With the double elimination of Dancing with the Stars week 8, the show has found its four semi-finalists. Could the Dancing with the Stars season 14 final four be the best in the show’s history? Maybe…
Now, I don’t mean this to be, in any way, a slam against Roshon Fegan and Melissa Gilbert, both eliminated in Dancing with the Stars week 8. They were good dancers, and it wouldn’t have been horrible if either had made the semi-finals.
It’s just that neither dancer was the best choice for one of those semi-final spots.
Roshon Fegan can dance like nobody’s business, but he had only minimal popular support. Was this because of the kid’s attitude (often seeming to be arrogant and off-putting) or because nobody knew who the heck he was? No clue. But I do know that he didn’t get votes. Without votes, you really shouldn’t be in the Dancing with the Stars semi-finals.
As for Melissa Gilbert, she had the popular support. Whether people wanted to vote for the former Laura Ingalls or for the always-hot Maksim Chmerkovskiy, the couple received enough votes to keep them safe for 7 weeks. Considering that Melissa and Maks were at or near the bottom of the leader-board for most of that time, the support is impressive. Unfortunately, the dancing wasn’t quite so good.
So what about the dancers that are in the Dancing with the Stars semi-finals? Why do they deserve to be there? Let’s look at them individually.
Donald Driver: Donald has been one of the most solid performers of Dancing with the Stars season 14. He has the strength and agility to dance just about anything, and he looks great doing it. On top of this, the guy has an obviously positive attitude that makes fans happy.
Maria Menounos: For all of the “comeback kid” adoration thrown at other competitors, Maria may be the true comeback story of the season. She started out as an only so-so dancer and received lots of criticism in her first weeks. Then that criticism slowly gave way to praise. Scores climbed. And, in week 7, Maria and her partner Derek scored the first 30 of Dancing with the Stars season 14. Maria could very well win the whole thing, if she keeps going like this.
William Levy: One word: sex. Some people are just sexy, and William Levy is living proof of this. But sexy alone wouldn’t be enough. Fortunately for him, William can also dance. He is rarely the best out there, but most of the performances have ranged from solid to exceptional. And did I mention that he’s sexy?
Katherine Jenkins: The biggest “Who?” of Dancing with the Stars season 14 has earned her spot in the semi-finals the hard way: She is just an incredible dancer. While helped by her easy partnership with Mark Ballas and her shy-but-friendly charm, Katherine has succeeded primarily by being the best dancer over the weeks. Even when she has a “bad” week, Katherine gets decent scores. But most of her weeks are good.
All of the remaining Dancing with the Stars season 14 celebrities deserve to be in the semi-finals, but that’s not the only reason why they’re the best possible final four. This is also a great group because any of them could when.
Seriously, try to think of a Dancing with the Stars season when every single semi-finalist had a legitimate shot at the Mirror Ball. It doesn’t happen often. But when it does, it’s great.
Dancing with the Stars season 14 has given us a great competition all along. And it’s just going to get better as the season comes to a close.
(Images courtesy of ABC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
Laurel grew up in Mamaroneck, NY, Grosse Pointe, MI and Bellevue WA. She then went on to live in places like Boston, Tucson, Houston, Wales, Tanzania, Prince Edward Island and New York City before heading back to Seattle. Ever since early childhood, when she became addicted to The Muppet Show, Laurel has watched far too much TV. Current favorites include Chuck, Modern Family, Supernatural, Mad Men and Community. Laurel received a BA in Astrophysics (yes, that is possible) from Colgate University and a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies and History of Science from Columbia University before she realized that television is much better than studying.
