NBC’s World of Dance – Looking Forward to Season TWO, What Would YOU Fix?
It’s funny. I have a twitter search for World of Dance so every week I see people claiming it’s “rigged” or “fixed” or the “judges suck”. It’s always fans of people or groups who were eliminated. Is this what our society has come to: when things don’t go your way, it’s all fixed or rigged? I guess when you look at the White House…well, that mentality trickles down into everyone after a while, unless you keep your brain engaged and really THINK about the issues that surround the country. That mentality is VERY immature. But I’m not here to debate politics, only a silly dance show. And the squeaky wheels on twitter are often mental midgets in any case. 😉
Is World of Dance “fixed”?? No, I don’t believe so – not in the real definition of that word in this context: meaning that when the show was cast, they already knew who the winner was going to be. THAT would be “fixed”. Is it produced and manipulated? Of course – it’s TELEVISION. If you go into watching a show like this and don’t expect some sort of manipulation then you’re just being naïve. The editors and producers job is to make a TV show that people want to watch and for that there needs to be a bit of drama and suspense – they’ve learned that from other dance shows. It has to be entertaining! And honestly, righteous indignation over your favorite being eliminated shows you CARED. That you’re invested. Mission accomplished.
Do the judges have favorites which may make them biased in one direction or another?? Probably. They’re human beings. That’s how human beings work. Don’t YOU have a favorite? I have several. Otherwise, what the hell’s the point? People have favorites. Judges are people too. This is not hard to figure out. Does one judge pick people she wants to work with in the future and score them better than others? Well, seems likely – but that’s all part of them being her “favorites”. Is it crappy? Yep. Of course. That’s why there are three of them. To get your way, you have to be obvious – and take the heat. 😉
What makes a “great dance” is highly subjective. What I think is fantastic another person will think is just okay. The three main writers on this blog don’t always agree from one week to the next on which dances were the “best” or who should have gotten eliminated. The judges can’t be any different. Derek said “There’s something about ballroom.” Of course, that’s his main style. And because of that, he tends to score them TOUGHER than other acts, while he goes very easy on contemporary dancers. Ne-Yo seems to not care for the softer, lyrical dancers in a hip hop genre a lot of the time – like Ian Eastwood and SuperCr3w. He doesn’t seem to like when they break their own mold (Jabbawockeez too). Jennifer isn’t as easy to figure out – I personally think the 90 she gave to Keone and Mari was massive underscoring to benefit Les Twins. They were her FAVORITE. And that’s part of the game, like it or not. Everyone wants their favorite to win. That doesn’t make the show “rigged” or “shady” or whatever. It means Jennifer wants her way. 🙂
And be honest with yourself – the acts that performed on this show were nearly all freakin’ amazing. I mean really – the best dancers in the world at the top of their games. NOT EVERYONE CAN WIN. Someone HAS to go home every week. The decisions are impossible from where I sit. Even if every single one of my favorites had made it out of the duels, I would STILL be losing some in the cuts. And the Division finals. That’s the nature of the beast.
Is this show perfect? Of course not!! There are quite a few things that I would fix…but I would absolutely renew the show for a second (third and fourth) season, provided that they can make the fixes. Hell, maybe even without the fixes. This show fills a void – you see all kinds of dance by dancers at the very top of their game. What are your other choices? “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Dancing with the Stars” – two shows that I also watch and one of which I blog about. These two shows have far more issues that WoD dance does. DWTS is probably the most highly manipulated reality show on TV besides the Bachelor and it’s far worse because people actually VOTE. To top it off, DWTS isn’t even GOOD at the manipulation anymore. 🙂 You can see the man behind the curtain all too often. Each of these shows have their appeal – you get to watch (mostly) untrained celebs learn how to dance or you get to watch new young dancers try to excel at something they’ve been working on and love. So, instead of incessant bitching and whining about a show that is attempting something new (and that had to get great ratings so it can continue to exist), how about enjoying it for what it is? As much as people complain about how it’s working, do you honestly believe that Ian Eastwood or Kyle Van Newkirk or The Lab would give up a chance to appear on TV for a few weeks and gain a possibly massive audience and name recognition?? They would be foolish if they did. I will just say: if you throw up your hands and say “I’m never watching again” because your favorite got voted out, you’re not a fan of dance. Every act that has appeared on this show has been worthy of my attention. Some I like better than others, of course – but all were worthy of being there.
So, what would I fix?? Well, first off, NOT THE SCORING. That scoring system is the best on TV for a reality TV show and not just because I had a similar idea for scoring DWTS years ago. 🙂 It makes it as logical and fair as it can. Do you honestly think that Carrie Ann Inaba holding up a ten because of a shirtless hunk is a BETTER option? 😀 Anyway, here’s what I would change, in no particular order:
- The show has GOT to be longer than an hour. An hour with only 10 weeks and 45 acts?? Impossible and it guarantees heavy editing right up to the Division Finals. And that editing is pissing a lot of people off. I get it – it has to be done from a time stand point. There isn’t much fluff to cut – and remember, some fluff adds to the “tv factor” (plus, I think Jenna is a fantastic addition and I would hate to see less of her). But if the show goes to two hours, we get to see more of the dancing and more of the acts. Also, the editing can lend itself to people believing there is more funny business going on. Right or wrong.
- I think at least the second half of the season has got to be live and not pre-recorded. Thanks to the schedules of the judges, I doubt that I will get my wish on this one, but I think it’s critical. Not only does a live show prevent the producers and editors from getting carried away and substantially changing how the show looks and what appears versus what actually happened, but it increases the confidence of the audience. It’s very hard to argue with the results of a live show. Or course, some will still try, but they will look foolish. 🙂
- ALL unknown or little known acts. Jabbawockeez? Seriously? If you already have a Vegas show, you can’t be on this show. I would include Fik-shun and Les Twins in this but I don’t think they’re that well known – not to the average TV viewer. I guess you can be Youtube famous and still be on the show – it certainly hasn’t helped people win DWTS.
- If you had all unknown or little known acts, I would be open to using the same scoring from the judges but having it only count for half, like DWTS, and make the other half a viewer vote. That removes some of Jennifer’s power to underscore some (Keone and Mari) and overscore others (Les Twins) – which took away Ne-Yo’s and Derek’s say on who won that Division, IMO. That type of system would not only increase the ratings (audience participation is a big deal), but it increases the fairness. However…
- If you allow audience participation you INCREASE the likelihood that the producers will get even more manipulative. There might be producers with an agenda who want some acts to stick around longer for reasons known only to them – see DWTS and SYTYCD. The way it stands now, the manipulation is lighter, to make good TV, and has NO impact on who wins. Remember, the winner has already been determined by the time the show airs (and is edited), so they are not influencing the outcome. If the show were to include an audience vote, that would change. Their manipulation could get bigger and it could influence the outcome. Am I willing to take that chance?? I think that maybe I am. The question is: which is worse? A heavily edited, pre-recorded show where you question the agenda and results, or a partially live show, less heavily edited with an audience vote where you will still question agendas/manipulation/production but know the audience actually has something of a say in who wins? I think I pick door number two, Monty.
- How about adding a “save” of some sort at various points in the competition? I’m thinking mainly of Jennifer putting a NINE point difference between Les Twins and K/M the other night – ridiculous. Mind-boggling. Transparent. If each judge had a save they could use up through the cuts…or even the duels…that might make it more interesting. Of course, to do that, they would also need a longer show.
- How about adding a fourth judge – someone like one of Nappytabs, or Travis Wall or someone with true, current hip hop experience – a choreographer like Derek. Here’s my idea – if you add a fourth judge not only does it increase the points going into an average (thereby, cutting down on the impact of a JLo massive underscoring issue) but it increases the “experience” of the panel.
- A slightly different option to the one above…add a fourth judge and throw out “outlier” scores. Majority rules. That is, if Ne-Yo gives K/M a 100, and Derek gives them a 96 or a 97, and judge three gives them a 95 and JLo still went in with a 90? Her score would get tossed. That would never fly…but it would keep everyone honest. 🙂 Might not be necessary with a fourth judge because four numbers going into an average means that one person has less of an impact.
So, what do you all think? What would you change? Or is the show perfect…or need to be cancelled? Who would you hire as a fourth judge?
Great post! I agree with your ideas for the “fixes” but I’m not sure I’d want viewers voting. I’d rather have the experts judge but a 4th judge in the final rounds would be a great idea and would balance out any crazy low or high score. By the way according to NappyTabs each judge did have a save but they were used in the early rounds!
Just wanted to say, I read the post because Nappytabs retweeted it. If you get a chance, you should read some of their tweets and likes because it addresses some of the points you were wanting fixed. Like there were apparently saves yet we never saw them?!? I personally like the show for being a great opportunity for dancers but I think it’s quite fixed by JLo. I’m surprisingly less upset about Les Twins than Swing Latino. The fact that JLo has hired them in the past and lets face it, were the group champions is a bit absurd. If JLo stays as a judge, audience voting needs to occur.
1. Score however they want, but we don’t need to see their tablets after every performance. If it needs to be recapped at the top of the show fine, but that was too repetitive. “Should we lock in?” Cue edit of fingers dragging on tablets. Over and over. 2. Get rid of showcasing the judges. I get it, they’re the ones being paid to be there, but watching them dance isn’t what most people tuned in for. The first [hour long!] episode showed only five acts. And only one in the first 25 minutes. I’ll be honest, I quit watching. I liked a lot of the people involved, but there was too much nonsense and editing. I watch DWTS and SYTYCD for the dancing and fast forward through the judges. With WoD I made it through episodes in about 12 minutes. Waste of space on my DVR. Best of luck to all involved, but I’m out.
I think the fans being upset is justified. This show is seriously lacking in credibility add a dance competition. Jlo is there executive producer of this show and definitely tried to forced her favorites into the finals. Also tell me how it’s not a conflict of interest to have jlo judging swing latino when they have been dancing for jlo for years?
Hi Heidi I concur with pretty much all of your points.
I would just like to add:
Up until the semi’s I thought the judges were fairly balanced and I liked that their comments reflected their scores. I liked the discipline of that process. Then, I would prefer Votes from the viewing audiences for the semi’s and the finals so that even the executive producer (JLo) won’t know the outcome until the votes are counted. These last two shows begs to be LIVE so that we get more spontaneity from the dancers and the judges. If for the semis and the finals you get the audience vote mixed in with the judges score then the viewing public could be the 4th judge and let the chips fall where they may. My guess is it would balance out the JLo manipulation.
I would like to see versatility as a judging criteria. That would make the contestants push more out of their sphere a bit and add to the creativity. Who could be more versatile than Keone and Mari. I did not see others have that level of sophistication, and that could have been the lynch pin for them to win if it was part of the scoring.
You are on fire, Miss Heidi. Well done. I love LOVE your idea of a Judges Save…and maybe a couple of them. I also love the idea of live shows at the end.
I also want fewer contestants and longer shows(atleast in the beginning). It’s just….I want more meat and potatoes. They need to remember…”less is more”.
I want to see more dancing from each of the contestants. I also don’t want any manipulation or edits of the dances.
I’m also for viewing voting so that the Judges don’t decide it all.
I may have more to add later.
Agreed with all of your points Hedi.
It’s frustrating that if saves were a thing in the early rounds that they never said anything about it on the show. I hope next season they talk about how they have saves as an option (if it continues) and show the saves being used and it would be nice for them to do a more in depth explanation of the scoring system. Kinda discuss what they as judges are looking for in each category because where all 3 judges have varying experience in dance they could have a different definition of what they classify as a perfect for each sub category. It would be nice to have had a save in the case of Keone and Mari, but I guess it makes more sense for the saves to be in earlier rounds.
And adding versatility as a category would be fantastic. Because its great that some of these dancers are great at what they do but it would be nice to see them all step out of their comfort zone a bit. It seemed like everyone did that to an extent with the divisional finals but it would be nice to see it more so through out instead of just in the last week, show some growth through out I feel like only 3 acts did that and none of those 3 made it to the finals. Keone and Mari are proof that you can be quote on quote classified as one style but show versatility in tons of others in every performance.
I think adding a 4th judge and throwing out an outlier score could really help next season especially in cases like K&M where there is such a huge score variation. As much as I love Jenna as a host I’m still puzzled as to why she wasn’t a part of the judging panel. I think it would be nice if they added her or another choreographer as a judge to balance things out so Derek isn’t the only one with a variation of dance background on the panel. It would be nice too if JLo and Neyo especially took the time between seasons to educate themselves on some of the dance styles so they can better score. The case of Jenalyn and Luka being the best example Derek seemed to be the only one to semi understand their style, had JLo or Neyo taken the time to learn about the style then maybe we wouldn’t have heard JLo say 3 times “I want more dancing in between lifts”.
I also think that the show would benefit from making at least the finals and semi finals a live show. That way there is some sort of accountability for the judges in terms of scoring. I’m 50/50 on including fan voting because honestly that can cause manipulation of another kind especially if a performer has a rabid fanbase. If a lot of the acts were relatively unknown or were not as big as lets say Jabba I think it could be done and be fair. I think fan voting is something that has lead to DWTS and SYTYCD staying on for so long, feeling like you have a role in someone making it as far as they do or winning. But then on the flip side you have the whole argument of someone may like an act for their personality or story and not so much for their dancing that could potentially knock another “better” dancer out. It’s kinda a damned if you do damned if you don’t situation.
I can say overall as a show this summer to get me through the hiatus of all the normal network shows I have enjoyed WOD. Every week I walked away impressed by at least one dancer and the show introduced me to Keone and Mari who I wouldn’t have known before and who I will continue to follow now that their time on the show is over. Also it was nice seeing Derek be on the other side of the table giving thoughtful advice to these dancers and it was just nice seeing him on another show where he’s not miserable and seemed happy like he was really having a great time (which the BTS video of him and Neyo pranking the cast definitely confirmed he had a good time). No matter the outcome Tuesday I’ll still watch next summer, it’s a new show there is bound to be some issues in it’s freshmen run. Hopefully the producers see some of our complaints mainly about the running time of episodes and editing down of acts and take it into consideration for next season.
I agree with you Heidi. They should have you as a producer. Enough said.
Excellent post Heidi. Very thoughtful and balanced.
I agree with Casanova that having the semi’s and finals be live and opening up viewer voting would be great. Jennifer can do what she can to get her favored dancers that far, then open it up to viewers.
I’m not unhappy with Jennifer (well maybe a little, NINE points JLo!), but she is an executive producer along with her long time manager Benny Medina. I think those two are basically driving the bus on this show and if they want a certain act in the finals, then they will make it happen.
Thank you Jennifer for bring this level of dance to our TV screens, just back off a little when it comes to making sure your faves are spared.
Also agree on a longer show. And also show the entire routines. Don’t edit them to fit in the required time schedule. I understand it in the early shows when their’s an insane amount of acts to show, but it’s really disrespectful to do it in the latter shows. They’ve made it that far, those dancers have earned the right to be seen in full.
Well, I think the judges ARE the reason most people tuned in, at least at first. If the judges had no pull they would have gotten any joe blow out of a dance studio to judge.
I don’t know if all of you have seen Derek’s press tour from the other day, but he did say that the show is going to be longer. I think he implied some of them, not necessarily all.
[…] and Swing Latino. I had a few problems with this episode as you may have gathered if you read my post on what could be fixed for next season of World of Dance. ???? Specifically, Jennifer’s score disparity between Les Twins and Keone and […]
For the cuts, the semis and the finale, the scores should not be revealed until they have all danced. The judges should NOT consult with each other on scoring. I am looking at you JLo. She commented (“For me, the choreography was lacking in that”) on Eva’s first dance while scoring. The judges should not know what the other judges have scored. That will eliminate JLo overscoring her favs and underscoring their competition.
I still can not comprehend scoring Keone and Mari 9 points less than the twins wheelchair dance last week. Plus JLo questioning NeYo about the 100 he gave Keone and Mari. She was not pleased.
Derek had the twins pegged from the beginning when he said their overconfidence (Derek’s nice way of saying cockiness) was off-putting. I couldn’t believe one said “This competition was ours from the beginning”.
They need judges trained in a variety of genres. Derek is the only judge who could go out on that stage with anyone and perform alongside them. He is trained in so many styles and continues to learn new styles. He also knows what it is like to compete, choreograph and teach, something the other 2 judges have no clue. Derek was the perfect mentor because he really could explain what they needed to do and actually show them how to achieve it.
For me, the show started out with a lot of promise, but turned very shady at the end. I was hoping for an honest show, but it’s the same ole scripted reality (but in this case, it’s the EP’s clear bias, plus her way or the highway).
So season one of World of Performance Art . . . . .umm . . .Dance is over and I hope the producers will improve it or at least learn to hide behind the curtain.
I would like to see cumulative scores, for all performances during the competition, considered in the Finals not just 2 performance scores like this season. I would like to see different categories because it seems odd to watch a team compete against a soloist. There was not the variety of dance styles that I thought we would see, and I found some of the shows very boring to watch- too much of the same, starting with Les Twins, in my opinion. A million dollar prize is wonderful, but others should be awarded a prize in some way. K and M are two of the most creative humans on the planet and I thought they should have been acknowledged with a prize, too.(And the 2nd and 3rd place dancers, too!)