From my limited understanding of gymnastics, judges are there simply to tell the audience what they already know - i.e. who gave the best performance. The excit

From my limited understanding of gymnastics, judges are there simply to tell the audience what they already know - i.e. who gave the best performance. The excitement of watching athletes perform does not come from the judges, it comes from the athletes' performances. This is not the x-factor where the judges are themselves part of the entertainment. I don't think anyone derives excitement from the decision of a judge that did not already exist at the time of the performance.