11/27 DWTS Finale Part 2 Discussion **West Coast Spoilers**

[PA Snow Bunny]

I've been wondering IF Melissa will be the next co-host. Didn't she do it once or twice in a previous season? OR am I confusing it with Entertainment Tonight?

I've to say... while I was quite happy that Tony finally won.... I was completely put off by his excitement.. leaving Melissa and running around celebrating without her. Come on now... she IS mostly the reason WHY they won. I know that Tony made up the dances but Melissa performed them really well.

I think Tony had alot to do with it. While not as big as Maks Tony has a huge fanbase as does Derek.

At the end of the day whoever won this show doesn't really affect my life in anyway.

[I'm here]

Doesn't Brooke have Thyroid Cancer? My sister-in-law just had surgery for that... and the process went quite well with only a day or two of down time. Right after the surgery her voice sounded strange. Almost like she had a sore throat. But... a few weeks later she was back talking normal.

Hope the same for Brooke.

[I'm here]

I think Tony had alot to do with it. While not as big as Maks Tony has a huge fanbase as does Derek.

At the end of the day whoever won this show doesn't really affect my life in anyway.

Of course Tony had a lot to do with the win... as he made up the dances. I just didn't like how he celebrated without Melissa. It was almost as if he forgot she was part of the win.

Having said that... I am still happy he won. I've been wanting that for him... as he is one of my favorite dancers. It was a long time coming... and one could tell he was beyond thrilled that he finally won.

Sure and you're right in saying that... DWTS shouldn't affect any viewers life... in any way. Though during the season reading some of the viewers comments... one would think it did affect a person's life. Some posters really got heated when a dancer didn't get voted off OR if their favorite got voted off.

[Fanny Mare]

Of course Tony had a lot to do with the win... as he made up the dances. I just didn't like how he celebrated without Melissa. It was almost as if he forgot she was part of the win.

Yes, I saw that. Mark gets called out for that - I called Tony out. I do think there is very strong bond with all the pros. I guess when someone is excited, and overdue for a win. they go to those that have supported them for years( years) Melissa seemed fine when DEREK picked her up

Oh well season is over, I don't stop watching when a fave has been voted out - but if they keep doing this stupid theme thing and pick a dance , I am out

[JavaJo]

But now Brooke is ill, I was wondering if she took time off, if indeed Melissa would replace her. I think so

My sister had thyroid cancer and they removed the her whole thyroid. The surgery is pretty easy and the recovery isn't that bad. She was back on her feet in no time at all. The only struggle she's had has been getting her thyroid medication adjusted and she's always had trouble with that. I imagine by the time the show resumes, she'll be fully recovered and you won't even know she went through anything to look at her except for the scar. Not to make it sound like it's no big deal, but if it's caught early enough, it really isn't when compared to other cancers and treatment.

[nanarama]

Okay, I rewatched the results several times (it's up on ABC, if anyone wants to see it) and this is what happened. Tom announces the winners. T and M hug. T runs to hug someone (Tom?) as the camera goes to backstage where the other contestants are cheering and jumping up and down. Back to T and M. T picks up M and swings her around. M then goes to hug Tom, Shawn and then Derek. The rest of the cast is coming on stage and starts hugging and congratulating. As M is hugging Derek, Val and Maks pick up T in the background briefly. Derek then picks up M on his shoulder but the guys are already putting T down. They then go to Tom who presents them with the trophy. I really wouldn't call it Tony leaving Melissa in the lurch and ignoring her as he celebrates. He didn't appear at all rude. It actually looks better as you watch it slowly to see how it unfolded.

On another note, I watched an interview with Cheryl where she said that she was actually rooting for Melissa and Tony. Even though she's friends with Kelly, she said a pro can start to question himself over the years, so she was hoping he'd win.

And one FINAL thing, Melissa is as well known to me as many of the "Stars" that are on the show. I don't watch sports, so that leaves me clueless about a lot of these people. Tony, Maks, Cheryl and the other pros have become much more well know than many of the so-called "Stars" we're supposed to be supporting. The only way to get around this would be to have the pros at least rotate out for several season so we're less invested in them. (We're not likely to get a-list stars like Brad Pitt, which would be the other solution!)

[I'm here]

My sister had thyroid cancer and they removed the her whole thyroid. The surgery is pretty easy and the recovery isn't that bad. She was back on her feet in no time at all. The only struggle she's had has been getting her thyroid medication adjusted and she's always had trouble with that. I imagine by the time the show resumes, she'll be fully recovered and you won't even know she went through anything to look at her except for the scar. Not to make it sound like it's no big deal, but if it's caught early enough, it really isn't when compared to other cancers and treatment.

Agreed! Thats the key... catching it early. My sister-in-law is struggling with the medication as well. But she gets often and I think the docs are getting closer with the meds.

Surprisingly... my sister-in-laws scar wasn't bad either... very small. One can hardly notice.

I'm guessing Brooke's doctor will do a great job too. Considering she is known for her beauty. And besides... she can always hide the scar with jewelry.

[I'm here]

Yes, I saw that. Mark gets called out for that - I called Tony out. I do think there is very strong bond with all the pros. I guess when someone is excited, and overdue for a win. they go to those that have supported them for years( years) Melissa seemed fine when DEREK picked her up

Oh well season is over, I don't stop watching when a fave has been voted out - but if they keep doing this stupid theme thing and pick a dance , I am out

Tony should be able to celebrate... I just thought he could have celebrated a bit more with Melissa. But then again... it was a long time coming for Tony so of course he was super excited.

I'm OK with the different dances. I think the pros are soooo good at the regular dances it makes for a boring show. I think it really showcases a pro when they can pull off a dance unfamiliar.

[pikachu]

But the show is Dancing With the Stars, not Dancing with the Pros! The focus should be on bringing non-dancing celebrities (although there's a lot of debate about the non-dancing part since some of them have past dancing experience) up to the level of a professional dancer. The pros can't do that if they themselves are unfamiliar with a dance or have little experience in it.

When I want to watch professional dancers, I tune in to the international dance championships, dancesport, or dancing reality shows like So You Think You Can Dance.

BTW, I haven't seen the dance championships on tv for many years. I don't know if I'm just missing them when they're on or if they're not televised anymore. I used to be able to catch them on Georgia public television, although I live in Florida.

[Bloomers]

I was thinking about this last nite while baking cookies.

Do I think ABC would/could alter the vote...YEP I sure do. Do they read this message board & many others like this...I believe they do.

Think about it, when it was obvious that not too many people liked Cheeta Girl...wooops, the MOST SHOCKING ELIMINATION...EVER PART II. When sentiment turned against Giles, again he was gone within a week or 2. Brooke may have to take sometime away from the ballroom & who is the perfect replacement host...(okay yes Carson but that will never happen). Kelly already works for ABC & Shawn is just too young & inexperienced to do the job. Little Miss Sparkley PomPom Melissa fits the job description but the only problem was she did not have a mirror ball...well that an be fixed. I am happy for Tony but in all honesty I don't remember a single dance she did. I remember Kelly's Surfer/Flamenco. I will never forget Shawn's Banghra or her African Samba.

Think back people...wasn't this fan site founded mainly because many of us openly questioned the validity of the actual relationships of the contestants on The Bachelor? I think many of us were bouned from their site because of that.

Sorry that I don't know how to mega quote the last view posts in order to reply, but the gist of the convo has been to question the voting, how well Melissa actually did, and do we think the producers "fudged" with the vote?

Here are some of my thoughts...

We have mentioned several times that unlike AI, DWTS doesn't say that they back up their results with an independent accounting firm's verification. There are those who adamantly state they would never dare to "fudge" with the results based on that whole big legal hoopla that happened with game shows in the 50s.
Maybe not - probably not - the final results, but I wouldn't bet the results on some of results "in the name of entertainment." My thoughts for example are that they knew from the votes that Sabrina was going - she was definitely going- however, leaving on week 6 AGAIN after a score of 10 was very dramatic. Do I think they fudged a little on that one? Possible....possible

I like to visit around and just read other people's thoughts. I am not convinced Derek really even wanted to win that badly, but if he did, I think he shot himself in the foot, so to speak, with his attitude and the attitude that he let influence Shawn. Other people were fussing about Derek "breaking the rules" as well as people on this board. On one board yesterday, someone noted that Derek got called out for cheating on the GMA Two to Tangle segment!
Derek hurt their chances to win, but it is hard to say whether they would have won even if Derek had possessed his normal good attitude.

As on this board, a lot of people wanted to see someone win who had not won before. Melissa and Tony fit that bill equally. Tony has a very large fan base on other boards, and Melissa was well liked too.
I think with a very good partner it was Tony's time, and Melissa was a great partner. Given those things, I believe that Tony and Melissa had the combined highest scores and votes.