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Dancing With The Stars S29 Power Rankings (Round 8)

Nov 9, 2020 by PowerRankings101

This is the most bittersweet episode of the season. For one, we lost Jeannie Mai & Brandon, which is an absolute travesty. Would they have won? No. But I do think they had potential, and Jeannie was so improved over the course of the season. Her “Up” dance will likely rank amongst my top 10 of the season. As for what I WAS happy about, Chrishell and Gleb’s luck finally ran out. I have nothing against them, but I do think she was clearly the weakest dancer left. Now, with 7 couples left, the competition is going to be TRULY too close to call. I have an idea of where the competition will go next week, but we’ve seen some shocking shifts of scores throughout the season. So let’s rank.

First, here are the scores I would’ve given to the dance relays (out of 3):
Nev/Jenna—3
Chrishell/Gleb—2
Nelly/Daniella—3
Justina/Sasha—2
Johnny/Britt —2
AJ/Cheryl —2
Kaitlyn/Artem —2
Skai/Alan —3

8. Nelly and Daniella Karagach- Nelly has been one of my absolute favorites for the past few weeks, but this week, he took a major step back. It was back to the stiffer, flat-footed Nelly from the early weeks. I do think his emotional presence is much stronger, but I felt that the emotional connection to his sister’s story took over the quality of the dance itself. It almost seemed like Daniella was doing much of the dancing itself, as Nelly stood around and did some awkward arm motions every now and then. Worst dance of the night, but I don’t necessarily think this is the end for Nelly.

7. Chrishell Stause and Gleb Savchenko- This was definitely a very sensual dance, but I still think the dancing content itself has been lacking from many of her dances this season. Her emotional commitment to the dances have always been good, however. I just wish there was more content in general. And with this elimination, it looks like we won’t see any more content at all! She improved, but it was her time to go.

6. Skai Jackson and Alan Bersten- I do think Skai and Alan are great at lots of things, lifts in particular, but it seems like this was the first time it seemed over-reliant on those lifts. Because of the abundance of lifts, some of them came across a bit sloppier than usual. The salsa itself was pretty good, and I wish we could’ve seen more of it! She is stepping it up with her confidence and her range of dance expertise, I just hope they can really highlight the most impressive aspects of the dance and tidy it up in general. I do think landing in the bottom 2 might shake Skai up a bit, but I hope they are able to give another amazing 10 worthy performance once again.

5. Kaitlyn Bristowe and Artem Chigvinstev- I think this was some of the most fun Kaitlyn has been having on the show, but it still seemed a tad underwhelming. What is missing with her dances? I really can’t figure it out. A tad more energy maybe? She does seem to put her all into it, but the products (unless a slower tempo dance) just don’t seem to reflect it. The judges have been really tough on her, and I think it’s for good reason. She keeps getting tougher criticism because she can totally win this thing if she pushes herself.

4. AJ McLean and Cheryl Burke- This is not the first time that Cheryl’s dances lack content of the specific dance at hand. AJ himself danced lovely, and had some real attachment and emotion throughout the routine. I do wish there was more rumba content, as did the judges. As sheer storytelling, this would’ve topped the rankings. As a rumba, it lands in the middle. Still strong through and through.

3. Johnny Weir and Britt Stewart- This was definitely a super clean dance. The way he moves across the floor is so graceful and elegant. There were a few moments where it could’ve been a tad cleaner, but I think Johnny continues to grow as both an entertainer and a dancer. This was beautiful and another great dance on Johnny’s resume.

2. Nev Schulman and Jenna Johnson- Nev was beautiful in this dance. It’s almost becoming a bit predictable that Nev is so good, but it’s because he’s so consistent. I do think his posture wasn’t as perfect with this dance as it has been in the past, but seeing how busy his schedule is throughout the week, I’m all the more impressed that he can show up to dance at all! Excellence.

1. Justina Machado and Sasha Fraber- Justina’s confidence has exuded from her since the start, and this was no exception. This reminded me of the burst of energy from week one, one that caught everyone’s attention and showed Justina to be a worthy front-runner. With Kaitlyn’s criticism getting tougher, I think it’s become a pretty close race between Justina and Nev, and tonight, Justina won it for me.

While Nelly had the worst score, he still didn’t land in the bottom 2. I think that just shows how powerful Nelly’s fan base is, and it is clearly stronger than both Skai and Chrishell’s fan bases were. This leads me to believe that everyone who has been in the bottom is likely to end up there again, meaning that Johnny and Skai are probably most vulnerable. I can’t see a scenario where Johnny performs the worst routine of the night, so I think all paths lead to a Skai elimination, unless she can REALLY deliver on her routine. Scores would say Nelly, but I do think he’s won over a lot of hearts—myself included. Nev, Justina, AJ, and Kaitlyn have avoided the bottom, and even if one of them ends up in the bottom, I don’t know if they’ll be sent home. But the competition is stiff. I’m going based on overall season consistency and who landed in the bottom in the past.

PREDICTIONS:

Going Home- Skai Jackson and Alan Bersten

#casting

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Stats:

1. Justina & Sasha (+1)
2. Nev & Jenna (-1)
3. Johnny & Britt —
4. AJ & Cheryl —
5. Kaitlyn & Artem (+4)
6. Skai & Alan —
7. Chrishell & Gleb (+3)
8. Nelly & Daniella (-3)

Biggest Rise: Kaitlyn & Artem (+4)
Biggest Drop: Nelly & Daniella (-3)

Sent by PowerRankings101,Nov 9, 2020

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Dancing With The Stars S29 Power Rankings (Round 8)

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