S11.E07: Top 20 Perform, 2 Eliminated

[Gardencrown]

 

Bring back Dee just for the rehearsal footage and I'll be happy. I live for Dee and his deadpan delivery to the camera when explaining his piece to the viewers. Then to see his reaction after the dance in the audience as if he were at a funeral. I swear he's in a competition with himself to see what they'll let him get away with as far as bringing in props on stage. He's had a piano that served as a casket; a bathtub, ladder, lightbulbs, pillows, apples...etc. I do love him for being different and not making his pieces about angst and loss all of the time.

Oh dog, yes!  YES! You're right, thirteenthjuror -- these are precisely the reasons I enjoy Dee. Plus, his choreo actually is a little more fresh. I agree with all that Travis is becoming unbearably repetitive. And I think the following is true, waving feather, though I am loath to admit it:

The best contemporary choreographer we had on the show is still Mia. Like her or not, she has produced the most memorable routines over the course of a few seasons (Let the Drummer Kick, anyone?).

 

Mia had gotten so noxious, so toxic imo in her critiques (I will never forget Season 7 when she and Shankman were so cruel to one of the dancers, AdeChike. They were pretty rude during the show, but then they really really talked shit about him in some coverage afterwards, basically saying that they couldn't see why everyone was giving him a standing ovation as he was leaving.) that I lost sight of some of her truly great choreo. Not all of it, of course, but some of it was super-cool -- "Ethna," "Let the Drummer Kick," "Gravity," Alice in Wonderland...all those come to mind. And not everything had to be angsty love story. She is, at least, a choreographer who seems interested in all the different shapes the human body can make, and when she's good, she's really good.

 

 

 

Gawd, Nigel is turning into even more of a windbag with every episode. First he had to bring up the Germany-Brazil game and then use that as an excuse to quote Winston Churchill. Please STFU! If he absolutely must blather on, I wish he would at least be more succinct. It's so easy: "You're all great and we don't want to see any of you come home. No matter who is eliminated, this isn't the end for any of you. Good luck!"

And finally, ElectricBoogaloo, THIS. 1000X this. I have complained that the dancers' intro packages are shorter. It's because Nigel's blathering gets longer and longer. It's amazing to go back and compare an episode of say, Season 4, to now. Nigel seems to think that this is his personal platform for...well, everything. 'Cause god knows, Nigel has an opinion, be it World Cup soccer, what constitutes masculinity, or Mary's hair, and if you're watching the show, then you're goddamned well going to hear his opinion. It's not just judging the dancers anymore -- it's all a giant circle-jerk where Nigel seems to be searching for validation for his many opinions and his self-perceived stature in "bringing dance to the masses." And I will say this, as I've said before: when this show gets cancelled, I lay it at the feet of this man's enormous ego and his inability (ironically) to receive critique and improve from it. Many people have said in many different forums/venues that Nigel's the biggest part of what doesn't work on the show. Toning his attitude down and letting the dancing speak for itself...yeah...

 

It's sad. Because I believe he does love dance. But he can't get himself out of the way for the greater good.

 

Oh, and one thing I feel must be whispered because saying it aloud could maybe trap him like a leprechaun, and please no, I don't want to do that: We haven't seen Tyce yet.

[Mertseger]

Oh, and one thing I feel must be whispered because saying it aloud could maybe trap him like a leprechaun, and please no, I don't want to do that: We haven't seen T*** yet.

 

Please do not mention him two more times: doing so is guaranteed to summon him.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Or at least use his adorable nickname from Cat which, while phonetically identical, is magical (because Cat is magical!) and does not count towards The Summoning.

Gardencrown, ITA with you regarding Nigel. He expects the dancers to stand there and smile while he insults them (poor Malene) and blames them for the producers' choices, the choreographers' choices, and the costume department's choices but he can't handle even the slightest bit of criticism about the show. He is so busy congratulating himself for bringing dance and culture and all of these things that no one in 'Murrica would EVER be exposed to without his gracious patronage that he thinks he can do no wrong. While I acknowledge that currently there is no other dance show on tv exactly like this one (although I do remember the spate of them from a few years ago), that doesn't mean the show should be a platform for Nigel to spend ten minutes per episode giving us sports analogies or patting himself on the back.

Ha I do kind of like that he flat out said the judges were wearing baseball jerseys to promote the All Star game because SYTYCD hasn't been renewed for another season and they are wiling to shill for the network if that's what it takes. For that reason, I'm willing to overlook the two minutes they spent on that (I kind of hope 50 Cent comes on the show so he and Cat can have a pitch off), but there's no reason to let Nigel go on and on and on and on every week about other crap. He's like the self righteous drunk uncle aka drunkle who starts talking halfway through family dinner and everyone starts edging away from the table while rolling their eyes because they know this could go on all night.

It's true that Nigel truly loves dance. It's just such a pity that he lets his ego get in the way of having a really great show that's about the dancing instead of him.

[Electruck]

I am so bummed to have lost Malene. I hope DWTS or SCD snaps her up.

I couldn't believe the positive feedback they gave Brooklyn. I felt like she thought her way through that routine and there was no flow. Step here, do this, get over there, turn that. She doesn't look particularly flexible herself (Nigel pointed out Malene's lack of it).

I would love for the truck-mud-flap silhouette to go away --- that graphic they use before each routine. Wipe? Interstitial? Whatever it's called. Shoo.

[Jillibean]

I was sad to see Malene go, but while she looked gorgeous and sexy in a rather lackluster Broadway routine, I thought her limits were also showing. The very few moves she had, mostly kicks, just didn't look like she really got them where they needed to be. It also occurred to me as I was watching that sometimes when choreographers have difficulty with a certain dancer and what they can or can't do, they end up choreographing a simpler routine or one that puts a dancer sort of out of the way. I think it's at least possible that part of the reason behind the dependence on the props was that Spencer had trouble choreographing Malene. Stanley definitely got to do more than she did, even within the stupid phone theme. And I think the judges do speak to the choreographers in making their decision about whom to send home--at least, they used to. I think it should have been Brooklyn, though--she lucked out getting a dance that she could do well, but last week, which should have been a gimme, was terrible for her. And Malene really added something to an otherwise almost interchangeable cast of very young women. I'm a bit surprised that Mary didn't put her ballroom weight behind the better ballroom dancer and the more seasoned professional. I remember how hard she fought for Anya. 

 

What's with Teddy's make-up? It's not flattering and seems to make him look paler and sharper than he needs to. I feel like I can't get a read on him. 

 

I didn't think any of the routines were amazing, but at least the African jazz was interesting. I also thought Carly and Serge did a really great job dragging every bit of performance from what was a very run-of-the-mill piece of Sonya choreography. They managed to elevate it to another level. I love Benji, but I'm a little shocked that he let the two of them go out there like that--it was so clearly not good. I know they don't get a lot of time with the choreographers, but it's rare to see a duo so visibly struggle with lifts in a routine, which makes me think most choreographers can tell when a lift is not going to work out and can choreograph around it. It seemed like Benji was counting on them to pull together a routine that was way over their heads, and it just didn't happen. It ended up not doing anything flattering for either him or WCS, and I hope it doesn't mean we won't see him again in the near future. I'm actually curious to see if Nigel will use Mark again this season after so clearly disliking his second piece for season 10. 

Edited July 12, 2014 by Jillibean

[dcalley]

Nappy Tabs was mentioned a few posts up and the name always makes me think of diaper fasteners. :)

Tanisha reminds me of someone who was on the show another season, but I can't recall who. Seems like it was someone with an unusually  spelled name with a K in it, but maybe I'm making that up.

Oh no. They have a baby and am I'm afraid they'll get into the diaper business now, complete with dancing diaper-clad baby in the commercial.

 

Remember season 4, when we had Courtney, Kourtni, Chelsie, Chelsea, Comfort, Katee, and Kherington?

The ones I'm having trouble spelling out of this lot are Marcquet, Jourdan, and Jacque.

 

I thought the partnerships were paired by TPTB but the dance styles were pulled from "the hat".

I think you're right. Especially with those quotation marks. I frequently suspect that the hat is quite rigged.

Edited July 13, 2014 by dcalley

[kechara]

I thought someone like Carly(?) was with Serge. Emily did the horrible hip hop in the head kerchief and the leopard tights

[birchbark]

I wanted Casey and Brooklyn to leave (mostly based on last week's dancing and the fact that I found her sweaty comment about Serge to be either colossally stupid or downright evil and Casey is SO boring).  This week's dance was better, but I still thought Casey didn't pull it off.  His posture was sometimes hunchy and definitely not strong enough in the core.

 

I thought all of the judges said more useful things this show (and in general this season so far) than they did last season or the one before.

 

I don't think Blake McGrath is vanilla enough for SYTYCD America.

Edited July 12, 2014 by birchbark

[Woodrose]

I am so sick of Sonja and Travis and their flailing, angst-ridden comtemp mumbo-jumbo routines.

 

 

Agreed.  I miss Wade's quirky, fun, creative routines.  Crash test dummies, little foxes, bank robbers....so many possibilities in life and dance, but all we're getting is angst.

 

I mainly watch the show for the occasional ballroom numbers and the rare fun jazz or contemporary routines.  So I was excited to see Benji choreographing a west coast swing.  Bring it on!  Sadly, though, I ended up agreeing with this comment:

 

The West Coast Swing was so hard for me to watch, and the reason for that was the music, which I am assuming Benji chose.  And I love Benji, I wanted that dance to be so awesome, but there was no connection between the dance and the music.  When that happens, especially with a dance like WCS, which really needs to play with the music, the whole performance is ruined, and I can't judge whether the actual dancing was bad, or the choreography was bad.  It just felt completely flat for me.

 

 

The music, once it started, had an incredibly fast beat, but the dancers were not matching it.  They were moving on every second beat.  It made them seem to be moving slowly in comparison to the fast music.

 

It seems to be a trend with modern choreographers, to program dances in opposition to the music, rather than with the beat of the song.  Either the song has no discernible beat and the dancers are moving crazy fast, or the music is crazy fast and the dancers are half-timing it.  I really prefer to watch dances where the music has the correct beat for the dance style and the dancers, for the most part, move on the beat of the music.  Bah, humbug.  

 

The Argentine Tango was my favorite dance of the night.  Always great to see Miriam and Leonardo as choreographers.

 

The dancers are all talented and working hard and doing their best.  All the complaints I have about the lackluster dance performances can be laid at the feet of the choreographers, often starting with their music choices.  Or ridiculous prop choices, like phones on 30 foot cords (young kids these days don't even understand phone cords!)

 

I hope we see Mark Kanemura as a choreographer soon. 

[gik910]

Finally finished this episode.  It took me 3 tries to get through it- which was a combo of my schedule and me just being bored.  Which I don't want to feel when I am watching this show.

 

I pretty much tune the judges out anytime they speak- it just makes this an easier show to take.  It is an incredibly strange feeling to love the show Nigel has created (and truly loves I think) and really just hate pretty much every other world that comes out of his mouth.  His comment to Malena was ridiculous- even for him.

 

If they wanted WCS on the show- I don't think the first real episode is the show to have it on.  Sadly the song really set the tone for the dance...it was a mess.  Which again makes me sad because I freaking love Benji.  Having said that- no Nigel, Benji wasn't mean, he did his job- the dancers were not up to it at this point in time.

 

The tango, afro-jazz, and interrogation dance were the ones that stood out for me tonight.  Like a few others, you really have to screw up a tango for me to not like it.  The afro-jazz was a bright splash on a very "beige" night.  The interrogation was the first one that was actually fun for me.  

 

I am so over contemporary.  I hope Mark shows up- his second dance last season may not have been well received but at least it is interesting and his first one was so freaking good!

[A.Ham]

I would give my yet-unborn first child to have Wade Robson back as a choreographer. He is truly missed on this show.

[Jillibean]

I thought someone like Carly(?) was with Serge. Emily did the horrible hip hop in the head kerchief and the leopard tights

You're right! Just goes to show that I haven't figured out who's who among the contemporary women yet. And I keep thinking--Emily--(oh gosh)?--looks kind of like Kate McKinnon from SNL. 

Edited July 12, 2014 by Jillibean

[romantic idiot]

It seems to be a trend with modern choreographers, to program dances in opposition to the music, rather than with the beat of the song.  Either the song has no discernible beat and the dancers are moving crazy fast, or the music is crazy fast and the dancers are half-timing it.  I really prefer to watch dances where the music has the correct beat for the dance style and the dancers, for the most part, move on the beat of the music.  Bah, humbug.  

I remember on the TWoP boards it was discussed that sometimes choreographers have to go with alternate music because the one they chose couldn't clear in time. I'm wondering if that's what happened to Benji this time. Either way,  I think they got rid of Nick because while he's never done WCS, he really did make it very hard work - and i don't think this WCS was actually that hard, compared to the one that Pasha & Sara did. I also bet they are annoyed that Jessica's clay feet, so to speak, showed up so early. 

Exhibit A:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpT8obooNmU

 

I would give my yet-unborn first child to have Wade Robson back as a choreographer. He is truly missed on this show.

 

Universe, please note that I would also happily give up @UsernameFatigue 's first born child to get Wade Robson back. ;-)

Edited July 12, 2014 by romantic idiot

[Nonlinear]

I couldn't believe the comments Nigel made to Maleyna. That was so disrespectful and rude! The judges put her through and she was very good in her own style. It is such an unsupportive thing to say to her as she is eliminated in front of a live audience. It was cruel!

 

Travis and Sonja have become very predictable, dull, and boring. I too would LOVE to see Wade back on the show. Is there a chance he might?

 

Although I hate Mia because of her cruelty to the dancers, I do enjoy a lot of her choreography. I hope there are some new choreographers. I love the show and I love the dancers but somehow I'm not getting as much enjoyment and satisfaction as I did in the early seasons.

[ThirteenthJuror]

 

I too would LOVE to see Wade back on the show. Is there a chance he might?

No. It will never happen, so people keep wishing for it to will just further disappoint themselves. He hasn't had any noteworthy jobs in years because of personal issues and now he's pretty much a pariah in the industry. He won't be asked back.

 

I wouldn't mind Mia back occasionally as a choreographer, but she can't ever speak at the judges table if she does. The way she treated Adechike and Brandon is unacceptable to me. I lost all respect for her during those times.

[Nonlinear]

Thirteenthjuror - Oh, that sucks! I love his routines. Yes, even the fox dance.

 

Wish the show would introduce us to new choreographers.

Edited July 12, 2014 by Nonlinear

[kechara]

I really liked the fox dance.  It wasn't my favourite of his but it really conveyed the emotion he wanted to express

[Bella]

I wouldn't mind Mia back occasionally as a choreographer, but she can't ever speak at the judges table if she does. The way she treated Adechike and Brandon is unacceptable to me. I lost all respect for her during those times.

 

That was where she completely lost me, too. I was particularly impressed by Brandon as a dancer, and her seemingly personal attacks (as opposed to objective criticism) sent me over the edge.

[chocolatine]

Wish the show would introduce us to new choreographers.

 

 

Seriously. I'm sure there are more than five accomplished contemporary (or any genre) choreographers in North America.

 

I wish there were quota on both choreographers and dance styles, i.e. one choreographer can do a maximum of X routines per season, and the same style can be danced no more than Y times per season.

Edited July 12, 2014 by chocolatine

[ThirteenthJuror]

Bella, for me, Brandon is one of the best dancers to ever set foot on that stage.Why they insist on only using him for Disco as an AS baffles me, but that's a conversation for another time. He was constantly challenged and rose to the occasion every single time. Only to be personally attacked every time he stood in front of Mia. You know it's bad when even Nigel tries to subtly stick up for Brandon, admonishing something Mia said. I wasn't a big fan of Adechike, but he didn't deserve that treatment she gave him either. None of these dancers do. I've just had a bad taste in my mouth for Mia for a long time now because of her behavior when judging certain dancers on this show.

[kechara]

They probably used him for disco a lot because he was one of the few guys who could manage to do it without either injuring his partner or looking like total ass.

[Zuleikha]

 

No. It will never happen, so people keep wishing for it to will just further disappoint themselves. He hasn't had any noteworthy jobs in years because of personal issues and now he's pretty much a pariah in the industry. He won't be asked back.

 

I'm skeptical that if Wade were willing to come back, Nigel or anyone else involved cares that Wade sued the Jackson estate about molestation. This isn't Shane Sparks or Alex da Silva being brought up on rape charges. I know the TV/film industry is morally bankrupt and probably has an insane code of silence, but why would anyone blackball Wade Robson over simply confirming something already widely believed and that only affects the reputation of someone already dead?

 

Moreover, Wade's choreography is distinctive and reliably high quality. Right now, the show is suffering from dances that feel too samey and overdone. Travis and Sonya are both badly overexposed, and the luster is off for both of them. Mia can still turn out a fresh-looking routine, but she also doesn't appear willing to be a regular. The show needs excitement and freshness back. Wade would bring it. Nigel seems too business savvy to care about anything more than the fact that Wade returning to SYTYCD would be an event that can definitely be hyped up beforehand and is likely to produce more hype afterwards. 

[Lara Morgana]

"I too would LOVE to see Wade back on the show. Is there a chance he might?"

Oh, Wade, Wade, Wade. I would give someone's first born child to see him back also (not mine - way too attached to him now). I would even love to see Dan K. or Brian F. come back. Although Dan was slammed a lot at least his routines weren't the same old crap we've been seeing for the last 3 or 4 years. And what about Pasha and Anya? and the little French Canadian guy who does ballroom (can not think of his name right now)? Anybody! Just anyone except the same old, same old. I also am sick to death of the insipid music they use. I guess FOX doesn't want to shell out any $$$$ to pay for a song that might actually be entertaining or interesting.

Oh for the good old days of Season 2 and Season 3. Those were the glory days. Then Nigel, in his infinite stupidity, got rid of the stage (I loved that stage with the steps), changed the format each season to suit himself and hired a bunch of inept choreographers. I think he should step down (like that will ever happen) and let someone else take over.

Oh and as for Mia - she may be talented but she is a mean-spirited, hate-filled hag. I think if I ever met her I'd have an overwhelming urge to slap her sideways.

[chocolatine]

and the little French Canadian guy who does ballroom (can not think of his name right now)?

 

 

Jean-Marc Genereux?

[ThirteenthJuror]

 

I'm skeptical that if Wade were willing to come back, Nigel or anyone else involved cares that Wade sued the Jackson estate about molestation. This isn't Shane Sparks or Alex da Silva being brought up on rape charges. I know the TV/film industry is morally bankrupt and probably has an insane code of silence, but why would anyone blackball Wade Robson over simply confirming something already widely believed and that only affects the reputation of someone already dead?

I won't get too deep into this because it will start a debate that I'm not interested or willing to have. When I spoke of personal issues with Wade, the MJ thing was only part of it. Wade was having issues in the industry before that. Also, harping back to the previous issue there are people in the industry who don't support Wade in his allegations, so it's not about a code of silence. That's all I'll say on the subject.

[crossover]

Per Lacey's tweet -

"Lacey Schwimmer @LaceySchwimmer  ·  5h

I am SO excited to announce I will be choreographing for @DANCEonFOX #SYTYCD for the first time! So thankful for this opportunity!"

 

Lacey has stated that jive is her favorite ballroom dance.  I think she'll get Serge.  Praised for the cha cha, emotional contemp then a lively jive should firm up his fanbase.  At least, TPTB probably hope so.  Marcquet seem to be a Nigel favorite and Mary said he didn't do well in the auditions.  So I don't think he'll get her.  Anyone else and they're trying to land them in the B3.

 

Marcquet has said he wants hip hop.  But with Jourdan as a partner, I think his main role will be to help her look good--kinda like Ade and Melissa.  Really can't see Jourdan looking good in hip hop.  But then, neither did Emily or Bridget but they praised them.

 

People always say they want less of the emotional contemp.  But when everything is over, the emotional contemp is either the favorite routine of the night or close to the top.  So I can see why the choreographers fall back on it so much.  They're trying to help save their dancers.

[crowceilidh]

OH - I hope Lacey does well.  She's done some good numbers for DWTS and I really like her as a dancer (not so sure about her personally).

[LadyArcadia]

I remember on the TWoP boards it was discussed that sometimes choreographers have to go with alternate music because the one they chose couldn't clear in time. I'm wondering if that's what happened to Benji this time. Either way,  I think they got rid of Nick because while he's never done WCS, he really did make it very hard work - and i don't think this WCS was actually that hard, compared to the one that Pasha & Sara did. I also bet they are annoyed that Jessica's clay feet, so to speak, showed up so early. 

I call straight up BS on that. It's all Mary bullshit. Just like "oh, my gosh you're a Latin dancer doing a Quickstep!"

The ballroom dancers are cross-trained in most, if not all, ballroom styles. Nick has most definitely done WCS before. I felt bad he had to go along with her comments.

I hope it was a music issue, because that was terrible. Edited July 14, 2014 by LadyArcadia

[kechara]

Afterbuzz this week had Audrey on from season9  I think. She was talking about the audition process for hopeful choreographers... It was really interesting.  She also said that Mia is too busy on the East Coast with some production to choreograph this season at all.

[Jillibean]

 

I would even love to see Dan K. or Brian F. come back. Although Dan was slammed a lot at least his routines weren't the same old crap we've been seeing for the last 3 or 4 years.

 

Yes to Brian, but ugh, Dan K. He was fine as a judge, but I hated him as a choreographer. I can never un-see that awful routine he did for Lacey and Kameron in season 3 where his "dance moves" for Lacey included her flashing her undies, spreading her legs and thrusting her lady parts at Kameron, and basically groping him on stage, only to lose him to the "good" girl. Ew. Not only was it unbelievably sexist and anti-woman, but it was a terrible dance. I would be perfectly happy to never see another Dan K piece again, ever. I think the areas where the show needs the most help with diversifying choreography are jazz and contemporary, as I agree with others that every piece is starting to look the same. I actually thought the two hip hop routines this week were pretty different and both interesting, though they were both negatively impacted by having one dancer who wasn't quite up to the challenge. 

Edited July 14, 2014 by Jillibean

[Sharpie66]

The former contestants that I would love to see choreograph are Ryan and Ashleigh from S6--their jive that they created and danced in the season finale was really terrific.

[NextIteration]

I'm taking my thoughts about choreographers and choreography not in this episode to the new thread. ;)

[Princess Sparkle]

Finally got around to watching the episode. Biggest (pleasant) surprise for me was Tanisha - she killed that routine and was seriously sexy, which I didn't think she had in her. She's now my dark horse on the girls side.

I felt terrible for Nick; I know they were running out of time, but I think from the comments he could tell he was going home, and then Nigel rushed the goodbye. "Ok Nick, youregoinghome". Poor kid looked like he was trying so hard not to cry. And seeing Rudy torn up about it broke my heart.

I cannot believe Nigel told Malene that she only got through because of her looks. How cruel and insulting to her actual dancing abilities. Ass.

Edited July 15, 2014 by Princess Sparkle

[luvthepros]

I cannot believe Nigel told Malene that she only got through because of her looks. How cruel and insulting to her actual dancing abilities. Ass.

I seem to be the only one around here who actually likes Nigel. I think he is very passionate about dance and I don't mind his ramblings from time to time that seems to urk lots of folks on this forum. Having said that....his comment to Malene about her looks getting her cast for the show was a low blow. I felt sorry for Malene having to be embarrassed like that. I felt contempt for Nigel for saying it.

[Rick Kitchen]

Afterbuzz this week had Audrey on from season9  I think. She was talking about the audition process for hopeful choreographers... It was really interesting.  She also said that Mia is too busy on the East Coast with some production to choreograph this season at all.

 

Ugh, I couldn't stand Audrey's little girl voice for more than five minutes.  I had to stop watching.