I think their best shot was definitely last year. You never know though. Savchenko & Massot not returning means it is still competitive, and Sui & Han are injury prone. I dont think they will ever have a better shot than last year, but that might be good for them. I dont think they like being the favorites.
Come on now. Are you trying to push my buttons?
That's a lot of assumptions, but well, none of us fans are perfect. And certainly skaters and athletes aren't always perfect either. But athletes often come closer to perfection than the rest of us sitting on our backsides on the sidelines.
Vané & Momo can accomplish anything they d*mn well please. In fact, they were very good from the beginning of their partnership, but just needed to smooth out the rough edges, and continue to get the difficult elements under their belts, along with experience. And then it was about having to continue to prove themselves again and again, and to develop full confidence in themselves and in each other. And then it was about having to prove themselves to the skating community all over again and again. It was also about finding the right music and choreo to make an impact. They have always had their supporters, coaches and mentors who believe in them, and finally, everything came together with a big bang in Florida with Zimmerman, Fontana, Barrett, Kerr, et al. J/C f'ing
Earned It slam dunkin'
The Sounds of Silence, and breaking the sound barrier and the glass ceiling too! The rest is history.
J/C have been stellar in both programs from 2016 - 2017 season onwards! It don't matter what naysayers think. They have shaken up the pairs discipline in a good way, and then some.
Little credit have J/C received for how wonderful they have been and for how much their compadres and competitors have been trying to emulate their style, moves, and costumes. But not being given full credit has unfortunately tended to be par for the course throughout J/C's career.
Make no mistake: J/C have made history, and they've set the pairs discipline on fire. They won every competition they entered last season, except Worlds. IMHO, some of the judges were apparently determined to essentially put the scoring margin out-of-reach by over-rewarding J/C's rivals in the sp before J/C even got on the ice to warm-up.
I don't think it's a matter of J/C not liking to be favorites. I wouldn't say that. They may not have been used to being favorites, ever. But they certainly aced being favorites last year in every competition they won (their stat line would read something like 7 to 1). At 2019 Worlds, let's be honest, although J/C came in as the winningest team that season, the judges definitely were not viewing them as the pairs favorites. We got that message loud and clear in the sp overscores for T/M and S/H.
I'm tired to death of the rote putdown that J/C "don't have good skating skills." Name all the pairs skaters who have exquisite skating skills please. And then name those who have what Vané & Momo were born with and express together with their magic chemistry on ice. Extremely short lists...
I'm also bored and fed up with the notion that last season was J/C's 'best shot to win Worlds?' Why is that the case for J/C precisely and exclusively, pray tell? Because of the retirements and because a couple of Chinese teams weren't present?? Or because you think their 'shots' are limited? To be honest, last season some of the judges seemed to be trying to find other teams to reward against J/C at some of their comps. But J/C were simply too good. They were the best, and it showed. They were certainly better than a couple of teams who landed in front of them at Worlds in the overall standings. They showed that fact in the fp, but they failed to show how good they are in the sp for a variety of reasons. They are human and they faltered slightly and somewhat gut-wrenchingly in the sp, what with the pressure, the judges' sp scores for their rivals, and the warm-up collision. But I'm completely proud of J/C for a stellar, exciting season, and for a long career of special, unforgettable moments.
I pull for Vané & Momo to enjoy every moment of this upcoming season, including their working fun time on
Battle of the Blades. And I thank them for being so boss, and for their badass grace, hotness, determination, self-belief and fight! I don't care what the judges and the gnarly naysayers and putdown-meisters think. It's what's in the hearts of the lionhearted* that counts! Can I get a witness?!!!
*That goes for so many athletes, many of them pairs skaters 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v8Q9sva0ZY Earned It! 2017 Euros sp
I'd like to know what the German commentators are sayin' -- sounds complimentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh_5iYpvXJQ The Sounds of Silence 2017 Euros fp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O72bm7Dq8b8 same fp - I wonder what TAT was sayin'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks1-8ZoDNBI Say Something fp SC 2017-18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhROT4m9SCw Say Something fp IDF 2017-18 No way they should not have won gold over T/M; judges scoring them 2nd kept them out of the GPF that season
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgeXghIjU3M Make It Rain sp IDF 2017-18 -- an underrated program, well choreographed with difficulty that J/C make look easy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rqA-r02T-g Uninvited sp SC 2018-19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZnWFHvsAr4 Wicked Game fp GPF 2018-19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u09pLTv3m4 Wicked Game fp SC 2018-19 without commentary; so beautifully skated -- sharp visuals
And thanks so much to Julie Wie for her brilliance in putting all the J/C montages together. This one says it all, and then some!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwx97nREJH8 The Story 
Superbly and poignantly edited:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw63rpKMVe0 You Are Loved Josh Groban
"Don't give up, it's just the weight of the world
When your heart's heavy, I - I will lift it for you...
Don't give up, it's just the hurt that you hide
When you're lost inside, I - I'll be there to find you
Don't give up, because you want to burn bright
If darkness blinds you, I - I will shine to guide you!
... You are looooved ..." ?
I think I saw it previously before it was taken down.
Everybody and their brother secretly and not-so-secretly wish to work with Charlie White after he helped James/Cipres and Denney/Frazier accomplish great performances last season! 
www.instagram.com
So, is it 'mediocre' just this season, or every season when T/M fail to live up to their talent? 
