here before that I like how she has actually grown and Sasha seems to really be helping her improve every week (unlike Gleb). I don’t know nor understand why she is not getting the votes. Regardless, James was a better dancer, had a more consistent season and had never been in the botton before. It really is a loss for us and the show to not have him. The judges have always had their crazy days but this really was inexplicable to me.
I wouldn’t want Bobby Bones thinking he has so much power over the show if Lauren wins. I’m tempted to max out my votes for the other three to ensure it doesn’t happen.
I wish the show would have James perform an encore routine like Juan Pablo did in last year’s finale.
I really thought that if anyone would be safe against Ally it would be James. I think the judges just faced the consequences of their own overscoring. If they had scored Ally fairly, it would have been James safe. But giving her perfect scores when she didnt deserve it made it seem like she was the better dancer when she wasnt. But yeah, there is now way she is winning unless Lauren, hannah and Kel are severly underscored. My theory is that she is the tour celeb but who knows. I think people who enjoy her growth more if it didnt seem like she was the judges favourite and getting passes on things that other couples are getting points deducted for.
Lauren I kinda like her but her routines aren’t that great, I only enjoyed her AT even though I think it was overscored. That’s probably Gleb’s fault though, hopefully he does get an outside choreographer for their freestyle. But yeah she may have the only one that can spoil a hannah win with her country music support.
Kel is the one I hope wins and he has gained a lot of supporters this season. Witney out of the four pros has been in the most finales and could do a great freestyle. I pray she doesn’t mess it up. I think they’re doing Kriss Kross Jump and witney is probably the most experienced pro in Hip hop so it’ll be good. Plus, her and kel have great musicality. I dont think they’ll win but will deliver a great freestyle. I was scared for their contemporary because they havent shown great chemistry but it was beautiful and delivered a strong message. He is not the greatest technician but he got the moves.
With Hannah. I dont know. Sometimes I like and root for her other times not so much. I liked her rumba and her contemporary was great she did the steps and all but the girl has got to work on her face. It always looks like she’s just going through the motions and not feeling the dance. Also, I’ve read else where she’s not easy to work with but I think that maybe because she came off a show that revolved around her to dwts where decisions are made majorly by production and the pro. I would be surprised if her or lauren dont win. But note to the TPTB, please no bachelor people next season. Those fans are a little obsessed with their ‘stars’. But then again they are probably bringing in the views. Can someone also explain why the bachelor franchise is so popular? I’ve only seen a couple of clips and it doesn’t look that great.
Also a little off topic here. I know a couple of the female pros are thinking of leaving soon to start families and all so is there a way we can reccomend a pro? Lol I would LOVE to have Oti Mabuse from strictly who is also Keo’s old comp partner in the show. The only person I watch on strictly is her and she is a GREAT teacher and choreographer. I think she is one of the few that could really shine on the american version and could get a decent samba out of anyone. Could also add some diversity to their female line up.
Agree with your rankings 100%. But I’m holding onto a small thread of hope that Kel can oust Hannah and win the mirror ball. That’s pretty much all I have to say on the matter. James was robbed I never worried about him making the finale and I still can’t believe he didn’t. The judges are crazy. Here’s hoping for the results we want but expecting the results we don’t.
I had pretty much written off this season after last season and wasn’t going to watch until James got cast. I really enjoyed his dancing! I just feel like the judges are hell bent on a female winner this season for some reason. Sadly the only female that I was voting for was Kate, so I am voting for Kel and hope that he’ll pull off a miracle.
I do feel bad for Ally that she’s getting so much hate for something that really isn’t her fault and I do like that she sincerely felt bad. However I don’t like that the judges are blatantly favoring her and does give me a negative feeling about her being on the show still. As you have been annoyed about in the past my favorite celeb is Lauren and I am pretty happy she is in the finals but I don’t think she’ll win unless the country vote is strong than I think. Have to say I would not be mad if she does win. Kel has improved the most and I would love for witney to get the Mirror ball she was robbed last season. I agree I think Hannah will win because she hasn’t been in the bottom, however I will say there are a lot of salty feelings about her on social media. If I were to guess placements based on the social media reactions I would say 4)Ally 3) Hannah 2)Lauren 1) Kel. I know that doesn’t mean much but it’s worth thinking about.
I would love nothing more than to see Kel take the mirror ball. However, I am leaning towards an Ally win. I don’t know how she’ll pull it off, because she clearly can’t keep herself out of the bottom 2 even with a perfect score, but I feel the show is just trying to make her happen. Since they saved her over James, they may figure it’ll justify that decision if she wins. If she isn’t lagging terribly in the fan votes, maybe they can score her just enough to make up the difference. I think it could be she’s going on tour (and probably doing the Caribbean getaway, which I won’t be surprised to hear gets cancelled due to low turn out), and they want a female winner. I already know she’s going to get a 10 for her freestyle. I don’t know what her other dance will be, but I’m sure she’ll get overscored and over praised again no matter what. While not a Bones level controversy if she wins, I believe a win by her will still be controversial.
As Hannah is the only one left not to be in the bottom 2, she seems the most likely to win. Somehow I’ve been thinking though that Hannah may end up finishing in a surprising third place. Lauren really got screwed in the partner department. I believe she would have done so much better with someone that could have given her better, challenging choreography because she isn’t a bad dancer. She just never had a chance to prove herself or to show any sort of improvement. I’m thinking Ally might pull it off, depending on whether she can make up the fan vote with the judges score. If not her, then Hannah. I’m hoping for Kel.
@Princess Heidi, I also agree with your thoughts on James. I especially don’t think the judges would have dragged him in the first dance if they knew he was going home, and Emma was clearly upset by the criticism.
Yeah its seems pretty clear that TBD and the judges are not rooting for a Hannah win. I can totally see them tanking her scores like the did for James (I totally think both Hannah’s and James’s second dances where 10 worthy if Aly got 3 of them and Lauren got 9s) to try to get her not to win for god knows what reason is happening behind the scenes.
I can see Lauren coming out on top due to the country factor , which would make me mad. I would like to see Kel win or Hannah win (moreso for Alan then her).
I’m voting for Hannah 100%, mainly because I follow her on social media and appreciate her willingness to own her shit and call her self a hot mess. If others followed her they would likely have a very different opinion of her. Very unlike most of the fake people on The Bachelor/ette. I’ve always liked her. And I hate-watch that series because it’s so ridiculous – I think that’s why sane people like myself like the show. Trainwreck potential every single week. There are many, MANY batshit crazy people who get way too invested in that show, however, and absolutely believe that everyone goes on it “to find love.” I would say one in five go on for that reason.
Regarding some other comments here – Ivy, have you REALLY “heard” that some pros are leaving to start families or do you just “expect” them to because they are of that age?? Because I follow them on social and I’ve not seen anything. The only pro who I’ve heard say they want babies is a former one – Derek.
Ivy again – Hannah is hard to work with?? Source?? I hate that shit that gets put on women all the time and most of the time it’s social media BS. Save it.
As for not liking her package because she didn’t want CAI to touch her?? Come on – tell me seriously that you would be fine with CAI making bank by faux hugging you for the cameras. After she expresses shock that good dancers were being eliminated all the while giving SS far better scores than he should have been getting. That woman tries to have it all ways. Doesn’t want to own her part in the problems, blocking everyone who complains and so on. She probably blames the voters for putting James in the bottom two when those judges gave him three 8s for his first dance and put him well below the other competitors. She’s just….ugh. And she has been since the beginning.
Kara, you state “they want a female winner” with such confidence. I don’t think that is for certain at all. I don’t think they care about gender. I think they absolutely have a preference, but why would gender play an exclusive role in that?
Lauren doesn’t get extra points just because she got screwed in the partner department. I would be surprised if she won and shocked if Ally actually wins. Unless they overscore the crap out of her and low ball everyone else. Sadly, everything hinges on the judges. That didn’t used to be true, but it sure is these days. I think it’s going to be either Hannah or Kel – but I wouldn’t be devastated if any one of the four won. I don’t want Gleb to get a MBT for his shit choreo though.
Heh, responded to other commenters but never answered Courtney’s question.
I don’t think this is the last power ranking you’ll write, although perhaps it should be. Not because of you, obviously, but because the producers and judges seem determined to put themselves out of work. Casting helped that along a great deal this season. People claim all the time – including here, on this post – that so and so is getting a lot of hate on twitter (Hannah, Ally) without acknowledging that Twitter is NOT a reflection of the population as a whole or even the demographic that watches this show. That said – casting S___ S____ was a SERIOUS miscalculation. Serious. People say shit all the time about “I’m never watching again!!!” and yet they still come back and watch the following season. I’m not so sure many will be so blase about the casting of S____. People were PISSED. DWTS was a topic on many political shows I watch – and not in a good way. So, I don’t think it will be cancelled – but possibly only because ABC has got nothing to put on in it’s place.
Hannah will win she has the bachelor nation backing her plus she has that “southern belle girl next door” vibe
I really wish that finale results should be judged purely on judges marks,not the fan voting. At the end of the day it is a DANCE competition.
And the judges did SUCH a great job this past week, David.
I think if there is a next season for the show that there should be a shakeup in the judging panel. The beginning of the season showed promise, but it quickly deteriorated in regards to the judges’ scores. Letting the judges determine who should stay and who should go home worked some of the time, especially when Lindsay’s partner finally got in the bottom two. The rest of the time, it didn’t work, especially this past Monday night with what happened to James. If the old elimination system was in place, it probably would have been Ally getting eliminated.
I feel that the final two will be Hannah and Kel. I won’t have a problem with any of the final four winning, but I would give the edge to Hannah. She has a fan base thanks to Bachelor Nation. She’s a good dancer. She’s likeable. She’s had to put up with a lot over the last few months, not only with how The Bachelorette ended, but with how she’s been evaluated and scored by the judges for her dancing. Winning the MBT would be good for her.
I’m not really sure what it is with Alan during the adult seasons because his choreo was so on point for Sky during the junior season… maybe it’s harder because he’s doing the dances himself? Either way I appreciate him trying… I still think my favorite dances have come from him and Hannah this season- their Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, and Tango have all been great
@Princess Heidi, they haven’t had a female winner since season 23, and I felt the deck was stacked against the men this season. With the exception of Christie and Mary, you had Ally, Lauren, and Hannah (and then throw Sailor in), you had 4 young 20-somethings who had clearly had some dance ability going against Ray, Sean, James, Kel, and Lamar. I really don’t think they expected Kel or James to do as well as they did. This season just kind of gave me flashbacks to S5, where again I thought the deck was stacked against the men.
I’m not sure whether to give my votes to Hannah, who I think has the best chance of winning, or Kel, who I want to win.
If there is a next season, I saw get rid of the judges save because it really didn’t accomplish what it was meant to do. And this week was just a disaster. Maybe a judges save, like American Idol, where they can save a contestant after their eliminated. But that’s as far as I’d go. However, I’m resigned that the save will be back. Maybe the judges need to say up front what their reasoning is for saving people, because I think they just make that up as they go along.
I have just rewatched all their dances and I would love for Ally to win. I think she and Sasha have the best partnership and the best dances (again, my opinion). My pick to win was James but unfortunately he is gone so I think it will be Hannah. Which sucks because there is something I don’t like about her. You are right that she doesn’t seem to enjoy the experience like the others. Rooting for Kel I guess. Lauren is a nice gal but the worst dancer and Gleb doesn’t deserve to win.
Brilliantly Insightful post, bang on. It is not fair that our voting is just not listened to. They switch from one extreme to the other. #thisisnotok
Kara, you should vote for the person you want to win and don’t worry about what the producers want. If you want Kel to win, you best vote for him!
1st of all people need to stop dissing Ally!!!! She IS
First of all, Elsie, you need to learn how to read – no one is dissing Ally. That’s all in your head.
Second of all, proofread before you hit “send”
Quote directly from James’s Instagram page “if you’re going to dance Cha Cha Cha with a broken heart, do it in a sequin shirt”
Producers and Judges hang your heads in shame
Honestly I feel like its either going to end up like you have it ranked or this:
4:Ally
3:Lauren
2:Hannah
1:Kel
I personally think that Hannah should win the trophy. Hannah is the better dancer and she has come a long, long way. Her dancing and story is for real. It was more unique and the inner feelings really came out in the dance. Kel is good.
I really thought James was going to win if he made the finals, cause I thought he was the best dancer left with a sizable fanbase. At this point I think Hannah will win, which sucks because she’s not that great of a dancer nor have Alan’s choreography been that great.
I think based on improvement,overall judges marks, choreo- my pick
for MBT is 4- Lauren, 3- Kel, first and second Hannah or Ally.
First of all, thanks Courtney for such a wonderful, well thought out write up! I enjoy your recaps so much!
After the debacle of Bones winning last season, I though we reached a low point on this show. Fast forward to this past Monday and what I witnessed is pretty darn close to the Bones win disappointment. It infuriates me to no end that James was shown the door. But I won’t keep beating a dead horse.
I am on Team Kel from here on out. I have been thoroughly enjoying him these past few weeks and I would be tickled pink if he can pull off an upset. As a side note – I just love his sweet smile and personality.
Unfortunately, I do not think he’ll win and I think Hannah will come out on top.
This is what I WISH would happen:
1.) Kel
2.) Ally
3.) Hannah
4.) Lauren
As for what I THINK will happen – I agree completely with you Courtney.
Anyway – yes, I’m anxious to see what happens on Monday but I am disappointed at how things turned out…
My head is spinning about all of this, trying to get in the heads of why we have the 4 that’s left. I personally don’t care for Hannah (or Alan for that matter), so I’m hoping it’s not them. I love Sasha but Ally leaves me blah. I think Lauren is sweet but Gleb is one note. So I’m going with Kel & Wit. I have said before that I think the male pros on this show are sorely lacking in creativity, so imop the lady pros deserve to continue winning. Kel has a lot of personality and will be a great addition to the tour. James would have been a big draw (and might partake at a few stops). If tptb are manipulating this show they need to strategize better because it feels like amature hour(s).
Thank you for your power rankings. I always enjoy reading them. I have to say that this season has probably been my least favorite of DWTS. I loved Kate and James. Pasha was a bright spot. However, the rest has just felt off this year. The politics, the scoring, the judges save, no Sharna , no Artem, and other little things. It just adds up. I will watch the finale. I am rooting for Kel.
I am voting for Hannah. I don’t blame her for the attitude towards Carrie Ann who has always been her hardest critic among the judges. She apologized publicly and I honestly believe Hannah had a bad day when Carrie Ann came in. Hannah is a hot mess but I love how she owns it. Also, her and Alan’s partnership is so sweet. I like how neither of them have caved to the showmance and are not using that for votes.
Kel and Witney winning would make me smile too. Witney should have won last season. Anyways, they have been so much fun to watch. Great partnership; peaking at the right time. I also love how Kel takes the judges critiques and never gets upset.
Ally shouldn’t win because she’s been overscored And in the bottom 2 so many times. She’s okay but I find myself not cheering for her because of the judges pushing for her so hard.
Lauren is nice but I am not a fan of Gleb. Her dancing is okay but she is the weakest of the 4 left. I blame Gleb’s choreography and she looks the least confident of the remaining 4 on the dance floor.
Funny thing about this finale is, of all the pros left, Sasha is the only one I care for. And his partner is who I like the least. Kel is my #1, but I’d be okay with Hannah or even Lauren winning. In Ally’s case, I just don’t want the show’s narrative to win. I’m not on board with trying to make someone happen, and given them perfect scores to try and justify it, while America is telling you something else. One time in the bottom 2? Fine, Kel and Lauren have been there. Three times? America clearly isn’t into her, for whatever reason. After saving her over James, I expect high scores and praise for her again to further their feelings that they were in the right. Bruno’s comment about basing it on the season still bugs me. I think a win by Ally would be controversial, although not on the level of a Bones win. But it’s probably the last thing the show needs.
Assuming this show survives to season 29, I’m curious if they will make any changes yet again.
Oh Court, I sincerely hope this isn’t your last Power Rankings. It’s sad to think on the real possibility of this show getting cancelled. 🙁
Anyway, I think you are dead on how this show will play out tonight and I hope Hannah or Kel win.