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| Courtesy ABC |
The Dance Duel has been run twice with, one could argue, the "correct" couple being eliminated both times. Jaleel beat out Gavin last week and Roshon won over Gladys this week.
The reasons for the Dance Duel are many - the most important being to ensure good dancers are kept safe from the vagaries of the viewers.
So we have taken a system of professional judges scoring dances that have been developed for weeks, millions of viewers voting via phone/text/web, pundits and ordinary viewers putting forth their views on who will go, and added 30 seconds of frenetic dancing that was put together that morning.
I don't like it and here are some reasons why:
- I keep calling it a "dance off" by mistake
- The split screen makes me feel slightly nauseous
- It seems very rushed at the end of the show, particularly as the dance is so short and Tom keeps nagging people to hurry along
- If someone trips then thats it, no matter how much better they may be than the other couple
- It's hard to watch the judges make up nice things to say
- The announcement of the couple going home is an anticlimax, with either Len "deciding" (if he agrees with Carrie-Ann) or Bruno choosing who is staying and Tom having to clarify who is going home
- It's an anagram of "can delude"
What do you think? Are you a Dance Duel fan?
Not at all. My primary objection, in addition to those you listed, is the assumption that the judges judge objectively. They definitely aren't objective during the show on Monday! The scoring is dependent on their own personal opinions coupled with how well the dance is danced. Their biases are so obvious.
ReplyDeleteGood point. They probably know who they would choose before the Duel barring a mishap.
DeleteThe surprise for this season was the awful decision to have a "Dance-0ff". First, the votes have already been cast but more importantly is the "simultaneous" dancing. If DWTS is convinced that a dance off is needed & fair, PLEASE let the 2 couples perform independently. Maybe the judges can watch both couples at the same time but the viewing audience CANNOT. The show has gained in popularity over the past 12 seasons with only the judges & audience vote determining the winners: If it isn't broken, don't fix it!
DeleteI HATE IT! If they are going to let the viewers decide, the let them decide! It makes for more dramatic results. Either let it be a full "popularity contest", or make it all the judges decisions. I don't particularly care for the judges decisions most weeks. I mean, come on, Donald is no Katherine... and yet they scored him higher... it's even a "popularity contest" among the judges! I wish they would purely judge the way ballroom dances are judged, not nice at all, but about the precision of the dance!
ReplyDeleteOh, and because of this "Duel Off" I'm seriously considering making this the last season of DWTS I watch.
DeleteI think the idea of it is good. It's the start of how an actual ballroom competition works (along with the "Marathon") but using it as early as they have, it defeats the purpose. After this round, maybe it'll serve a purpose but these two rounds? not so much.
ReplyDeleteThe judging is never objective. Judges at ballroom competitions aren't objective just looking at the dancing in front of them either. The judges, especially at the higher levels all know the competitors, especially in the age of the internet. They can see how couples dance. They're not suppose to but there's no stopping them. Same goes for the judges here either.
I think starting next Tuesday, the duels will definitely get more interesting because of who's left.