11/26 DWTS Finale Part 1 Discussion **West Coast Spoilers**

[Fanny Mare]

Sorry for the double post.

Fanny, you know I luv ya, but I have to take issue with this comment.

Melissa's prior dance experience is cheerleading. I don't believe she has had any other dance training outside of cheerleading, has she? Shawn is a gynmast. A gymnast's floor routine is full of dancing. Just based on watching my daughter through the years who was a cheerleader, gymnast, and dancer, I'd say Melissa and Shawn have had very similar prior dance training. Then there's Kelly, the actress. Not all, but certainly a huge number of actors and actresses have some dance training in their bag of tricks. Voice training too, for some (ever seen Nashville? awesome). My point is that all of our finalists probably have had some prior dance training before DWTS.

Having said all that, this season I don't think any of that matters anyway. By virtue of being all-stars, all of this season's contestants have prior ballroom dancing experience. I think they all started this season on a level playing field. It's up to them to grow.

I thought someone had posted at one point, that she( melissa) was a ringer, given her dancing in the past. .

Ya know I luv ya as well, don't take issue with me , because I am okay with whoever wins

[PA Snow Bunny]

Derek blew it! (With the judges, at least.) Shawn warned him quietly when he told her his plan, but he didn't listen to her. Mind you, she should have put her foot down.

I seriously doubt Derek would have listed to anything Shawn had to say. They should have either did their Mambo, Banghra or revised their Quickstep. When I saw Shawn dressed in her QS attire I knew she was toast & Melissa will FINALLY get a mirror ball of her own.

I did appreciate Shawn's freestyle dance while maintaining her gymnastic skills & intergrating almost evry style of ballroom dance. That somersault from Dereck's shoulders...wow!

[PA Snow Bunny]

Am I the only one expecting a proposal to Kelly from Val tomorrow night?

You mean a fake one aka The Bachelor?

[Fanny Mare]

I did appreciate Shawn's freestyle dance while maintaining her gymnastic skills & intergrating almost every style of ballroom dance. That somersault from Derek's shoulders...wow!

They put in a little of everything they danced this season .It was WOW -that's why they got 30! I don't know how anyone could say they didn't' see any dancing. It was outstanding

Originally Posted by harleyswife

Am I the only one expecting a proposal to Kelly from Val tomorrow night?

ummmm, yes!

[PA Snow Bunny]

Sorry for the double post.

Fanny, you know I luv ya, but I have to take issue with this comment.

Melissa's prior dance experience is cheerleading. I don't believe she has had any other dance training outside of cheerleading, has she? Shawn is a gynmast. A gymnast's floor routine is full of dancing. Just based on watching my daughter through the years who was a cheerleader, gymnast, and dancer, I'd say Melissa and Shawn have had very similar prior dance training. Then there's Kelly, the actress. Not all, but certainly a huge number of actors and actresses have some dance training in their bag of tricks. Voice training too, for some (ever seen Nashville? awesome). My point is that all of our finalists probably have had some prior dance training before DWTS.

Having said all that, this season I don't think any of that matters anyway. By virtue of being all-stars, all of this season's contestants have prior ballroom dancing experience. I think they all started this season on a level playing field. It's up to them to grow.

Here I disagree with you. DCC have years of dance experience behind them. Those girls are constantly taking dance classes with Kitty Carter even while they are on the squad. She is a trained dance & I am fine with that. I am just sick of her being on reality tv so much but that is just me.

[Valancy]

All three ladies did so well last night. It was such a fun finale. Can't wait for tonight's show!

[Alexxxx]

Here I disagree with you. DCC have years of dance experience behind them. Those girls are constantly taking dance classes with Kitty Carter even while they are on the squad. She is a trained dance & I am fine with that. I am just sick of her being on reality tv so much but that is just me.

I hear ya, and I get your point about being sick of someone on reality TV. I feel that way about quite a few people.

One last post on the topic, and then I'm done. It's true that cheerleaders have to take dance classes. So do gymnasts. As a competitive gymnast, my daughter was required to take almost as much dance as gymnastics. You can be sure that Shawn, as a gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast, has had just as much, and probably much more dance training than Melissa. If we're going to make prior dance experience an issue, it should be an issue for both. It's not an issue to me for either young lady since they're competing in ballroom dance, and they've all had experience with that as well.

In the end we all vote for our favorites, whatever appeals to us the most. As it should be.

[Longhornfan]

Impressions from the finals --

Kelly and Val were really very good. Only one small bobble which should have kept her out the 10's category, but otherwise very good. I thought Val's violin playing and Kelly's ariel stunts were creative and original, so I wasn't sure why Len commented that it lacked originality, or creativity, or whatever he said. Overall, they did very well, but based on dancing alone, her season was not mirror-ball worthy in my estimation.

Shawn and Derek stayed with the status quo. Their repeat dance was all gymnastics. Their freestyle was all gymnastics. Whoopee, Shawn's a great gynmast. We already knew that. She didn't stretch herself to do something new and original at all, she just brought in the American Heroes as a distraction. I wasn't impressed. Their willfull disregard for the rules is insulting to the judges, to the show in general, and to all the other contestants that are following the rules. I know that when some viewers vote, they don't necessarily care about any of that, but as a viewer, I feel insulted as well. They aren't above it all, and it makes me dislike them.

Melissa and Tony had a perfect night, beyond the perfect scores. Their repeat dance was one that could be improved upon, and they did, earning a 30. Their freestyle was not only an opposite style and feeling from the repeat dance, showing Melissa's range in dancing ability, it was a style they had never done before. And they earned a 30. I'm not sure we've ever seen someone do a completely new dance in the finals, and do it perfectly. That alone is mirror-ball worthy in my book. Melissa is actually dancing, and continuing to push outside the comfort zone. I agreed with Len, too bad he didn't have an "11" paddle.

In the end, the combination of Shawn's and Derek's fanbases will be difficult to beat, but I still hope for a Melissa/Tony win. To me, they are the winning allstars. But who knows, Kelly's soap fans could still pull off an upset.

I was totally turned off by Shawn and Derek last night. They blatantly thumbed their noses at everyone else by saying that the rules don't apply to them. They don't think that they have to worry about following the rules like the others. To me it looks like Derek and Shawn truly feel like they have this one in the bag. I am so turned off by them, and if Shawn and Derek make it to the Final 2, I will be turning off the television. I plan on recording the finale anyway, since it is way too long in my opinion, and I can fast forward through the things that bore me. If someone other than them ends up winning, then I will watch it afterwards. Otherwise, it will be a very predictable finish, one that I could not disagree with more.

Sadly, my prediction is that Melissa & Tony will be eliminated at third place and will not make it to the finals. I think that if you combine the fanbases for both Derek and Shawn, that will carry them to winning yet another mirror ball trophy. I would love to be wrong about Melissa's and Tony's chances of winning this, but both Shawn and Kelly must each have a huge fanbase. But I would love to see an upset this year. One can always hope.

[Fanny Mare]

I hear ya, and I get your point about being sick of someone on reality TV. I feel that way about quite a few people.

One last post on the topic, and then I'm done. It's true that cheerleaders have to take dance classes. So do gymnasts. As a competitive gymnast, my daughter was required to take almost as much dance as gymnastics. You can be sure that Shawn, as a gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast, has had just as much, and probably much more dance training than Melissa. If we're going to make prior dance experience an issue, it should be an issue for both. It's not an issue to me for either young lady since they're competing in ballroom dance, and they've all had experience with that as well.

In the end we all vote for our favorites, whatever appeals to us the most. As it should be.

I agree. It doesn't matter what they do, or how they do it .If the couple happen to be our favourite - thats who you vote for

[march]

I wasn't crazy about any of the freestyles last night.
Kelly's was boring. Melissa's wasn't even ballroom. Shawn's at least had some ballroom, but too much gymnastics.
I know with the freestyle dances they can do what they want but it should be a requirement that there is ballroom dancing incorporated into it since that is what the show is supposed to be about. So called Stars dancing ballroom with pros.