crowceilidh

Excellent commentary. I agree with every word +++.

Once upon a time, I believe when this forum was called Televiision with Pity (TwoP), you would come on the SYTYCD chat and there would be 600+ comments by 12 noon the day after. I know that forums have changed a lot since then, but so has the show. This new format is so cheap that unless they manufacture outrageous drama in the house, show after show, they are unlikely to pick up new viewers and if they do manufacture outrageous drama, show after show, they are unlikely to keep the old hold-outs who keep hoping to see some fresh and exciting dancing. If seasoned viewers can barely figure out what's going on and who is who.... Remember when there was a top 20 AND they did an intro show with everyone grouped by their own styles performing together? 8 different choreographers. You became invested before the first cuts. Now, pllllhhhh. It feels so unfair to all these kids who grew up with the goal of getting on the show they loved to arrive and see it be a sickeningly manipulative vaguely-related experience. Anyhow, I haven't stopped watching yet, but it's also hardly an investment of my time to watch an hour-long show with almost nothing on it.

I'm usually a big Luther fan, but I wasn't wild about this one. And the ladder one had some awkwardnesses they shouldn't have had to show us given that they were editing etc. After their commentary, I knew the judges were going to get rid of the girls and I disliked the fake-out of letting everyone assume they would go boy-girl. Eff off with the reality show cliche stuff. Easton was a bloody odd choice to be in the bottom 4, but I don't know who they all are yet, so I can't propose an alternative other than the obvious hip hop guy and ballroom guy. I don't like the judges being in charge of all of the decisions. That is a sad change. I'm not against the new format for dancing, but I do NOT want to see the house stuff and am not looking forward to the staged melodrama that will ensue because the show runner(s?) are idiots.

I cannot express how lazy and over-frantic I found that performance and choreography. Maybe it will look better on my tv than on my computer screen. Otoh, I like when judges prove they have the chops to judge, otoh, their entry was mostly v. borinig.

Luther Brown though...

I also remember Fikshun's face. It was the last episode of WOD that I watched because of the clear producer script. I can't understand what these people think they are doing by clearly manipulating the outcomes. The only reality shows I watch now (other than this season of SYTCD so far) are home reno and I just ff through the scripted disasters in the middle, so each show takes about 13 minutes of my life. The destruction of reality tv is a stupid move imo.

The judges were a lot less stilted, but no less scripted. Doesn't someone out there know how tiresomely repetitive these reality show memes are - at what point in the competition is it alright not to give your all? Every fricken level has to have some stupid phrase like that, every fricken level we have to be told 20 times that they are going to pick the top ten from this bunch. Gawd, so tiresome. Fake outs begone! I'm sure not looking forward to JJS next week. Dances were good, auditions were really enjoyable. Just the long torture at the end was, as per usual, tedious. Disagreed with a coupla choices but doesn't one always? Quite interested in the future challenges as presented.

Successful by what metric? Interesting to see Jess King on that list... she was not treated all that well by the show and she clearly deserved more kudos than she got. Also quite interesting that Comfort, who replaced Jessica King is on the list at the same time. Will and Jessica's hiphop S4 is still one of the most underrated dances -- it always seemed to me like someone on show admin had fought with the choreographers or something. I don't think they ever came on the show again, but I could be wrong.

The sob stories and judges' scripts are unbearable. I ffed from dance to dance barely caring about the show at all. In the good old days when the judges were not entirely scripted in the audition rounds, the judges were so interesting. I hated the embarrassing auditions and I'm glad they are gone, BUT otherwise not having a good time so far.

JoJo can and will read a script too. The thing I used to like about the show was the different effects when they switched partners at 10 -- it gave them a real chance to learn how to partner with someone and then use the skill. Given the huge success of that format, I don't understand why they abandoned it. I think there was something they didn't like about the power couples, but as a viewer, I can't understand what. I liked the judges/choreographers saying what they actually thought and not what the writers thought would make a good story (they are so often so wrong -- I have been exposed to so many reality shows that I have no empathy for sob stories). The scripting makes for a canned vibe to the whole show. The show has been increasingly scripted since about season 4/5 and it's an increasingly bad look. I am on the verge of not caring at all what the show does.

Sorry, I'd take Leah over JoJo any day of the week. JoJo was awful in so many ways, whereas Leah's awful ways can be counted on 20 digits. I'm just watching playback of the show and to say that panel's clearly written-for-them dialogue was stilted is an understatement. I'm pretty sure all three of them can talk from speaking points, why undermine their commentary and expertise like this? Is making me unhappy.

That promo reel is odd because Maks just seems really unsure of himself. Odd. Odd. I hope they don't go all Big Brother on us with the dancers living together in one house. I wish they'd stick to dance and not personality and cheap dramatics. I wish someone would do the show that Dan Karaty did in the Netherlands - the Ultimate Dance Battle. Choreographers auditioned, picked teams and were given different styles. It was so very interesting that, despite not understanding most of what anyone said in whatever language, I watched as much of it as I could find. I don't know why it died after 2 seasons -- it was such awesome dancing. Hard to find online, but here's an early beauty from the team that won that season: And an early one from my favourite choreographer, Rinus:

I loathed Siwa's judging. So often she didn't say anything useful at all. And she's just so look-at-me annoying. Couldn't they have got somebody with some gravitas instead?

The thing that's most annoying about Mary's yelling is that she tried to stop it and the show made her do it. I think Maks may have smartened up a little as he grows older etc. We shall see.

There is so much demonstrable ageism in the near-constant nature of the Nigel detractions that I am willing to await the outcome. I could also believe many other things about the accusation(s). The man has not been proven guilty yet.

What happened before? I am glad to see Nigel back, I think, I've seen a lot of people talk about him in very ageist manners and that's why I thought he was gone. I feel for Allyson but I don't want her on the judging panel and they had better not milk her "story." Love Comfort and I feel secure that she will be a great judge. High hopes for Maks. He can be very likeable and compassionate when he decides to be. I hope Cat stays real - she seems less and less so somehow as the years progress. However, I can't imagine anyone else in the spot.

I never thought I'd come back once Tyra started. I don't like anything about Julianne Hough, but I feel she does this job very very well. I like her being able to dance with Alfonso, I like Alfonso. I always like Derek Hough as a judge -- he is generally thoughtful and intelligent. I could do with replacements for Bruno and Carrie Ann lemme tell you. But this was an amazingly wonderful season. I ffed much less than in the past. There is always a Harry and at least this time he didn't make it to the finals. I agree that Len would have loved this season. I liked all the freestyles, including Charity's even though she was clearly not quite on point, at least she survived. I liked much of the filler except the first hour. It was fun. There was very good dancing. There were entertaining partnerships. I wondered about the style that Xochitl was dancing in the second half of her freestyle. I felt that I missed some cultural point there.

I can't remember who you are talking about but I don't think you can deride someone who has been working so hard for such a time for crying at bad news. I remember at Dance Camp one summer, my dancemaster tried to correct something I was doing and I was so distressed that I was screwing up the most basic step of Baroque Dance that I cried for two hours. And I was 48. I was so profoundly exhausted that his comment just cracked me and I couldn't stop. These people are physically going through the wringer and it can really affect you mentally.

I love Jason, but I thought his posture in the Paso was seriously wonky. I have disagreed with most of the narrative nitpicking at him, but there was way too little of it last night. I think. in general, there is little to choose between Xochitl, Ariana and Charity. I have to say, I am sick unto death at Ariana's story about herself. That said she was extremely elegant in that waltz. Alyson is a ridiculous choice, although I must say that she had moments of grace in her second dance that showed promise. Like say if she did the show five times in a row with Pasha as her partner.

There was an awful lot of excellent choreo in this show.l I went back to watch Julianne and Apolo samba (a dance that completely blew me away at the time) and it really had a lot less spark than at least 3 of these, maybe 4. There were some obvious flaws that didn't get called, but wow! none of the flaws were in the actual choreo.

Wow. Interesting how much better that perspective is. Also, I was thinking you could never accuse Dani of hogging the choreo in that dance. He is really operating at a very high level.

As predicted Jason gets the redemption narrative. He buys into it seemingly genuinely and once again I wanna know how much the celebs know.

OMG Alfonso's suit! It blew my mind. The precision of the taloring and the fit and the AWESOME colour. He just pulls it off so well.

I often wonder how much the celebs understand about the nature of the judging. Does Jason understand that they are trying to manipulate his scores for a reason or does he believe their shite? Is his "towel-throwing" feeding into the show's narrative or is it real? I can never suss what the celebs think is going on.

Two judges giving him an 8 is just to paint a redemption narrative IME. We shall see.