Poppi,
What gives you the idea it's supposed to be the best of best? Hot means popular. Otherwise it would be called The Best 20. It is what people who visit the site like. You may be disgusted by seeing flaws, but most people (even trained eyes) don't always care to notice or nitpick an image. They simply like what they like. I think though in the end, for the most part, the creme does rise to the top at least in the hot20's I've seen.

Do you know for a fact that there is not IM's being sent about flaws? I see a lot of pictures with reviews that were redone because of comments. If I see a flaw that I think is worth noting, I do so in an IM. Sometimes my idea of a flaw is a misunderstanding (a case of backseat artistry), so to me it's more fair to the artist to do it by IM. It's also an opportunity to start the 2 way dialog I mentioned earlier. I remember one artist who was so frustrated because people kept saying, "Work on your lighting," but not one told him how to do that.

ShadowWind