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I hope this year Heather makes the cover of the Star, becomes a Group Leader, makes point or triangle, and maybe even makes PB Girl (although Amy would be good for that too). She’s been my favorite since her first season, when Kelli kept calling her pastel. She is NOT pastel in these swimsuit pictures - she is smoulderinf hot fire fire fire !

Totally agree. But also, the DCC Instagram is also making this look like the whitest group of returning vets in a long time. I miss the days of Jacie, Mia and Whitney but even last year, Khalyn and Yuko were heavily featured ... this year, the girls of color are largely invisible. There are currently no pictures of Bri, Ashlee or Gabby on the Instagram page, and we're on Day 6 of Bikini shoot - and I happen to think they are some of the prettiest girls of the rookie class.

This routine looks like it teaches neither technique nor precision. It actually looks *worse* watching multiple girls dancing the routine. Spastic and imprecise are an understatement!

While I don’t disagree with you - and I’m not trying to be antagonistic - I think you said the same thing last season... and it ended up playing out completely differently. My point is that you really don’t know what might happen during training camp (or finals) that might leave VK off the team again. Kelly always frames VKs office meetings as “you will make this team one day” and always avoided using the word “cut” in reference to VK, but you never know if she will do something equally dumb and immature as she did last year. I do think she will make the team but I love all the drama she caused last season, and how she got in the way of her own success.

I used to laugh when Kelli and Judy would say they would be more interested in a girl’s dancing if she could model during the Belk fashion show... it seemed like such a ridiculous statement. But seeing Taylor’s swimsuit pictures, she has definitely made me way more interested in her! I feel like the same thing happened within Alexis last season - she was unremarkable during the football season and they raised her profile during calendar shoot, and eventually making her way up front in the squad picture. The calendar is such a good way of seeing who are the favorites on the team too. I’m seeing a lot of Cici on the Instagram account (both in the feed and in the stories), so I definitely don’t think she’s getting cut any time soon.

Yes - I’ve always found it so uncomfortable when they ask Maddie about her situation and we have to hear her talk about why she is single. It’s incredibly unprofesssional, and none of our business. It’s also NOT IMPORTANT. She does so much charity work, she went from not making the team to leapfrogging into a Group Leader and triangle position in a short time. And all they want to talk about is their favorite foods, what Disney princess they want to be, and their dating situation. Everything Kelli Finglass is trying to promote during the show (that these girls are intelligent, well rounded, mature and articulate) is instantaneously destroyed once the girls appear on the podcast. They either need Kelli to interview them or have Kirstin Scales take over. As it stands, the current podcast devalues their worth. I’m a huge DCC fan and I truly loathe the podcast.

None of this is our business. But that’s what makes the podcasts so annoying - one of Shannon’s first questions is always “do you have a boyfriend?” 1- if an official DCC podcasts asks the question, then it opens it up to being our business. I don’t agree with this but this is information that the organization is putting out themselves directly. 2- future podcasts should be more sensitive in asking more gender neutral or non specific questions. Shannon never says “do you have a significant other?” or more gender neutral terms. 3- actually, leave this question out of it. There are much better questions that can be asked (demonstrated when Kelli hosted the podcast with Robyn and Jessika a couple years ago) 4- the reason people are surprised is because everything within the DCC organization is framed in a very heteronormative way. So this news is not only surprising but it challenges how we discuss the girls and all of the assumptions we make about the girls.

That’s the big question - does Victoria know how to stay hidden in the background? Her personality is like her issues dancing... can she keep it controlled and contained?!

I'm curious to know if the producers will downplay Victoria this year (Less screen time means less open to criticism) OR (more likely) if Victoria gets some type of redemption storyline... "Look how far she has come: Mature, composed, smart, great dancer!" Madeleine and 50 yard Kelsey both got redemption storylines after being cut in prior seasons. Of course, Victoria would have to provide that maturity - they can't edit what you don't provide. Also, if Victoria was under immense pressure last season, I cannot imagine what type of pressure she would be under this season - not just in making the team, but also under intense critique at each stage of the audition process. I don't think Kelli, Judy and Charlotte could ignore the criticisms of Scott the Weatherman or a Guest Choreographer again this season without any backlash...

I don’t know if we’ve heard anything but I think Lacey is an obvious choice - she’s still so young, has a great figure, and is likely the best substitute if a current DCC gets injured or needs to be covered during Thunder.

There are two points being made here: one is that Kelli would never have a man on the team based on tradition, and truthfully because Dallas is pretty conservative and the Cowboy fans are even moreso. I have my own opinions about this, but I live in New York and I’m a gay male so I don’t expect to share the same perspective as Kelli and Charlotte. The second point is the one to note: they don’t even ACKNOWLEDGE that a guy has tried out, and one who has gone to prep classes and is friends with many of the candidates. This is the point that disappoints me. They spend countless segments on bad dancers, bad bodies, bad hair, humiliating falls, etc. so why not carve out 2 minutes to showcase someone who has worked harder than VK or anyone by taking prep classes and just happens to be a guy. And a black guy at that. Based on all of the positive and supportive feedback on this message board, and how much the fans LOVE Marshall, I am sure that guy would have the most fans and be revered. But again, maybe that’s not what Charlotte, Kelli and Judy want. I do hope he reads this board and sees how loved he is - he is kick ass, and doesn’t need a DCC Star on a vest to prove that. As for the show, their loss. He’s great.

Here are my guesses for Group Leaders: 1sts: Amy, Maddie, Tess and Khalyn/Heather. 2nds: Miranda, Gina, Lexie and ... ??? TBD: Kelli, Lauren and Tasha would all be shoo-ins for leadership for seem like they are potentially retiring? I could also strangely see Savannah being a group leader, since it’s obvious they really love her on the team but has always been made out to be one of the weaker dancers. I just have a sneakin suspicion. But who knows, maybe they’ll surprise us with one of the stronger rookies like Daphne or Bridget!

If Amy is back, I think she will be Group Leader #1. She is the most senior vet, she seems the most mature, and has lots of teaching experience from running her own dance studio. Seems like she’s be the best fit for that role and to lead the team. Plus I just really like her!

I wish they would follow up on the second year girls and give them a redemption narrative or see how they’ve progressed. For example, they made Gina out to be an entitled bratty dancer in her rookie year. Now, like it or not, we all think Gina is just a snotty extra dancer who thinks too highly of herself. If they had followed up on her progression, they could possibly have gotten us to feel a bit more sympathetic or supportive of her. Maybe she’s learned to become a great leader. Maybe she’s more humble. Maybe she’s a great teacher.. but we don’t know because they stopped showing Gina her second year. In the same vein, I would love to see which girls have improved in their dancing skills from their rookie year through the seasons - let’s see more of Ashlee, Brennan, Briana, Cianna, etc. in addition to the new crop of rookies. And what made Lexie go from a random rookie to a second year showgroup vet?! Showcase her more to let us know how she got there. In other words, COMPLETE their narratives! Otherwise some of these poor girls just continue to be known for how they were portrayed (accurately or not) in their rookie year, and we never fully understand how they develop or blossom.

I would love to see more of the group leaders. They should show the process behind how they get picked and paired up. They could really focus on the positive qualities of the 8 women who make senior leadership and really feature them prominently all season. Once the groups are picked, I’d love to see leaders overseeing group rehearsals and get more of a sense of the group dynamics in general. How does Lacey’s style differ Fromm Kasharas style and what qualities do each posess that make them stand out... in addition to mentoring rookies who need extra coaching or help. That would give more context for when the group leaders are brought into the office and asked to give feedback. And continuing on this, I’d love to see second group leaders featured more. This would show us who is stepping up, and who future group leaders will be. LOVE seeing the triangle placement episode. This is new and really fascinating to watch. Also loved getting so much feedback from guest choreographers and seeing who they thought were standouts.

Not to be rude or belabor the point, but VK doesn’t look any smaller or more toned than last season. In fact, she looks the same size as Jen who just had a baby! And also larger than Maddie, who I personally think looks great but everyone says she looks bigger in team pictures. So... that’s not working in her favor.

This times a hundred. Shannon and Courtney don’t conduct the podcast like an interview - they spend half the time talking about themselves and sometimes we learn nothing new about the DCC except what they like on their pizza or if they are single. I’m surprised Kelli allows Shannon and Courtney to continue to host the show because it’s a huge disservice to the organization - it makes the girls look shallow and dumb.

Malena is on the right side in Jenn’s latest prep class dance. She looks like she’s been practicing the style more and I was a HUGE a fan of hers last season but I feel torn about her trying out again. I would be heartbroken if she didn’t make it and she would be crushed if she got cut. It’s one thing to give up your job for the DCC but it would be twice as horrible to spend the following year taking dance classes only to be cut again.

Sometimes you don’t need quality or talent, just grand delusion! Maybe she’s the SYTYCD version of William Hung. She bangs, she bangs!

Have you guys seen how CLOSE the dancers are on SYTYCD? Victoria can barely keep within her space when 5 people are dancing in a huge dance studio... she’s gonna take out a group of 20-30 other contestants with her chaotic jumps and over the top kicks on the audition stage!!! Like an out of control spinning top making her way down a bowling alley knocking pins over in her path. They better have the medics number on speed dial

I would add Lexie as another contender for Point. Not saying she’s my first choice but they added her to showgroup and while she’s inside the pyramid, she’s pretty central and I often notice her more than others based on camera angles etc. I have a strange feeling she could be in the running.

I am so curious to know what irked Kelli enough to pass Heather over for Group Leaders this year, and curious to know if she'll jump to a 1st Leader. She was truly one of the girls I was *not* expecting to return, especially with Little Heather being cut, Maggie leaving, Kashara leaving, and her not being in the 'goodbooks' at the beginning of the season. I never even considered her returning, so I also never considered her being contender for point. She's definitely a shoo-in for triangle and curious to see what happens next year for her... she's one of my favorites, so hoping for BIG things for her. Similar to Amy, Heather also seems like another girl who is no drama.

I found it very curious that Tasha and Amy both got a "Current DCC Feature": Tasha about modeling, and Amy about her dance studio. I secretly think that Kelli and Judy use the TV Show to showcase their favorites, as a tactic to keep them sticking around. It definitely doesn't hurt Amy to have all that promo for her dance studio, and in return maybe she stays for her 5th year and they keep the Senior Vet Leaders that are on the edge of leaving...

Neither was ever a favorite of mine, but when so many star cheerleaders have left, Amy and Kelli seem like a breathe of fresh air. Reliable, good dancers, no drama, and mature. Count me as a NO to Gina at point. Her extraness would stand out poorly. I’d rather have three more precise girls dancing up front.