‘Dancing with the Stars’ week 4 rankings: Shawn Johnson jumps over Gilles Marini
Let this be a lesson to any future “Dancing with the Stars” contestant when it comes to our own contestant rankings: if you are told by the judges that you gave what is arguably one of the greatest dances in the history of the show, you are going to be ranked rather high on this page.
This is also an interesting edition of our rankings here for another reason: for the first time since the very beginning of the show, there is not a single contestant left with experience in a “bottom 2” sort of situation since we are not entirely sure that Sabrina Bryan was actually in any real danger of being sent home. It’s hard to rank therefore based on fan base, but we will try to factor it in to the equation here along with actual performance.
9. Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas (last week: 10) – These two did have their best performance in two seasons last week, but there were two problems that came along with it. One, their pre-performance package focused entirely on drama; in addition to that, it was still the lowest score of the night. We never thought that Palin would be the first person out of the competition, but we also would be stunned if she makes it to finale night again.
8. Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (9) – Like with Bristol, Kirstie’s scores will likely catch up with her at some point. However, the reason she is still a little likelier to stick around is the Maks effect. These two have such a fun relationship, and it is a blast to watch them work on putting something entertaining out on the floor.
7. Kelly Monaco and Val Chmerkovskiy (6) – This is where, for us, things really start to get rather interesting. Do we think that Kelly is a good dancer? Definitely, but we are having a hard time remembering her actual routines after they are over. This is a problem when everyone left is still really good.
6. Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani (7) – The problem of being remembered is still present when it comes to Melissa, but we do feel as though she had her best performance of the season last week. Is it a little unfair that she is ranked behind people who have scored lower than her? You could make that argument, but we have more confidence in the followings of some former winners.
5. Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke (5) – We know that Emmitt has an enormous fan following, and he could win this show without hesitation if he makes it far enough. However, we do really feel that he will make it there if his performances continue to be in the middle of the pack.
4. Sabrina Bryan and Louis van Amstel (2) – Whenever Sabrina has a week that does not put her at the top of the leaderboard, we worry; and with that in mind, we were concerned about her this past week. She may have the smallest fanbase out of anyone in the top five here, but her scores may help her to carry her through.
3. Apolo Anton Ohno and Karina Smirnoff (3) – In some ways, we really do feel as though Shawn’s performance has necessitated everyone else to raise their game a little bit. Apolo’s got the determination to go all the way here, but if you took away the statues from his last performance, there was not that much that stood out with it.
2. Gilles Marini and Peta Murgatroyd (1) – Gilles takes a slide for one reason and one reason only: Shawn’s greatness. He still is the sort of performer that has an extra gear, and he can deliver something that is one of the strongest dances ever on the show anytime he arrives on the floor.
1. Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough (4) – Even though Shawn’s dance did not draw the highest scores last week, it was the coolest routine of the entire season. These sort of dances are huge in getting the audience behind you, and this is the sort of routine that keeps fans remembering you. Remember that season 8 was between Gilles and Shawn? Let’s just say it could happen again this year.
Who is currently at the top of your ranking?