That said, the gulf between Palin and front-runner Jennifer Grey was more gallingly obvious than ever. Palin tells the cameras that she and partner aren’t getting credit for consistent improvement — and they are improving, but that’s a very different thing from beating out other dancers for the final three. Last night Palin’s jive, among her best performances to date, was competent enough, but simply lacked the energy and precision we armchair critics have come to expect from a winning turn.
By contrast, check out Grey’s pasa doble (which as we all know from Strictly Ballroom is a dangerous and passionate affair.) Whether or not you think Grey’s a Johnny Castle-trained ringer, no one who sees the two can honestly give it to Bristol on the merits.
Even those of us who find this show a bit of a snooze will be tuning in tonight: if viewer votes put Palin over the top, it’s gonna cause an outcry like we haven’t seen since the 2000 elections. The only path to uncontroversial harmony is a victory by Disney standby Massey — the one true potential shocker.
