S15.E04: Day at the Stadium

[Lona]

"Meredith looks like she's lost her edge."

Um ... Kelli? I don't think Meredith ever had an "edge."

[Opine]

What a very strange episode.  It seemed so short.  A little field dancing, across the field (which seemed MUCH shorter than usual), and then into cuts.  May that was it, the cuts took so long?  Annabelle, oh my.  Not only can she just not keep up dance-wise, she does not have the look.  Why was Kelli so in love?  Sheridan I just felt bad for.  Kelly didn't have the look either but more than that I hated her facial expressions.  

I agree with all of you who said Meredith and Kat should have been gone. 

Marissa looked good on the field - I am surprised.

Very interesting comment about Jada and her limbs.  I like her and she is a great dancer with great kicks.  But I do wonder about the cohesive look when you have folks like Rachel A and Sydney next to Jada.  It's not tall versus short.  It's woman versus high school cheerleader.  

And the elephant in the room, why is Alora-Rose still there??????

[Mardo2044]

7 hours ago, DragonFlyzz said:

I really like Hannah and was very surprised to see that she wasn’t included in the top 36 on Kelly’s board.  What in the world kind of scoring system are they using that put Annabelle on the board as the highest scoring rookie.  She’s been on the struggle bus since day one yet she outscored Elli, Armani, Dani and Claire W.  I’m also baffled by why Hannah wasn’t in the top 36.

I didn't realize they had Hannah below the 36.  That can't be correct... must be something else going on.

Edited December 17, 2020 by Mardo2044

[Mardo2044]

14 hours ago, DCC-UK said:

No idea how old it is but it's featured on the show EVERY year, wouldn't you at least see if you could try some of the footwork or get the arm sequence as best you can? You could certainly try to practise your sexy walk and travelling.

I remember one of Kelli's pet projects who had a toddler and did make the team went to another football field and practiced that entrance hitting the lines.  I don't remember but a vet might have helped her.  But then another person a different year/episode where they had to practice at another stadium said the lines were different.  I don't really see how the lines could be different since football fields are measured out... but that is what was said. 

[sATL]

12 hours ago, dbell1 said:

Things we learned this episode: The stadium is BIG. Meredith struggles. Kat is lost. No one can do that entrance properly. So, same as last year?

Stadium entrances matter because 80,000 people are watching YOU. In reality, the normal entrance is before kickoff when most people are watching a beer line move slowly. 

Happy to see cow’s girl go home, Sheridan should have been cut last week, and no clue who Kelly was. 

ITA. I am getting tired of Kelli acting like the stadium was God's greatest achievement.

First of all , ATT isn't the largest NFL stadium ( source ), so stop quoting figures. Also many college football stadiums hold more than ATT.  We are talking about professional football - the crowd size should be large...

Secondly - I would have a little more empathy, if the fan (or foe) who spent their hard earn dollar, for that seat at the top row,  would give their honest feedback in what s/he did or did not see on game day. 

 

[Jess14]

I would really like to see the the full routine for the first dance that they were doing on the field with all of the big clapping. I thought that everyone looked awkward - even the ones who were doing it right. Perhaps the finished product is good, but from the clips, that’s one of my least favorite dances. 

No excuse for Kat and Meredith to be that bad.

I was fine with all of the rookie cuts. I’m surprised that Alora-Rose is still there. Based on what has been shown, she seems like an easy cut.

[Mardo2044]

Charm said :yes to  Darian, Armani, Elli, Jada, Tori, Dani

(no) thank you to Annabelle, Shannan, Alora, Claire D

[UnicornKicksBack]

7 hours ago, Lake62 said:

Yes!!  It's really gotten to the point where they each think that a sob story is a necessity as part of their package.  Some of them, as you say, are such a stretch and some are just downright obnoxious when they talk about "how hard it was on me" and "I'm doing it for her".  Switching those pronouns would be more accurate--"how hard it was on HER" and "I'm doing it for ME."

I detest the sob stories. You are doing this all for you, admit it. I’m sure you’re Sob Victim is proud but seriously. The worst are the “I’m a struggling single mom who lives in a million dollar house with great family support, but I choose not to work real jobs and leave my baby for hours on end to shake my ass on TV.”

for me the only sob story that actually hit me in the feels were Carissa who couldn’t do show group bc she was helping support her family and Carissa and she wasn’t even going for a pre recorded whine fest segment. She just kept it low key and it came out in Kelli’s office. 

Alora Rose j cannot believe Kelli is ok with the Ultra Angel fancy stripper career. Sorry they look skanky to me.

[mizzhyer]

I wish Melissa would disappear ... never to be seen again in DCC land. 

[MelissaB326]

37 minutes ago, UnicornKicksBack said:

I detest the sob stories. You are doing this all for you, admit it. I’m sure you’re Sob Victim is proud but seriously. The worst are the “I’m a struggling single mom who lives in a million dollar house with great family support, but I choose not to work real jobs and leave my baby for hours on end to shake my ass on TV.”

for me the only sob story that actually hit me in the feels were Carissa who couldn’t do show group bc she was helping support her family and Carissa and she wasn’t even going for a pre recorded whine fest segment. She just kept it low key and it came out in Kelli’s office. 

Alora Rose j cannot believe Kelli is ok with the Ultra Angel fancy stripper career. Sorry they look skanky to me.

I felt like Marissa’s story was fine, she was just telling her background but then a producer says “that sounds good but can you tell us a story about if someone you know died? Or was really sick? THAT is what we really need here!” Then they tack on the out of place “my friend died years ago and we are going to try to make it seem like this really has something to do with my story” piece. 
 

The way they keep adding those sob stories is ridiculous and always seems out of place, to the point where producers have to be asking the TCCs to tell them. 

[sATL]

I don't mind the sob story if : (a) it is directly about the dancer abilities, like a torn ACL (or another body part), or (b) it is about the dancers failures on their journey to TCC- like a couple of past TCC who tried out for years to make their college, or another professional team, or didn't win at some competition, didn't get certain training (DCC Ashely's story her tryout year) .

In other words - a tragedy, closely related to dancing's overall health, or career, that to happened directly to them. 

I know the dancers are young, and the first death experience death of a loved one or friend can shake their world, its a bit much for this show. In the case of the friend who died from horseback riding, one also should consider the family - they might not want their story retold on the show. Its one thing for a local community to share in the loss, its another to be on a tv show.

Even though the dad was speaking his truth about Graves Disease, I just wish he didn't speak on camera. It just wasn't the time and place.

[Coffeefrog19]

I’ve been off these boards for awhile so this has probably been addressed before but if they’re in a bubble, why the masks when they’re all together?  Also, did they announce group leaders off camera?

[Coffeefrog19]

4 hours ago, UnicornKicksBack said:

I detest the sob stories. You are doing this all for you, admit it. I’m sure you’re Sob Victim is proud but seriously. The worst are the “I’m a struggling single mom who lives in a million dollar house with great family support, but I choose not to work real jobs and leave my baby for hours on end to shake my ass on TV.”

for me the only sob story that actually hit me in the feels were Carissa who couldn’t do show group bc she was helping support her family and Carissa and she wasn’t even going for a pre recorded whine fest segment. She just kept it low key and it came out in Kelli’s office. 

Alora Rose j cannot believe Kelli is ok with the Ultra Angel fancy stripper career. Sorry they look skanky to me.

I HATE the sob stories!  

[DragonFlyzz]

8 hours ago, Mardo2044 said:

I didn't realize they had Hannah below the 36.  That can't be correct... must be something else going on.

Five Vets aren’t in the top 36 on Kelly’s board.  The bottom Vets are Brennan, Hannah, Kat, Lily and Meredith, in that order.  Lily and Meredith scored lower than all of the Rookies.  The scoring system makes little to no sense to me.

Edited December 17, 2020 by DragonFlyzz

[Tuxcat]

5 minutes ago, DragonFlyzz said:

Five Vets aren’t in the top 36.  They are Brennan, Hannah, Kat, Lily and Meredith.  Lily and Meredith scored lower than all of the Rookies.

Depends on which board you look at. There have been 3 versions that have aired so far. Hannah isn't below the line in one version but Taylor and Kristin are below in two other versions. Honestly I don't  think these boards mean anything. They are made just for the show to fit the narrative of whatever needs communicating.

[Stee]

In relation to the bubble, how did the girls travel from their "dedicated two floors of the Gaylord" to AT&T stadium?  Were there bus drivers or other people they had to pass going from one place to another?  Interesting they show the temperature checks, masks and constantly reference "the bubble" but then casually just travel to the stadium and don't really mention how they get there/get back/what measures they are taking for that.  Also strange that Kelli wears a mask but Judy wears a Faceshield (but no mask). 

Also, a as a gay guy from NYC, I still can't help but chuckle/be shook every time they say "The Gaylord Texas."  I hear ya, girl!

Edited December 17, 2020 by Stee

[DallasDiva243]

19 hours ago, KickPretty said:

I think it’s because they aren’t as emotionally invested.  They’re at the field on day 8, they’re usually here week 6 or 7.  So girls are getting cut much quicker, they didn’t get a chance to develop those relationships they normally make. 

I didn’t think about it that way! There’s a lot of truth to that!

[FutureCPA18]

Sorry - wrong board!

Edited December 17, 2020 by FutureCPA18
Wrong board

[Ena355]

On 12/16/2020 at 4:03 PM, Tuxcat said:

It seemed weird to me. Why is she so connected to Annabelle? I honestly questioned if Kelli was doing a bit of acting for dramatic effect?

That could be true, but Kelli seemed extremely enamoured with Annabelle right from the start and even mentioned her on Twitter and in media interviews. I couldn't understand it because neither her personality or dancing stood out for me.

However now, I wonder if it had something to do with her thyroid problem, Graves Disease. I'm sure I read in one of the other threads that Kelli had had thyroid problems and it was suggested it was Graves Disease so that might be the reason for the connection.

[PrincessLeia]

This episode just reinforced how much I don’t like Maddie Massengil. Can she just retire already?

[StillHere]

7 hours ago, DragonFlyzz said:

Five Vets aren’t in the top 36 on Kelly’s board.  The bottom Vets are Brennan, Hannah, Kat, Lily and Meredith, in that order.  Lily and Meredith scored lower than all of the Rookies.  The scoring system makes little to no sense to me.

Hmmm, see, I agree with that list of bottom vets, except for Hannah. Lily seems sweet but she consistently looks and sounds like she's on the verge of bursting into tears. And Meredith ... is, well ... Meredith.

I disagree on Hannah, though. Not sure what's going through their heads. But they were IMO unfairly harsh on Jayln, last year. So, maybe Kelli is hung-up on redheads.

Edited December 18, 2020 by StillHere

[SMP637]

I can't handle all of the Kat slander.   I know she wasn't the best that night,  but she wasn't the worst. That was Annabelle, Alora-Rose, and Meredith.

Even some of the senior vets seemed off.  Wad it my imagination or was Maddy messing up a lot?

[Tuxcat]

53 minutes ago, SMP637 said:

I can't handle all of the Kat slander.   I know she wasn't the best that night,  but she wasn't the worst. That was Annabelle, Alora-Rose, and Meredith.

Even some of the senior vets seemed off.  Wad it my imagination or was Maddy messing up a lot?

I agree. So far, if you watch behind the spotlight, I've seen so many mess ups. Maddie and Madeline both and many more are either rushing or off count. If you freeze frame its very obvious. But so many are messing up its actually hard to know which ones are right and which ones are wrong. In several frames every girl is doing something different!  The girls they featured were not the only one's who were off. 

Also in one of Meredith's featured "mess ups" she was shown to be way off in timing. But she was supposed to be because she was in the front row and the dance was syncopated so that the front row popped up after the back row.

Edited December 18, 2020 by Tuxcat

[scorpio1031]

37 minutes ago, Tuxcat said:

Also in one of Meredith's featured "mess ups" she was shown to be way off in timing. But she was supposed to be because she was in the front row and the dance was syncopated so that the front row popped up after the back row.

Yes, but that explanation would mess up their edit.  

[JapMo]

13 hours ago, SMP637 said:

Even some of the senior vets seemed off.  Wad it my imagination or was Maddy messing up a lot?

Nope, not your imagination.  I was shocked how off Maddie was.  

But could it be the location?  Maybe the room is smaller than we think, and the girls aren't used to being squeezed in like that.  I don't know, but whatever the reason, Kelli should have blown her stack about how bad the vets looked.

[kalibean]

I really liked hearing Marisa's story...really interesting about the dance academy and NYC, I thought.  And despite not loving the sad story about her friend (sad stories that aren't directly about the TCC make me bonkers,) it's definitely a great cause so bugged me less than some other tales.  From what I'm seeing on the show, I like Marisa more than I thought I would.

Did I catch it wrong?  I got from the episode that both Annabelle AND her dad had Graves disease, so I thought that bit was interesting.  

Big old eye roll talking about Hannah's being too pale.  For pete's sake, bring in a spray tan machine to your half assed bubble you assholes.  There is A LOT of choppy editing in this episode.  Sheesh.

Edited December 18, 2020 by kalibean

[Pies]

17 hours ago, kalibean said:

I really liked hearing Marisa's story...really interesting about the dance academy and NYC, I thought.  And despite not loving the sad story about her friend (sad stories that aren't directly about the TCC make me bonkers,) it's definitely a great cause so bugged me less than some other tales.  From what I'm seeing on the show, I like Marisa more than I thought I would.

Did I catch it wrong?  I got from the episode that both Annabelle AND her dad had Graves disease, so I thought that bit was interesting.  

Big old eye roll talking about Hannah's being too pale.  For pete's sake, bring in a spray tan machine to your half assed bubble you assholes.  There is A LOT of choppy editing in this episode.  Sheesh.

Hannah seems to be one of the more athletic girls, if you look at those few seconds when they film her standing next to Kat (possibly to make her look pale by comparison), you notice she isn't breathing hard at all, she has discipline it seems, another reason they should show her more respect.

Edited December 19, 2020 by Pies

[Pies]

2 hours ago, Pies said:

Hannah seems to be one of the more athletic girls, if you look at those few seconds when they film her standing next to Kat (possibly to make her look pale by comparison), you notice she isn't breathing hard at all, she had discipline it seems, another reason they showing her more respect.

 

Edited December 19, 2020 by Pies

[DragonFlyzz]

19 hours ago, SMP637 said:

I can't handle all of the Kat slander.   I know she wasn't the best that night,  but she wasn't the worst. That was Annabelle, Alora-Rose, and Meredith.

Even some of the senior vets seemed off.  Wad it my imagination or was Maddy messing up a lot?

I’m a fan of Kat’s but given that she barely made the squad last season I feel that she needed to come back stronger.  I was hoping she’d be much better at picking up choreography. The senior vets that are usually strong performers are less at risk than strugglers like Kat and Meredith.

I wonder if they had the regular audition process how Kat and Meredith would have done up against some of these rookies.  I’ve seen several struggle bus occupants not make it back for a 2nd season like Morgan, Ashley Pro and Breelan.

 

[aeroluv327]

6 minutes ago, DragonFlyzz said:

I’m a fan of Kat’s but given that she barely made the squad last season I feel that she needed to come back stronger.  I was hoping she’d be much better at picking up choreography. The senior vets that are usually strong performers are less at risk than strugglers like Kat and Meredith.

I wonder if they had the regular audition process how Kat and Meredith would have done up against some of these rookies.  I’ve seen several struggle bus occupants not make it back for a 2nd season like Morgan, Ashley Pro and Breelan.

 

I think if Kat had had another solo like the one she did last year, she would have gotten cut at finals.

[Mardo2044]

On 12/17/2020 at 12:35 AM, DragonFlyzz said:

I like Kat but even I can’t defend her coming back and not appearing to be a stronger dancer than she was last season.  The same can be said of Meredith.  She has a pretty face but that shouldn’t have been enough to get her on the squad.

Kat’s solo last season was painful to watch but she isn’t the first to forget her choreography.  Meredith’s didn’t make me cringe but I thought it was just meh.  I still remember Angela Rene’s awful solo and I still wish Kitty hadn’t embarrassed Vivian into ditching her Tin Man solo.  Man I would’ve loved to see the judges reaction to that.  Makes me smile just thinking about it.

I’ve got a list as long as my arm of women that shouldn’t have made it into training camp or made the squad but they did.  Kelly will bend her rules to the point of breaking if she wants someone badly enough.  Cally Fullerton never should’ve got a second chance at training camp.  She still was an awkward mover unable to control her limbs.  Catherine D got a second shot at training camp even though she still couldn’t dance.  Kelsey is kept out of training camp because she is supposedly an ambassador risk but Yuko who can barely speak or understand english would apparently make a great ambassador.  Go figure.  Morgan struggled with memory mistakes all the way through training camp but she made the squad.  Emily who had no projection, was as boring as the day is long and was called into the office about five times still made the squad.  I’ve never, in 14 seasons, seen adjustments made to a uniform because a TCC didn’t look good in it.  But for Meredith an exception is made and she even got to look at her very bad photos and then got a second photo shoot.  I always thought looking bad in the uniform and not photographing well were grounds for being cut ... especially if you’re struggling in the dance studio.  Obviously that doesn’t apply to everyone.  

I love watching the dancing, and uniform fittings and the other elements involved in making the team.  The blatant favoritism drives me batty.  The show would be much more enjoyable if the treatment of the ladies was more even handed and they were all held to the same standards.  I will step down off my soapbox now.  Thanks for listening (or not). 😊

 

This was almost flawless in its execution but you did not mention Cassie or Victoria!  (of course Cassie doesn't seem that bad after Victoria!  lol)

6 hours ago, kalibean said:

Big old eye roll talking about Hannah's being too pale.  For pete's sake, bring in a spray tan machine to your half assed bubble you assholes.  There is A LOT of choppy editing in this episode.  Sheesh.

I didn't think of that!  They need us on staff next year!

[Mardo2044]

On 12/17/2020 at 9:00 PM, StillHere said:

I disagree on Hannah, though. Not sure what's going through their heads. But they were IMO unfairly harsh on Jayln, last year. So, maybe Kelli is hung-up on redheads.

Maybe too many redheads is messing with Kelli's "diverse bouquet" lol

[kalibean]

4 hours ago, aeroluv327 said:

I think if Kat had had another solo like the one she did last year, she would have gotten cut at finals.

I would have hated that for her, to be honest. If you aren’t personally a good choreographer, you have to outsource. And that takes some extra cash. So if they have a weak solo but excel in the DCC choreography, I’m always glad they get a bit of a pass . For the dancers out there - what are good resources for solo pieces on the cheap? Do you just try to patch together YouTube finds? Older recital/dance class pieces? 
 

I know dancing isn’t easy on a low to middle class budget, and I think Kat does have the resources, but it does make me curious what alternatives are out there. Plus even for those who hire out, so many stubbornly insist on “doing shit they can’t do” anyway. 
 

(That said, I wish Kat would take about 20% off the top. She’s gorgeous and has a lot of wonderful personality features, but damn she’s exhausting.  And it’s not making up for her dance struggles IMO.)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Wow, Kat and Meredith were noticeably terrible even in some of the long shots. I can't believe that they got away with such mild comments from Kelli. If it had been someone else, she would have ripped them for being vets but not knowing the choreography. They made it onto the team by the skin of their teeth last season so they should have spent the off season taking as many dance classes as possible and perfecting all the choreography they learned last year so that they could come back really strong and give Kelli absolutely no reason to cut them. Yes, they have pretty faces but they can't be drawing attention because they are so off while dancing in a group.

There was a vet behind Alora Rose in one shot and the vet was totally off too so apparently several of the vets came back unprepared.

I probably say this every year but I wish they would first have the TCCs line up on the field and just do the walking (NO SKIPPING!) portion of the entrance. Everyone has different legs so they each need to adjust their strides in order to hit the yard lines on the 1 and the 5. Letting them get a feel for how big their steps need to be in order to do that BEFORE they add arms and poms and Judy constantly yelling, "LINES!" would be a big help.

Kelli: "I wouldn't cut a TCC just because they couldn't learn the entrance choreography on the first night."

Also Kelli (approximately two seconds later): "Let's cut some TCCs tonight!"

And since the cheerleaders aren't physically allowed on the field this season, it seems even more ironic that Kelli was stressing how important it was for the TCCs to learn this iconic field entrance and hit their lines because that's the first impression that everyone in the 80,000 seat stadium has of them.

I really did not get the criticism of Hannah being pale. She's a ginger. Pale is her natural state of being. If you want her to get a spray tan, just say so.

Elli continues to be the best!

[Opine]

6 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Wow, Kat and Meredith were noticeably terrible even in some of the long shots. I can't believe that they got away with such mild comments from Kelli. If it had been someone else, she would have ripped them for being vets but not knowing the choreography. They made it onto the team by the skin of their teeth last season so they should have spent the off season taking as many dance classes as possible and perfecting all the choreography they learned last year so that they could come back really strong and give Kelli absolutely no reason to cut them. Yes, they have pretty faces but they can't be drawing attention because they are so off while dancing in a group.

There was a vet behind Alora Rose in one shot and the vet was totally off too so apparently several of the vets came back unprepared.

I probably say this every year but I wish they would first have the TCCs line up on the field and just do the walking (NO SKIPPING!) portion of the entrance. Everyone has different legs so they each need to adjust their strides in order to hit the yard lines on the 1 and the 5. Letting them get a feel for how big their steps need to be in order to do that BEFORE they add arms and poms and Judy constantly yelling, "LINES!" would be a big help.

Kelli: "I wouldn't cut a TCC just because they couldn't learn the entrance choreography on the first night."

Also Kelli (approximately two seconds later): "Let's cut some TCCs tonight!"

And since the cheerleaders aren't physically allowed on the field this season, it seems even more ironic that Kelli was stressing how important it was for the TCCs to learn this iconic field entrance and hit their lines because that's the first impression that everyone in the 80,000 seat stadium has of them.

I really did not get the criticism of Hannah being pale. She's a ginger. Pale is her natural state of being. If you want her to get a spray tan, just say so.

Elli continues to be the best!

At this point in real life, I am not sure they knew that they weren't going on the field.  Wasn't that a fairly late announcement?

[Neurochick]

On 12/16/2020 at 11:00 AM, DallasDiva243 said:

I really like how well the girls are taking the cuts this season. So well spoken and mostly composed! I think Kat and Meredith are beautiful but they both should have been cut. 

I think that what saves the vets this.  I know you can do better and just because you're not good today doesn't mean you suck.  But if you're a rookie and you suck on the field, we'll cut you.

Strange comments about Jada; I love her but I don't get this fascination about her hair.  Check out curly girls on YouTube.

I like Sydney and I don't see "bottom heavy" at all.

 

On 12/16/2020 at 11:35 PM, 123DCCWoooo said:

Believe it or not, not everyone loves Kat.

Well I do and I love her more with dark hair. 

[DragonFlyzz]

18 hours ago, kalibean said:

I would have hated that for her, to be honest. If you aren’t personally a good choreographer, you have to outsource. And that takes some extra cash. So if they have a weak solo but excel in the DCC choreography, I’m always glad they get a bit of a pass . For the dancers out there - what are good resources for solo pieces on the cheap? Do you just try to patch together YouTube finds? Older recital/dance class pieces? 
 

I know dancing isn’t easy on a low to middle class budget, and I think Kat does have the resources, but it does make me curious what alternatives are out there. Plus even for those who hire out, so many stubbornly insist on “doing shit they can’t do” anyway. 
 

(That said, I wish Kat would take about 20% off the top. She’s gorgeous and has a lot of wonderful personality features, but damn she’s exhausting.  And it’s not making up for her dance struggles IMO.)

I agree, some of the ladies have saved themselves by looking great on the field after a “questionable” solo performance.  As you said some have subpar choreography, some forget their choreography and some have choreography that they don’t have the skills to pull off.  

I mentioned Angela Rene before and her solo during her first year was awful.  Kat forgot her choreography and what she pieced together was cringeworthy.  The same thing happened to Melissa R during her Pink Panther solo.  I remember Vivian trying a lyrical piece and it did not work for her.  I’m still a little baffled about why Christina, whose solo looked like an aerobics workout, made it into training camp.  She quit pretty quickly because she was LOST.

Makes me wonder sometimes what in the world those judges are thinking. 🤔

[DragonFlyzz]

20 hours ago, Mardo2044 said:

This was almost flawless in its execution but you did not mention Cassie or Victoria!  (of course Cassie doesn't seem that bad after Victoria!  lol)

I didn't think of that!  They need us on staff next year!

They can be added to the list.  If I had listed every questionable inclusion in either training camp or on the squad I would still be typing.  Especially if I included some questionable exclusions.

[EvergreenLove]

12 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Wow, Kat and Meredith were noticeably terrible even in some of the long shots. I can't believe that they got away with such mild comments from Kelli. If it had been someone else, she would have ripped them for being vets but not knowing the choreography. They made it onto the team by the skin of their teeth last season so they should have spent the off season taking as many dance classes as possible and perfecting all the choreography they learned last year so that they could come back really strong and give Kelli absolutely no reason to cut them. Yes, they have pretty faces but they can't be drawing attention because they are so off while dancing in a group.

I agree they should have been taking every dance class possible, and I also wonder how available dance classes were to them once COVID took over. Of course, they still could have been taking classes on off days during the season and for the first few months of 2020.

Edited December 19, 2020 by 123DCCWoooo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

11 hours ago, 123DCCWoooo said:

I agree they should have been taking every dance class possible, and I also wonder how available dance classes were to them once COVID took over. Of course, they still could have been taking classes on off days during the season and for the first few months of 2020.

As soon as lockdown started, there were TONS of free online dance classes taught by professional dancers who were also stuck at home. I kept sending my mom links to all kinds of free dance classes online and she had to start picking and choosing because there were SO many available every single day. There are still a plethora of free dance classes available online taught by principal dancers at world famous ballet companies, Broadway dancers, you name it. (note to Kelli: the Rockettes were doing free weekly dance classes online too!) Anyone who isn't taking dance classes now is just being lazy because they are out there. Even the ones that aren't free are pretty cheap. One dance studio that specializes in teaching choreography from popular music videos (think Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Lady Gaga) charges less than $20.

ETA: this is a list of some free online dance classes that were available on just one day last week. There are people who compile various free classes and list them daily so that people can find free dance classes to take. This isn’t even close to all the free dance classes that are out there. My mom has taken free classes by Debbie Allen, Isabella Boylston (a principal ballerina at American Ballet Theatre), Alvin Ailey, and a bunch of others that escape me now. This is why I am shaking my head at people like Meredith and Kat not taking advantage of all the free dance classes that have been available since March so that they could come back stronger and give Kelli no room to question whether to keep them or cut them!

Edited December 20, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[parrotfeathers]

56 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

There are still a plethora of free dance classes available online taught by principal dancers at world famous ballet companies, Br

Sort of related--that's how I leaned to clip my poodle.  All the groomers shut down and poodles have to be groomed every 3 weeks (face/feet).  Groomers started teaching online.  I'll never be that good but it's good enough for everything except the conformation show ring (which takes a pro).  So dancers would have the same thing.

[ClassicPegg]

7 hours ago, DragonFlyzz said:

Makes me wonder sometimes what in the world those judges are thinking. 🤔

"She's soooooooo prettttttttttty!!!!"

"HOT!!"

18 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I probably say this every year but I wish they would first have the TCCs line up on the field and just do the walking (NO SKIPPING!) portion of the entrance. Everyone has different legs so they each need to adjust their strides in order to hit the yard lines on the 1 and the 5. Letting them get a feel for how big their steps need to be in order to do that BEFORE they add arms and poms and Judy constantly yelling, "LINES!" would be a big help.

Good idea!  I've often thought that they should teach the arm movements in the studio.  Let them get the sequence down and THEN work on going 5 yards every four counts.  Just don't throw it all together at once!

[AdorkableWitch]

On 12/17/2020 at 2:55 PM, Stee said:

In relation to the bubble, how did the girls travel from their "dedicated two floors of the Gaylord" to AT&T stadium?  Were there bus drivers or other people they had to pass going from one place to another?  Interesting they show the temperature checks, masks and constantly reference "the bubble" but then casually just travel to the stadium and don't really mention how they get there/get back/what measures they are taking for that.  Also strange that Kelli wears a mask but Judy wears a Faceshield (but no mask). 

Also, a as a gay guy from NYC, I still can't help but chuckle/be shook every time they say "The Gaylord Texas."  I hear ya, girl!

The Gaylord is in the parking lot of AT&T stadium. So they likely just walked.

[ClassicPegg]

58 minutes ago, AdorkableWitch said:

The Gaylord is in the parking lot of AT&T stadium. So they likely just walked.

I believe you are thinking of something else...

Edited December 20, 2020 by ClassicPegg

[vanillagum]

On 12/17/2020 at 1:25 AM, Lona said:

"Meredith looks like she's lost her edge."

Um ... Kelli? I don't think Meredith ever had an "edge."

I love how someone earlier pointed out that the clips they showed of her 'edge' in auditions were from the 2018 tryouts, when she didn't even make it into TC lol

[SMP637]

On 12/18/2020 at 11:12 PM, kalibean said:

(That said, I wish Kat would take about 20% off the top. She’s gorgeous and has a lot of wonderful personality features, but damn she’s exhausting.  And it’s not making up for her dance struggles IMO.)

I love her "20%"..... she's unapologetically herself and on a team full of "yes ma'ams", I love that she doesn't change who she is to fit the mold.   People may not like that,  but for people like me (who many may consider "extra"), it's refreshing! 

The world preaches staying true to yourself,  but when you do,  you get knocked down for it..... THAT'S exhausting.

[Lynnbo]

On 12/17/2020 at 10:03 AM, sATL said:

I don't mind the sob story if : (a) it is directly about the dancer abilities, like a torn ACL (or another body part), or (b) it is about the dancers failures on their journey to TCC- like a couple of past TCC who tried out for years to make their college, or another professional team, or didn't win at some competition, didn't get certain training (DCC Ashely's story her tryout year) .

In other words - a tragedy, closely related to dancing's overall health, or career, that to happened directly to them. 

I know the dancers are young, and the first death experience death of a loved one or friend can shake their world, its a bit much for this show. In the case of the friend who died from horseback riding, one also should consider the family - they might not want their story retold on the show. Its one thing for a local community to share in the loss, its another to be on a tv show.

Even though the dad was speaking his truth about Graves Disease, I just wish he didn't speak on camera. It just wasn't the time and place.

The mom of the girl that died has said she was afraid her daughter will be forgotten and was glad for her story to be told.  It also brings up the importance of organ donation. For her, this is a way for her child to live on. This is common to people who lose their children, to be afraid their child had been forgotten, so keep that in mind if someone you know loses a child please. Don’t think you’ll hurt them by bringing them up. You can’t hurt them any more than it does and they get to talk about some one they miss. I know this because I lost a son to SIDS. 

[Weeklydcc]

On 12/18/2020 at 6:50 PM, aeroluv327 said:

I think if Kat had had another solo like the one she did last year, she would have gotten cut at finals.

Speaking of solos, I'm surprised there has been no mention of solos or show group auditions.  Hopefully they're coming up.

[Stee]

On 12/20/2020 at 4:30 PM, SMP637 said:

I love her "20%"..... she's unapologetically herself and on a team full of "yes ma'ams", I love that she doesn't change who she is to fit the mold.   People may not like that,  but for people like me (who many may consider "extra"), it's refreshing! 

I agree with this. Kat may be extra but I’ll gladly take it compared to the other girls who like as exciting as a sandwich made of two pieces of white bread and mayonnaise. 

[Lynnbo]

On 12/17/2020 at 10:03 AM, sATL said:

I don't mind the sob story if : (a) it is directly about the dancer abilities, like a torn ACL (or another body part), or (b) it is about the dancers failures on their journey to TCC- like a couple of past TCC who tried out for years to make their college, or another professional team, or didn't win at some competition, didn't get certain training (DCC Ashely's story her tryout year) .

In other words - a tragedy, closely related to dancing's overall health, or career, that to happened directly to them. 

I know the dancers are young, and the first death experience death of a loved one or friend can shake their world, its a bit much for this show. In the case of the friend who died from horseback riding, one also should consider the family - they might not want their story retold on the show. Its one thing for a local community to share in the loss, its another to be on a tv show.

Even though the dad was speaking his truth about Graves Disease, I just wish he didn't speak on camera. It just wasn't the time and place.