10/27 Results Show Discussion **Spoilers**

[ladygreco]

I agree with you suebenjamin. Once Natalie was eliminated, I lost interest in this season. The rest of the dancers are all pretty average, with no one really standing out.

[karalott]

I really don't know what ABC is thinking this year.

First, the powers that be set Natalie, a dancer with a lot of potential, up for elimination last week. They put her first, gave her lousy music and a non-Paso Doble costume and gave her lower scores than most participants. Of course, the judges also blamed the audience for her elimination. It reminded me of Sabrina's way too early elimination a few seasons back. I found it interesting that Len gave Natalie the highest score of the 3 judges. Len is the only one of the 3 that knows ballroom. Natalie could have been and should have been a contender.

Second, this week they gave judges much more power than the audience. To begin with, the mambo scoring allowed the judges to overweight the scores for their favorites. This protected relatively unpopular contestants like Aaron by dramatically increasing their percentage of the total judging score. With the judges' scores being further apart than usual, the judges almost guaranteed that the bottom 3 would be composed solely of their 4 less favored contestants. Also the judges got to pick one of those contestants to eliminate.

When the judges so obviously have favorites, why should the audience watch? I've seen audience backlash on American Idol because of a resentment of obvious producer favoritism of a certain talented contestant.

Since we're talking about the two stooges and Len here, I couldn't agree more. I said before, I think this dance off isn't a bad idea, just a few seasons too late. If it's meant to avoid a Sabrina type situation they need the Sabrina person in the bottom 2 in the first place. This was planned before the season started, but it seems more like an attempt to just keep the producers favorites in that may not be doing well with the fan voting. I really believe Michael was kept more because they figure they can justify getting rid of him next week in the dance off. Louie may have had more fans voting more intensely to keep him in if they found out he was in danger this week. I actually question if the official low vote getter really is, or if it's just the way of the judges putting someone weaker in the dance off like Michael to keep their favorite in. I mean, I can believe Melissa had the lowest number of votes this week. But next week, I may wonder if Michael just happens to be in the dance off again against someone like Kelly or Aaron.

What kills me more is when the audience is obviously upset with the outcome, CA just rolls her eyes, throws her hands up, and says 'you should have voted'. I'd like to tell her she needs to keep her jaw off the floor when the little young male dancers are out there, remember this ballroom not her Fly Girl moves, and that she's the most lopsided one in her scoring that she can only criticize lifts that makes it seem like she's looking for actual dancing. I didn't really ever notice the bias and favoritism until season 6, but it's really gotten worse every season. And this season, if that competition mambo where Joanna gets a 10 for her head between Derek's legs, it seems like it's even more of a popularity contest with the judges. As I said in the episode thread last night, some of those couples should have just said to heck with it and sat out.

And the only couples I see with a real connection is Louis and Kelly and maybe Aaron and Karina. Everyone else seems so disconnected from their partners. None of them are really close like past seasons. It's very odd.

I'd add Donny/Kym to the list, though it's rare Kym doesn't get along with her partners. Something does seem odd this season. I don't really buy there's that much chemistry with Joanna/Derek like his past partners, but he does a good show. He's a pro, though. Mark looked ever the gracious loser tonight but I felt for Melissa at different points during this season because when they had a bad night, he looked like he wanted to be as far away from her as he could. Another reason I think casting his girlfriend would be a mistake. Lacey I think has been a bit of a brat to Mark for no real reason, and she just doesn't seem to have any interest. Every elimination week she has the same blank look on her face and always reacts in shock when they're announced safe. I'm wondering if she wants off. I had heard backstage that things aren't as friendly as normal. Many believe that has to do with the number of couples it started off with. Aaron seems like the most disliked contestant ever. Karina seems different now than when the season started, but maybe the Aaron backlash and the break up with Maks started taking its toll on her. On the plus side, Chuck seemed to bring out a new side to Anna T., just like Kelly has with Louis.

And I'm still going with the theory that they're going to set it up to look like a Donny win and he either finishes in second to someone that was the winner all along but comes as a shock (poor Kym if she finishes in 2nd again ) or he's a shocking pre-finale elimination.

[Miss_Griss]

I saw that one coming! lol It was her turn to be the bad guy.

I am just so disappointed in the outcome only because I had the feeling that the voting was skewed for lack of a better word, on the ABC site based on my and others experiences in voting for Louie last night. Strike that, in TRYING to vote for Louie.

Regardless, I am very glad that he was cast this season, for he and Chelsie made what I consider a very dull DWTS 9, enjoyable. All the best to him and his Olympic bid...and I hope to see Chelsie back next year!

The thing that really skewed it was that dance contest format last night. It made it so that there was something like a 14 point spread between the leaders and the bottom team. I think that's why they did that, so they could pad the scores and make sure that the people they consider the best dancers couldn't be out this week based on voting.

[MHcarrollton]

Basically the viewers should be angry. The show is supposed to be for us, and the producers have given the judges all the power. For what, do they raise the ratings? The show is supposed to be about us the fans enjoying the dancing, and now they are rigging it so that they can get rid of all the ones that bring smiles to most fans faces, and keeping the ones that they like. Joanna and Aaron are annoying, but it seems they are going to do everything in their power to keep these two around. I am starting to fade out a quarter way through the show now it is so predicatable.

I think eliminations like Sabrina make the show interesting. Plus I did not think that she was that enduring so dancing aside I did not enjoy her as much as others. I like the show having enjoyability as well as just dancing.

[MHcarrollton]

The thing that really skewed it was that dance contest format last night. It made it so that there was something like a 14 point spread between the leaders and the bottom team. I think that's why they did that, so they could pad the scores and make sure that the people they consider the best dancers couldn't be out this week based on voting.

Mathematically there was no real chance that Michael could have been safe unless he was number one in the fan voting. And no way that Joanna could have been eliminated. Even if she was last in the fan voting, her score was the highest the other way by miles. That dance off had no criteria at all, and if you watch the tape when Michael was eliminated Kelly and Joanna were just standing there, and Michael was dancing. It is truly stupid.

[Peacheater]

I think I've figured out what the producers should do to please the masses:

So next season lets hope for a bunch of fan favorite celebs who can't dance worth a crap but very entertaining in a 'Casper Milk-toast' way; have never been photographed in anything revealing (unless he is a hunk of a guy), have never been within a mile of the Playboy mansion, and definitely have never appeared on reality TV.

Then eliminate any pro who has won previously, but do not bring in any pro who has danced on another reality TV dance show.

Now everyone would be happy... Right?

(I'd be happy if they did this so I could recover three hours in my week)

[Tobi]

Why did Mark Ballas look so unhappy and disconnected. He didn't have anything to say in the interviews and was not looking at all like he wanted anything to do with his celeb. It was just very noticeable the difference in his behavior.

[MHcarrollton]

I think I've figured out what the producers should do to please the masses:

So next season lets hope for a bunch of fan favorite celebs who can't dance worth a crap but very entertaining in a 'Casper Milk-toast' way; have never been photographed in anything revealing (unless he is a hunk of a guy), have never been within a mile of the Playboy mansion, and definitely have never appeared on reality TV.

Then eliminate any pro who has won previously, but do not bring in any pro who has danced on another reality TV dance show.

Now everyone would be happy... Right?

(I'd be happy if they did this so I could recover three hours in my week)

This all sounds good except I like Lacey and Chelsie so we can use dancers from other shows anytime. I would love a show with all Tys, Chucks, and Louies anyday over all the Joannas and Myas you can find.

[albean99]

I actually don't mind the judges having more power than the audience if they use it fairly which is a big if. There have been a lot of examples of audience error over the seasons so the problem has been around for a long time. I do believe they had to change the way they calculated things after the first season because the judges were forced to give perfect scores to justify the soap actress the win they knew she was getting because of the votes. I'm not sure how it works now but the audience still has a lot of power. What makes it worse is when the judges are extra hard on someone good (like Natalie) who may not have the fanbase to keep them in. I don't mind low scores when warranted but sometimes they give too low for some and too high for others and it's hard to figure them out. I still have a couple of favorites in it but if they go, I'll probably go too. I haven't been watching much for a few seasons now other than last one because I liked Melissa and thought it would be between her and Gilles who I also liked. I think the biggest problem with the show is having it on twice a year. American Idol has managed to do pretty well by sticking to once and not diluting the audience interest.

[Rattus]

I think I've figured out what the producers should do to please the masses:

So next season lets hope for a bunch of fan favorite celebs who can't dance worth a crap but very entertaining in a 'Casper Milk-toast' way; have never been photographed in anything revealing (unless he is a hunk of a guy), have never been within a mile of the Playboy mansion, and definitely have never appeared on reality TV.

Then eliminate any pro who has won previously, but do not bring in any pro who has danced on another reality TV dance show.

Now everyone would be happy... Right?

(I'd be happy if they did this so I could recover three hours in my week)

Heh! That would give me back my week, also. But it would play in Peoria.