Sayonara Sabrina: Dancing With the Stars shocker

Wow, I need to take a moment here to pick my jaw off the floor. I DID NOT see that coming.

In the biggest vote-off shocker in the history of Dancing With the Stars, Sabrina Bryan, the best dancer this season thus far, failed to even make it to the finals.

Bryan consistently scored high with the judges and was near perfect in every single performance. On Monday, judge Len Goodman took her to task for her fox trot, calling it “too hard and aggressive.” Had he known that America was going to jump on his tough-love bandwagon, then perhaps he wouldn’t have been quite so critical of her.

I wasn’t the only one in shock that Sabrina was shown the door. She was on the verge of tears, as utter dismay registered on her face. The judges gasped and Bruno grasped his head in surprise, as Carrie Ann’s mouth dropped open. When asked to comment on the fact that Sabrina and Mark and Cameron and Edyta were in the bottom two, Carrie Ann said she was devastated to see the foursome there.

Bruno screamed, “It’s madness. It’s total madness. She’s the most consistent (Sabrina) and he’s the most improved (Cameron.)” Len declared that Sabrina should be in the finals.

When Sabrina’s name was called to go home, the crowd erupted in boos. Carrie Ann started crying. Bruno stood up holding his hands out in disillusion. Never, in five seasons, have I seen such a sad ending to the show. Even host Tom Bergeron was choked up.

Based on talent, I think it’s clear to everyone that Marie Osmond and Jane Seymour should have been in the bottom two. So, the question is, did Marie’s fainting episode and Jane’s fire problems spur the sympathy votes? Or are these older ladies just more popular with the voters who watch this show?

Jane and Tony’s jive wasn’t up to the standard we’re used to seeing. Jane’s kicks didn’t seem to have the fast-paced pump motion required for the jive. Granted, she is 56, so she gets a 10 for effort. And Marie and Jonathan’s Paso Doble was passable, but not notable.

Jane had yet another problem this week: a case of food poisoning. Seriously, can this woman catch a break? I think someone put a curse on her. Jane was absent from the results show and her partner Tony had to dance the group dance alone and face the spotlight alone.

I was also shocked to find out that Mel and Maks had only practiced a total of six hours for their sexy rumba, compared to the other couples who had practiced 20 hours for their routines. Mel and Maks scored the only triple 10s of the night. I wonder if the judges knew how many hours Mel and Maks had practiced before they gave those scores? Somehow, I doubt it.

Jennie and Derek’s dirty dancing mambo got Bruno fired up. They scored three nines. The judges told Helio and Julianne they were back on track with their fun cha-cha-cha. And Cameron and Edyta didn’t win Len or Bruno’s love for their Pocahontas-inspired samba.

That’s what happened in a nutshell. I’m still too much in shock to fully digest that Sabrina is out of it. Did the fact that she had dance training tick off voters? That could explain her situation, but not Cameron’s. Why was he in the bottom two? I never in a million years would have thought racecar driver Helio would be more popular than a soap star.

The real loser here is us, the viewers. Love her or hate her, Sabrina’s dances were one of the highlights of the show each week. They were so full of energy and difficult choreography that she mesmerized. The fact that she won’t be there for the freestyle is a real travesty. I love Jane and Marie. But let’s face it; their dances are dull compared to tigress Sabrina.

Perhaps this will inspire the Dancing With the Stars folks to tweak the rules and give voters less of a say in who goes home. In previous season, I worried that popularity would rob a deserved winner of the title, especially when Master P and Jerry Springer stayed for weeks. But, voters always came to their senses in time. But in this case, America was ridiculously wrong and proved it Tuesday night.

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