Today marks my first full season as a Dancing With the Stars viewer, and that's all thanks to Cody Rigsby. By the grace of the Pelo Gods above, Cody has made it to the finals despite quite the challenging journey. (A feat I think most of us didn't believe would happen after the COVID diagnosis.) But the Pelo Vote is stronger than even the Bachelor Nation vote, apparently, and now Cody will dance one final time for the mirror ball trophy.
In honor of Cody's amazing achievement, I thought it would be fun to take a Viennese Waltz down memory lane (... see what I did there?) and reexamine all of Cody's dances from this season of DWTS. We'll rank them from worst to best to see just how much Boo has improved and what we can expect from his final performance tonight. Which dance was your favorite?
11. Week 2: Cody's Rehearsal Salsa
I actually felt that the judges judged him a bit unfairly here when they gave him all 6s, especially since this was a rehearsal and he was literally still learning the dance. Still, it ranks at the bottom of my list compared to his full-out-no-marking performances, as should be expected.
10. Week 1: Cody's Tango
In Cody's inaugural appearance on the show, he received all 6s from the judges with Carrie Ann most notably telling him that he was "really tight and taught" and that she wants to "see him relax." I actually agree with her and transparently, was a bit underwhelmed with this performance.
9. Week 5, Grease Night: Cody's Quickstep
Cody received all 8s with this Quickstep, and while this is the most technical of dances that he had performed at this point in the competition, I personally feel that other routines were more entertaining, ranking this one near the bottom of my list.
8. Week 4, Night 2, Villain's Night: Cody's Viennese Waltz
Cody received his first 8 on Night 2 of Disney Week, scoring a total of three 8s and one 7. Bruno, rightfully, told him that he "was so happy to see you in the full production able to really explore your talent because you've got." The judges seemed to really enjoy it, and so did I!
7. Week 4, Night 1, Heroes' Night: Cody's Jive
Cody is back in the ballroom with this jive receiving three 7s and one 6, with Len being a self-proclaimed party pooper and calling out the lack of partnering. Duh Len, you think? Cheryl and Cody literally only rehearsed for three days in person and had two full dances to learn. This dance put a huge smile on my face and was just so freaking fun!
6. Week 7, Queen Night: Cody's Foxtrot
Cody received two 8s and two 9s on this performance. Len notably commented that it was "definitely not your worst dance, but maybe not your best." While Cody did well, I found the choreography a bit bland, making this dance land in the middle of my ranking.
5. Week 8: Cody's Redemption Salsa
Cody received three 9s and one 8 here. While his technique was on point, he looked a bit lost at times, which the judges commented on. Still, it was really nice to see him actually get to perform a salsa in the ballroom (vs. rehearsal footage)!
4. Week 8: Cody's Argentine Tango
A very solid performance all around, earning him four 9s. All judges commented on his performance ability as well as his improvement. Definitely one of his better routines, ranking near the top of my list.
3. Week 3, Britney Night: Cody's Jazz
I 100% acknowledge that this is an unpopular opinion, but Cody Rigsby and Britney Spears is a perfect combo always, so of course this ranks as one of my favorites. The judges and me were about to fight when he received all 6s on this one, once again. I know if he had been in the ballroom, it would have been perfect 10s. You guys, he did that on Zoom. Like rehearsed on Zoom, performed on Zoom, the whole shebang on freaking Zoom. It's hard for me to even turn my camera on for my Thursday afternoon team meetings, let alone perform a Jazz Routine to Britney Spears.
2. Week 6, Horror Night: Cody's Cha-Cha
Cody was out for blood and slayed the dance floor with this Cha-Cha. He received all 9s, being told that he was "amazing tonight" by Carrie Ann, that he showed us "his potential" by Len, that it was his "best dance" by Derek, and that he was "guilty of murdering the dance floor" by Bruno. This is still one of my favorite dances this season coming in at second on my list.
1. Week 8, Janet Jackson Night: Cody's Paso Doble
CODY OWNED THIS. Jaw on the floor. Screaming. Crying. So proud of our Boo. Even Len said he couldn't take his eyes off of Cody. AND HE GOT TWO 10s (... and two 9s, but this deserved a perfect score in my mind). This is by far his best dance. Hands down.
And just like that, the finale is tonight! Cody did that! And to be honest, Pelofam, WE DID THAT. Calling it now: Cody is going to get his first perfect score.
Image: ABC/Eric McCandless