‘Dancing with the Stars’ finale sparks drama over redemption round scores
'Dancing with the Stars' Season 33 finale was filled with glitz and excitement, but it also sparked controversy, especially during the Redemption Round. The judges' scores in this critical segment, intended to showcase the finalists' improvement, have been widely questioned, with concerns over inconsistency and favoritism dominating the conversation.
The controversy started with Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik receiving a near-perfect 29 out of 30 scores for his Quickstep routine. While judges raved over his energy and timing, a few noticeable stumbles and mis-synchronization throughout the dance were evident. Many found it difficult to understand how the judges gave such great reviews. It felt like they were being too easy on Stephen in this final. Some even blamed the panel for it.
Meanwhile, 'The Bachelor' star Joey Graziadei received a perfect score of 30 for his Cha Cha, with judges commending his precision and difficulty. While Joey's performance was strong, the score felt almost predictable given his immense popularity and the potential boost his win could bring from Bachelor Nation fans. Those questionable scores are worth debating, where it felt as if the judges were manipulating their scores for a more dramatic finale. Arguably, the Redemption Round defeats its very purpose if weaker performances are advanced at the risk of overlooking stronger ones. The big turning point came during the Redemption Round. That’s when the night got exciting. They looked at scores and votes from the semi-finals and the final to pick the winner of the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy. However, the apparent inconsistency in the judges' scoring overshadowed the excitement of the competition.
'DWTS' judges think Joey Graziadei's performance was 'polished to perfection'
During the Redemption Round, Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson gave a polished Cha Cha that pleased the judges with their improvement. Derek Hough complimented the performance, noting its high difficulty level and praising Joey for executing it perfectly. Bruno Tonioli called it "polished to perfection," adding that Joey and Jenna were strongly in sync.
Carrie Ann Inaba praised their chemistry, saying they danced as one while praising Joey for being consistent throughout the competition. This effort earned them a perfect score of 30/30, setting them up to be strong contenders in the finale.
Stephen Nedoroscik gives a 'top gear' performance in 'DWTS' finale
In the Redemption Round, Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold showed significant improvement. Bruno Tonioli praised it as being in "top gear," adding that Stephen's timing was like a Rolex. Carrie Ann Inaba added that Len Goodman would be proud and called it the best dance from Stephen all season.
Derek Hough praised Stephen's vibrant energy, noting that it was a much stronger performance than his earlier attempt, though he pointed out a small issue in the middle. The judges rewarded Stephen's effort with a score of 29/30, marking one of his best performances of the season.
