‘Dancing’ judges want fans to decide who wins

Surprise, surprise ... it’s a tie
The final round was the freestyle, which has always been a round judged more on style than on technique. Emmitt and Cheryl went for camp, choosing MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This.” While the dance was certainly a lot of fun, it was also admirable in that the silly skittering across the floor that was built into Emmitt’s half of the routine did, in fact, show off his strengths. As much as anything Emmitt has done all season, that dance made liars out of everyone who believes that a big football player can’t be graceful or light on his feet.

The dance also included a couple of very showy lifts, and as the judges gave their comments, it became clear how the evening would play out. While Len and Carrie-Ann had nothing but compliments, Bruno insisted that one of the lifts wasn’t entirely “clean.” There went the point, as savvy viewers everywhere undoubtedly knew — the point that Mario needed to catch Emmitt and end the evening in audience-soothing tie.

It turns out that Mario has spent the entire season feeling deprived, because he couldn’t do the robot, the running man, or his breakdancing routine during the dances he learned for the show. If Emmitt’s freestyle borrowed a single ’80s icon, Mario’s freestyle borrowed an entire swath of them, as he gave the unsettling impression of being possessed by the spirits of all of the Backstreet Boys and perhaps his “Saved By The Bell” character as well. While there was some quality dancing, there was also a lot of posing, and there were some age-inappropriate attempts to look cool.

But as you know by now, the judges wrapped it up in a tie by giving Mario three 10s, placing him and Karina in a dead heat with Emmitt and Cheryl. Now, it really will be up to the viewers. There aren’t too many good indicators of who’s getting more fan votes, but both men have a solid supply of partisans. Mario is more naturally talented, and he’s admitted that at least in some kinds of dancing, he’s substantially more trained. Emmitt is more charming and likable, not to mention more down-to-earth and more unlikely as a winner. It’s hard to know what might happen next.

What we do know is this: the judges don’t want to make the call. They want you to make the call. Because when you don’t get the ending you wanted, they don’t want you to send them letters.

Linda Holmes is a writer in Bloomington, Minn.

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