Those of you who have watched the show religiously since the beginning were no doubt screaming at your television sets last night to hear Nigel announce that the Judges had decided NOT to decide who to send home. All three "bottom" vote-getters (well, two bottom vote-getters, plus a sort-of injured Billy) were passed through to next week without so much as a tongue-lashing. A gentle reminder to Robert and Jose to demonstrate growth, and a liability-protecting save for Billy for choosing not to risk further injury, and a few million voters are left saying, "Whaaa...???"
So here's my take on what happened last night, for right or wrong, but how I would've judged it if I'd been on that platform:
First of all, you don't praise Robert to high heaven immediately following his dances and then suddenly feel he neglected to demonstrate growth this week when the judgment day comes. It must've broadsided Robert, and while I'm not his biggest fan, I thought that was unfair, and worse, a blatant attempt to justify not letting Jose go.
Secondly, Jose has GOT to go, and the judges - and choreographers - need to stop protecting him just 'cause he has a sweet smile. I don't care how nice the kid is, he is not the same caliber dancer as the others, and it is now so painfully evident in his performances that the judges cannot expect to keep giving him a pass and then be surprised that everyone is up in arms about it. His shine has worn off, and even the voters thought he should be a candidate for leaving, so Judges: HE SHOULD'VE BEEN.
Now to Billy. Oh, Billy. I have been a Billy fan all along, but I have to say that I winced with each of the last two weeks that he found himself in the bottom 3 and then couldn't even begin to conceal his disappointment. His face registered absolute dejection, and his solos were, in turn, lackluster, I suspect because he was simply too bummed to summon the energy for more. That's a shame, of course, because he is exceptionally talented, and this show is, after all, a competition. It's hard not to take the voting personally, but I hated to see him do it nonetheless.
And then this week happened. Is he really injured? Should he have danced? Only Billy really knows. From where we sit in the TV audience, given his history and Nigel's explanation, it sure seemed more like he was afraid to dance than unable to do so. Lots of folks who posted to other fan pages seem to think he didn't want to be shown up doing the Step routine. Me? I am not sure the outcome would've been any different if he'd had a contemporary assignment. I think he would rather have been in the bottom automatically because of injury than risk the emotional zing of having been voted there. But whether or not I'm right, the judges' decision, I think, was actually the right one, and the one thing I agreed with - although I thought their explanation of it was a little backward.
Sure, Billy opted not to dance, even though the doctors said it was his choice, but that doesn't give him the same automatic discharge as Alex and Ashley, who were unable to dance. The reason is absolutely justifiable from the show's perspective: if they had sent Billy home for not dancing, the message to future dancers would've been that they should go ahead and risk further/worse injury or they'll be sent home. That's a huge responsibility for the show to accept, and I think they were right in considering the precedent when determining what to do with him. That said, I think he'll have to be absolutely stellar next week to not be sent home if he lands in the bottom 3 again.
But even if they kept Billy, that was no reason to also keep Jose. And for my part, I could even make a case for dismissing Robert, who I actually thought danced very well this week (and who didn't bug me nearly as much as usual): Robert has been in the bottom 3 a lot. The Judges don't understand this, because, like Jose, they love Robert. But what the judges fail to understand - and the reason I think having a "fan" judge each week has merit - is that there is something the VOTERS don't connect with, and since this is, after all, a competition to identify *AMERICA'S* favorite dancer - NOT the Judges' favorite - they should respect that. If they couldn't bring themselves to send Jose home, then they should've sent Robert. To say that the decision was just impossible, or to suggest that all were on par with each other and that choosing one would've been unfair, completely undermines the premise of the show and the credibility of the Judges. It's not the first time a tough choice was before them, but it was the first time they let their feelings for the dancers get the better of them, and I think that signals a dangerous turning point for the show.
What do you think?
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