I actually kinda thought that's how things might turn out this week. There were just no downright awful dances, nobody who looked awkward, no one who came apart along the way. They had me worried when Mitchell and Robert "re-danced"; I thought Robert was a goner there for a minute, because his routine--as compared to, say, Tadd's--was a little bland, but he so clearly has broad fan support (including that of guest judge Megan Mulally) that I think they decided not to overstep their bounds.
I could make a case that either Miranda or Clarice could have gone, and the same for Mitchell and Robert, but really, I think this outcome was fair under the circumstances. As I said in my (very FIRST!) Tweet, there were just too many "ringer" dances this week - Jess getting Broadway, Iveta getting Ballroom - that we need to see more people besides the B-boys out of their element before we can fairly send anyone home.
Good call, Judges. Of course, I don't envy you next week...
While I agree that I like seeing another week of all the dancers to see what they can do outside their comfort genre, I'm feeling a little pissed. The judges once again negate all the votes that people took the time and emotional investment to make. If they were going to save all 20 then just have no voting for the 1st week. There's no need for the extra drama. Why vote if the judges make calls like these? Kinda annoying, like the "save" on AI. But oh I sooo wanted Robert and Miranda to go!!!
ReplyDeleteYou were definitely not alone on this. The Twitterverse is absolutely overflowing with scathing criticism for the judges (at least, per some of the messages Nigel was brave enough to retweet). Many viewers felt the same way - why bother voting if the judges are going to negate it? A valid point. For me though, I felt like Jordan and Tadd were unfairly stuck there as a result of having gone first - no fault of their own, and I don't think even remotely reflecting their actual popularity (time will tell whether that bears out or not). Mitchell was there due to injury--fair, perhaps, but we never even got to see him dance! I suspect Jess was there because Clarice was there, but then again, his personality is bound to rub some folks the wrong way (Robert from last season, anyone?). Robert and Miranda were the only arguable "couple" that belonged there on dance, and clearly, Robert has fandom in his favor as far as the studio audience was concerned. So the question is: does the system work, if you let it? I don't know. It *is* about America's FAVORITE dancer, not the BEST dancer, so is it the poor routine or the order in the lineup or their personality that got them in the bottom 3? And if the judges can't answer that, how are they to choose who to send home, when on dance alone--what they're actually supposed to be judging on, for their part--nobody really stank. And what if we're wrong, as voters? I mean, we had Season 7 Robert in the bottom 3 almost every week, and yet we voted him #3 over all, because by then, we liked him after all. Sometimes we fans don't necessarily know best, any more than the judges do. They're there to save us from ourselves, and we're there to tell them when we just don't care what they think.
ReplyDeleteBetting we won't see the No-Go again this season, but I wouldn't be surprised if next season we see a first top 20 show that says up front that no one will go home in that week, until we get a chance to see what we're actually voting on.