The Freestyles - An Assessment

Lesalee, I pretty much line up with your ranking and your reasons.  I've seen some people on the internet with the opinion that it was a meh season.  But even with the opinion that it didn't have high-powered celebrity glamour, it seemed like TPTB this season tried their best to put together a good cast and good matches for the pros and mostly succeeded.  We may complain about how TPTB handles the story THEY want to tell, but it is also the reason why we continue to watch.  We get to discover newer celebrities and learn more about some of the more familiar ones, and I think that is what continues to draw in the faithful viewers.

Looking back on Calvin for a moment, he probably had it the hardest coming into the finals.  He was a man who worked very hard and excelled at his chosen sport.  He had a fun, charming personality that the average viewer didn't get to see.  When we got to see it, that brightens up the viewer's initial impression of any normally serious athlete.  Plus he worked well with Lindsay and would do any moves she threw at him.  That makes Calvin similar to James coming into DWTS.  But Calvin didn't appear to have a singular dramatic moment in his life that shaped him like James with his accident, or Jana with her early difficult life, or Laurie who is so young and already an Olympian.  The emergence of his fun side and his ability to dance was what delighted viewers about him.  So I could see why Lindsay went with a fun freestyle for Calvin.  I'm not sure a more serious dance would have won him more votes.  I did love their moment on the treadmill.  That was a cool idea to incorporate it, and I wouldn't be surprised if other pros use it in the future.

Lol, the props and effects the show is now willing to use as opposed to the earlier seasons.  James was able to bring in his own IndyCar--Helio didn't get to do that his season.  Real water effects are occasionally used too like Bethany and Derek's earlier Singin' In The Rain jazz and now Jana and Gleb's AT.  Seems like more flowing handheld camerawork too instead of a basic straight on approach.

I'm with you guys on the ratings.  I loved James and I thought Calvin did a great job.  I was disappointed in Laurie.  I thought they reverted to using too much gymnastics and not enough dancing which she is capable of. 

I think my all time favorite freestyle was Nyle at Peta and now James and Sharna are in a very close second.

I think Laurie was the best all season. I hope she wins.

James is my favorite with Laurie second.  I just thought Val let her down with the freestyle and he could have done much more with her.

For me, the success of this season was the absence (or long endurance) of duds.  No manufactured romances, no backstage drama.  James and Laurie were my favorites from the beginning with Calvin climbing on my bandwagon midway.  

As for the free-styles, I guess I'm in disagreement.  While Jana's was supposed to be about her journey on the show, it seemed yet another rehash of her abuse.  And for James... When that voice over started, my eyes rolled back.  Sorry.  I find it exploitative and an attempt to get emotional votes.

I found Calvin's to be fun and energetic.  He improved to the point that he was on par with James and Laurie.  The beginning of Laurie and Val's was met with my furrowed brow of confusion.  But once they left the equipment, it opened up into a wonderful display of happiness and freedom.  Loved it.

I was torn between James and Laurie the entire season and would have been happy either way.

Unless I missed something Laurie did absolutely no gymnastics until the freestyle.  Even then her gymnastics was quite minimal.  She did a front handspring into a switch leap.  It was mostly a way of just saying "hey, this is why I'm here in the first place folks.  I am an Olympic gymnast."  She relied entirely on her dancing on DWTS.

I am no great expert on dance or choreography.  But I really thought Val just did not do a good job with Laurie.  His choreography was meh.  Thats it.  I think had Laurie had Mark as her pro it would have been far better.  Still, she really shone and I am glad that, in spite of Val, she won this season. I am also glad for her that she is going on the DWTS tour.  Her agents know that this is her short window of opportunity in terms of marketability and they are taking advantage of it.  Although she won Team Gold and Beam silver she did not emrge as one of the stars from Rio.  Simone and Aly did.  So this was a great way of increasing her visibility.

But I honestly think Laurie has truly loved the dancing.  So that's just great.

I'll have to rewatch Laurie's freestyle.  Maybe it was the disappointment in the choreography.  Because of her dancing ability, I think I expected more.  She could have been pushed and been successful.