Well, here we are. Some of you are still in shock that Bobby Bones managed to win season 27 of Dancing with the Stars. These are the same folks who are still mad that Juan Pablo was kicked off two weeks ago. But reality has it home and the rumors are true:

Dancing with the Stars has officially crossed over to a full-blown popularity vote.

In twenty-seven seasons, there have been a handful of questionable dancers make the finals. Not one lifted the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy at the end, although many came close. I believe this is why Bobby Bones is under fire this morning. I also believe that’s why all the judges, Tom Bergeron, and ABC’s social media team kept reminding us that Bobby Bones is “America’s favorite” and that he “won the hearts of the viewers.”

It seems they want us to remember that he’s in the number one slot because we put him there.

Who cares if we think the system is broken. The question remains, does ABC think it’s broken and if so, will they do anything about it? Plus, what CAN they do about it?

I’m sure ABC is loving all of the attention, but they have to understand that true fans are mad. Even if they want to continue down the path of hiring stars with incredible fan power (verses eight count power), I think they still need to offer something to appease the barrage of viewers who have threatened to stop watching the show. There are too many to ignore.

My friend Amy, who has followed Bobby Bones for years, mentioned that there is a petition to change the voting algorithm. I’m not sure that is necessarily the best solution, but it is a start. She also told me that some want to implement a “safe card” that allows the judges to green light any contestant who may be in the red light of doom. It’s a free pass from elimination.

What I find interesting is that Amy garnered this information from Bobby Bones, which means he’s talking about it and concerned enough (or smart enough) to know this is a major topic among true DWTS fans.

It will be interesting to see how ABC responds in the next few days, as well as next season. Until then, let’s take a quick look at the highlights and lowlights from last night’s finale!

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• Len: “May the best dancer win.” — That would have worked if Juan Pablo was still in the competition.
• Bobby: “We’ve grown on the judges like a fungus.” — True story.
• Sharna and Artem dancing to Dan + Shay’s “Speechless” led me to purchase the song. I do love a love song!
• WHY OH WHY OH WHY IS GROCERY STORE JOE BACK ON THE DANCE FLOOR? AND WHY OH WHY OH WHY IS HE DANCING WITH BACHELOR CAST-OFFS? PINEAPPLE PINEAPPLE PINEAPPLE.
• Someone needs to feed Jenna a hearty sandwich.
• Hermoine Granger wished Luna Lovegood luck in the finale. Adorable!
• Did you notice during the DWTS male pro shirtless dance that no one wanted to stand beside DeMarcus at the end?
• WHY OH WHY OH WHY IS GROCERY STORE JOE GOING ON THE LIVE TOUR?
• Tinashe is incredible.
• Alexis and Alan danced around a styrofoam mountain for their freestyle and all I kept thinking was, “Where has Avril Lavigne been?” as she sang her new song “Head Above Water.”
• Alexis’ hair looked unkept and that was weird to me. The ending was odd, too. I think she misjudged her timing when climbing to the top of the mountain and missed her last musical cue.
• Did you see Alan TURN HIS HEAD when she went in for a kiss when they were in the Glitterdome with Erin Andrews for their last interview? I stand by my theory: Publicity stunt.
• Emma and Sasha dancing around John Schneider singing and plucking a guitar was as good as it could have been. Which was not great.
• Sharna chose to pull out all the theatrical stops for Bobby Bones’ freestyle and it worked. She selected a song from The Greatest Showman that most people know and love. Smart.
• DeMarcus had a cameo where he lifts Bobby up over his head. Hilarious.
• She allowed Bobby to do the “bit” at the end where everyone comes onto the floor to floss, including Tom Bergeron, who was actually flossing his teeth. This proves the cast and production team are cool with Bobby being Bobby.
• Cheryl and Juan Pablo’s tango was everything. Thank goodness he’s going on tour, too!
• Milo’s freestyle blew everyone out of the water. Ironically he was dancing in water.
• Evanna’s international spirit came out in her freestyle. She chose an odd song by Bjork that probably didn’t resonate with many Americans. But it was colorful and upbeat. The ensemble dancing in red shoes and pajamas was a little confusing, but I went with it. She looked like she was having a ball.
• When Bobby was announced the “people’s champion,” I couldn’t help but notice Keo and Alan’s faces fall.
• Sharna looked shocked, too, which is understandable. I’m sure she knew she had a decent chance at winning, but is the victory as sweet when you don’t win with your dance skills? Or does the big, fat paycheck erase all of that away?
• To quote my roommate Lara, “It’s fine. Everything evens out because she should have won with the race car driver.”
  Well said, Lara. Well said.

WATCH BEHIND A COUCH CUSHION

DAN + SHAY “SPEECHLESS”

FREESTYLE DANCES