The show has never been a show about 'non-dancers' as is common misconception. It is all about celebrities from various walks. Look into any site that explains the format of the show- it states the same. Even the judges are aware of this.
It was the channel who approached Sushant Yana and others, so they cannot be held responsible for anything. In the previous seasons of this show too, there have been a few trained dancers.
When the other 'non-dancers' signed the show and started shooting for it, they KNEW what the format was and who was taking part. They did not oppose then. And so, almost 9 weeks later, when people like Sushant and Yana have slogged equally hard (we have to remember here that Sushant also works in a daily show) then such reasons cannot be given any consideration. If they really believed it was unfair, then they should have said that in the beginning of the show. Then they would have been appreciated for their forthrightness and their reasoning would have got consideration. Sadly, some contestants made this statement AFTER they were eliminated. And so their grouse does not get that consideration now, in my eyes.
If we are speaking of advantages- then yes, Sushant has an advantage. But then even Chang, Shekhar Suman etc. have advantages- they do not have daily shows and get much more time to practise than sushant who does not sleep 3 days before his performances in order to give a worth 30 performance. But we never complained, the soap stars did not complain when they were told to do two performances in a week and also prepare for a probable face off---- bcos they were aware from the very beginning that they would have to juggle their timings for their shootings as well as their JDJ rehearsals and couldn't make excuses if they didn't perform well later. Similarily, the other contestants knew well what they were getting into, that the level of the contestants wouldn't be the same, even in the previous seasons we had some people who were trained (Sweta Salve, Sudha Chandran). There is nothing new.
The show is not just about dancing, its all about using your advantages and strengths to the best of your ability to give an entertaining performance. Here the role of the choreo is important. Neerav capitalised on Ragini's expressions- she does the masti type dancing well, Salman makes use of Yana's flexibility, Shampa coordinates and choreographs well according to Sushant's concepts cos he is a budding director and writer and has that vision (If you notice, its the concept and choreography which is praised more in their performances). Sonia Jaffer- in the previous season, capitalised on Baichung's agility(since he was a sportsman). She also used Mahesh Manjrekar's ideas (since he is a director) in the first season to bring that x-factor in the performances, which made them look good.
Those choreos who make use of their partner's advantages can win JDJ. Sonia did it with Baichung in season 3, others can do it too.
I personally think that the channel needs some good dancers as well along with the non-dancers cos no one would want to see someone who is not really good- in the first performance- Akhil, Chang etc. weren't very good. Remember how we all wanted Akhil to get out? If the show didn't have 2-3 good dancers then no one would have watched the show to wait for the day till the non-dancers started dancing well. They needed some sort of a balance so that people start watching the show, get some entertainment from the good ones, look at the improvement of the not-so good ones and wonder whether they will improve as the show goes on.
It is at the end of the show that the non-dancers get the advantage in the form of public sympathy as people start feeling that the non-dancer should be favoured over the dancer. (This happened in season 1 when Sweta Salve lost to Mona Singh) So Sushant's advantage is likely to become his worst disadvantage at the most crucial timing.
Regarding popularity- frankly speaking, I think there is no parameter for defining which actor/actress is more popular. TRP's of the show are an indication, but not always. Any fan who has been exposed to the fans of his favourite star always feels that his/her star is the most popular.
For me, Jhalak has not lost its charm as yet. Not at all. In fact, as the finale is approaching, I'm only getting more excited.
(Okay, I guess some of the above was not related to the original topic, but chalo koi baat nahi.)