S11.E12: Top 8 Perform + Elimination

[calipiano81]

 

The judges can pretend Ryan was an invisible partner all they want, but I noticed him.

 

I don't know why the judges (even Mary!) completely ignore Ryan every single time. What is their problem with him? The whole asking-people-to-vote-for-Ashleigh thing back in Season 6? Why would they even care about that? And why ask him back as an All-Star if they really don't care for him?

[calipiano81]

 

I never got the Comfort love in her season. She never seemed that good to me. But now, wow. Talk about growth as a dancer!

 

Comfort was, and continues to be a fabulous hip hop dancer. Unfortunately, during her season, she wasn't a particularly versatile dancer, and I doubt that has changed since, which is why it puzzles me when from time to time people talk about her "growth." I think Comfort is loved now because we always see her do what she is best at doing (and I think that goes for all of the All-Stars).

Will the contestants be dancing with each other as well as with All-Stars? Because if it is just All-Stars, there would only be six routines (and six 45-second solos) for a 2-hour show.

[crowceilidh]

Good point about the Allstars, calipiano81.  

 

Can anybody point me to this week's Afterbuzz?  I don't seem to be able to find it and I sure enjoyed the show with Jaime and Nick.

[kelnic86]

 

It sure seems to me, too, that the judges really want Jessica to win.

 

But don't their favorites usually have an easier road to the finale? You know, like being paired up with a popular or highly-skilled dancer, given the best choreography, slathered with praise, stuff like that. I feel like they pick their favorites during Vegas week and then pave the way accordingly to get the results that they want. Sometimes it works (i.e Melanie and Marko, Amy and Fik-Shun) and sometimes they backfire (i.e Mollee and Nathan from Season 6. They obviously intended for them to be a power couple but things just didn't work out. Didn't they call them the Dream Team?)

 

In the beginning, I too thought Jessica (along with Ricky) was someone they wanted to win, but then she got the West Coast Swing, a terrible Tyce Jazz, and I thought the Foxtrot was nice but the judges didn't like it at all. Not to mention she kept getting saddled with partners that I knew were either not popular enough or skilled enough to last that long. For a while I thought the judges had given up on her because they kept criticizing her, especially when it came to her facial expressions (but that was mainly Misty making that critique). But then she gets a Travis contemporary with Casey and the praise starts up again and it's all about her growth and finally living up to her potential. Maybe their intent all along was to give her some kind of growth arc, I don't know. But it just seems odd to me that they would do that. Good thing for Jessica her fanbase was big enough to keep her out of the bottom those first few weeks.

Edited August 15, 2014 by kelnic86

[kechara]

I don 't see Afterbuzz up yet either. I have found that it's not always consistent. Sometimes it's not up til late Friday. I was highly entertained by Jamie and Nick, but the week before with Mandy Moore was quite interesting.

 

I remember hearing repeatedly about Comfort's sickled feet in her season.  But I guess it doesn't matter in hip hop.  Not being a dancer in any way, I had a really weird visual image.

[Percysowner]

 

Yeah, I agree Tanisha was booted because she isn't as pretty as Jessica or Jacque (I couldn't even remember her name, had to look it up) or as spunky as Valerie.  The shame is that she is obviously a more talented and versatile dancer than the other girls.

I do think that Valerie lasted this long because 1) People like Rickey and Rickey obviously liked Valerie as his partner. and 2) You knew who the hell she was when you went to vote. Now I threw most of my votes at various guys (bye Serge and Emilio). When I did like a girl's performance I often had to click on several brunettes or several blonds before I found the one I wanted to vote for. Honestly this week, When Jessica came out on stage and before her name flashed I was going blond, Carly, no I liked Carly and Carly went home it must be... and then Jessica's name came up. I could recognize both Valerie and Tanisha immediately

 

Which brings me to Tanisha vs. Valerie. For me, Tanisha is this year's Jenna, in as much as I recognize that she is versatile and very talented and I just don't connect with her. Maybe it is looks, but Valerie isn't exactly beauty queen material either. For me, Valerie is this year's Evan, She isn't great technically, but I feel good and happy watching her dance. So, after throwing votes at Carly failed, I throw a vote or two to Valerie.

 

 

This year they are back to only one winner.  They cheapo'd out.

 

It was pointed out to me that they did not cheapo out by bringing it down to one winner this season. Last year, the male and female winner got $100,000 each. This year the winner gets $250,000. Either they felt they would pull in more viewers with only one winner, or the Broadway show was willing to guarantee a spot for one person, but not two. I'm leaning toward the show hoping that having only one winner will ratchet up tension and make people watch, but I could be totally off base.

[phoenix780]

In the beginning, I too thought Jessica (along with Ricky) was someone they wanted to win, but then she got the West Coast Swing, a terrible Tyce Jazz, and I thought the Foxtrot was nice but the judges didn't like it at all. Not to mention she kept getting saddled with partners that I knew were either not popular enough or skilled enough to last that long. For a while I thought the judges had given up on her because they kept criticizing her, especially when it came to her facial expressions (but that was mainly Misty making that critique). But then she gets a Travis contemporary with Casey and the praise starts up again and it's all about her growth and finally living up to her potential. Maybe their intent all along was to give her some kind of growth arc, I don't know. But it just seems odd to me that they would do that. Good thing for Jessica her fanbase was big enough to keep her out of the bottom those first few weeks.

 

Objectively speaking, maybe she's hasn't been coddled.

 

I think maybe I just feel like she has because we have two tappers who are never inside their genre, or even close to it, when the show could easily give them that, and I like them better than her.  So when it seems like she's getting routines close to her stated genre (and the kids I like aren't) or she's given the kind of routines the show clearly things are crowd pleasers (and kids I like aren't), it starts to feel like the whole thing is tilted in her favor, regardless of what it might be objectively.

 

Plus I'm unconvinced she made it to top 10 based on votes.  The judges made a big deal of telling us that they were going with viewer votes for a couple weeks.  That final week I didn't hear it, though I may have missed it.  Again, it just makes me feel like things are a little unfairly tilted in her favor, though who knows what the truth is.

 

I wouldn't mind if I could see how awesome she is.  Or, y'know, remember her.  Seems like she needed a little more time to cook before going on a show like this, imho.

[Lara Morgana]

Most people say S3 or S5 was the best but for me, it was S4.  S3 had the best technical dancers in their genre but only a few were versatile.  And they were not a cohesive group.  Nor were they as good at performing as S4.

 

I respectfully disagree.   I loved, loved, loved Season 3 and got to meet all the dancers when they were on tour (and they were incredibly tiny people) but to me Season 2 was far and away the best.  Best performers/dancers, best music, best choreography, best group numbers.  The show hit it's peak with Seasons 2, 3 and 4 (and yes, I love MARK!) and it's been a downhill slide since then.

[Cuatro1234]

I loved the opening group routine!  It seemed fresh and different to me.  Zack really stood out (in a good way) to me, too.

 

I really liked the Control Freakz number, too, but man, were those shirts ill-fitting.  And that one woman's shirt came untucked at the end--so distracting.  I kept expecting them to rip them off at some point and have a cool sleek outfit underneath.

 

Oh, the wrong girl went home tonight.  I wanted Tanisha and Carly as Top 2 girls, whoops.  I think they are both better dancers than the 3 remaining.

 

I thought once we got to All-Stars, there was one dance with an All-Star and another dance with a dancetestant.  It seems like we are getting less dancing this year.  Am I mis-remembering?  I know one year they had too many dances (solos and 2 dances and group dance or something) and had to eliminate intro packages, but I thought it settled back into 2 dances/contestant.

 

[crossover]

I respectfully disagree.   I loved, loved, loved Season 3 and got to meet all the dancers when they were on tour (and they were incredibly tiny people) but to me Season 2 was far and away the best.  Best performers/dancers, best music, best choreography, best group numbers.  The show hit it's peak with Seasons 2, 3 and 4 (and yes, I love MARK!) and it's been a downhill slide since then.

I forgot that there are S2 people as well.  The partnerships began (Benjelle phenom) and they were characters.  Didn't .they break themselves into 2 groups?  It seems like Travis' group even had a name.  Dmitry was the partner killer who kept being saved (back when Mary took up for ballroom dancers).  They also kept saving Ivan until he got a strong fanbase then he outlasted Allison.  Mary made Donyelle cry because she said she didn't belong.  Travis couldn't do ballroom until he got with Heidi.  Benji never got a contemporary routine (never would happen now).  Ryan didn't want Heidi for his partner.  And, Travis' group lifted him at the end eventhough Benji won.  Good Times!!!

 

I liked the early season too but S2 as a whole was not versatile.  But I see why S2 would be your favorite just like I see why some would prefer S3 or S5.

[Toaster Strudel]

All the previous seasons, the top 6 or top 4 were so good that I didn't care who won.

 

This season, they are so bland, that I don't think they should have a winner at all.  The only thing I've been rooting for is for Rudy and Valerie to go home.

 

I mean, Carly and Tanisha are gone... and even these two, being the better dancers, were no Eleonore, Fik-Shun, Russell, etc.

[Merneith]

I know he sang it, but can "Smile" really be considered an MJ song?? Not that I'm complaining, but if the show couldn't find 8 original MJ songs to use, maybe they should have chosen a different artist to pay tribute to (for many reasons)...

 

Seriously. If you're a dance show - why even bother with a Michael Jackson night if you're not going to do Thriller? I'm not really a Michael Jackson fan but I figured that at least we might see some good numbers. I'm just mystified at how blah this whole season has been.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Man, the costumes in the opening number were really unflattering on all the girls. We know that they all have amazing bodies because we've seen them in previous weeks, but those silver unitards with black stripes made them look short and stocky.

 

Cat looked amazing. Her hair and makeup were gorgeous, and I loved her dress (minus the cape). She looked so sophisticated and classy. Mary looked great too. Her hair color and style looked age appropriate but not too old/stuffy. Same with her dress - it looked like something an old time movie star would have worn.

 

I wish the dancers had been allowed to do solos sooner. If we need to cut something to make time for that, feel free to stop showing the footage of people dancing at home and limit Nigel to ten seconds per routine to pat himself on the back.

 

I found it adorable that so many of the dancers still refer to their teachers as Miss So and So.

 

Ricky and Jaime's routine was paint by numbers contemporary, but at least it wasn't angsty so we didn't get the sad/angry flailing. Jaime's flowy dress really helped make the choreography look light and airy. Ricky has such beautiful technique, and I am an emotional packrat so I love that he has been asking Cat for all his cards so he can put them in his scrapbook. That is exactly the kind of thing I do, so I found it endearing. I felt really bad that I had no memory of the S6 contestant who is Ricky's current dance. Even after they showed a clip of him performing during S6 I was still scratching my head and thinking, "Who is that guy?"

 

Valerie has had some really unflattering costumes this season, but she looked smoking hot in that blue dress! Heh, and I loved that Ryan was showing more cleavage than she was. After reading the comments here, I was expecting this dance to be a complete disaster so I had the bar set pretty low in my mind. I was pleasantly surprised. I thought Valerie started out really well until she hit the samba rolls. She reminds me of Fik Shun in that she just glows with happiness when she's dancing. I honestly think the two of them could stand in a field of flowers and turn in circles like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music and they would still look genuinely thrilled.

 

Casey did better than I thought he would at hip hop but I was so distracted by the spider on Comfort's costume.

 

I loved seeing Nick back, partly because I loved him in the first season and partly because I know it still rankles Nigel that Nick won. Usually Nigel likes to pretend that S1 never happened. In previous years, they only had one dancer from S1 (Melody in S8, Nick in S9, and no one representing S1 in the All Stars during S10) and they only performed once per season. Tanisha was lovely but I thought the dress looked too heavy for her and the dance. Did everyone have a meeting before the show and agree that they would all discuss Tanisha's core?

 

I don't really want to talk about the solos, but Jessica's annoyed me so much. From the beginning the judges have told her to quit making those fake faces while she dances and she made them nonstop during her solo. Plus ugh, that Celine Dion song. On the opposite end of the solo spectrum, I loved that Ricky used Olafur Arnalds.

 

I loved seeing Allison's curly hair again. As much as I like the straight hair she's been sporting the last few years, I love her curly hair (probably because I have stick straight hair and I always have curl envy). Ha, I also loved that Rudy's teacher said that sometimes there's that one kid in a sport that loves it so much that you want to give them a hug because they aren't good at it. That describes Rudy perfectly. Well, if you aren't tired of his endless mugging. I didn't find this routine as great as the judges did, but I loved the last lift. And Rudy won some of my respect when they started talking about how he threw himself under Allison when he almost dropped her during dress rehearsal. Good partners always try to save their partners when something goes awry.

 

 

 

I love Spencer Liff, but doesn't he know that any dance set to "The Way You Make Me Feel" is supposed to include a motorcycle and ballet stripping?  Get it together, Liff!

Ha, no kidding! And it must be followed by a completely improbably instant costume change, a million fouettes, and telling Cooper Nielsen that as a boyfriend, he kind of sucks. What the hell is with the costume people this week?

 

I just saw Makenzie in the rehearsal footage looking normal and fit. Then she walked on stage looking 50 pounds heavier. I seriously thought she had been injured and they had to substitute another dancer at the last minute. Then she took off the coat and she still looked huge. Like I said, I know she isn't actually big because she looked her usual size during rehearsal, so this is all on the costume people. The cut and proportion of that dress were terrible. It still surprises me every week that Zack looks like such a young innocent Howdy Doody when he's not dancing but transforms into this mature, confident, charismatic man when he's dancing.

 

I always love watching twitch do his thing. I was surprised that Jacque did as well as she did. I really had to force myself to watch her instead of twitch because he was so awesome. But ugh, Nigel.This is the second time this season that he has told a dancer they just used parts of their body they have never used before. Nigel, they are dancers. They have used every muscle at some point. Most of them use all of their muscles on a daily basis, so please stop being such a condescending prick. I really thought he was going to say something useful when he started talking about how ballet has such a different posture, but nope.

 

Every time Cat introduces Jessica, whether it's during the intros, the solos, or the actual routines, I always think wait, who? Oh, she's still here? She is just so bland and forgettable to me. Why was she wearing a dress with a collar buttoned all the way up her neck? That must have been so hot to dance in. Meanwhile Will got to dance shirtless (not that I'm complaining!). Ha, and Earth Song would be Nigel's favorite Michael Jackson song.

 

Not only did I enjoy the Control Freakz performance, but the Amélie soundtrack is one of my favorites so they get extra credit for that!

 

Interesting that this week and last week, the eliminated dancers were originally partners. Please don't tell me that means Jacque and Zack will be eliminated next week!

 

I really really hate theme nights in general. It takes me back to some awful episodes of American Idol.

Ugh, me too. And I can't imagine being a choreographer during one of those weeks.

 

I wonder if the choreographers are told in advance which All Star will be doing their routine or even if they're just told which gender the All Star will be. I just wondered if they intentionally make the male or female part flashier depending on which gender is the All Star versus the contestant.

 

Will the contestants be dancing with each other as well as with All-Stars? Because if it is just All-Stars, there would only be six routines (and six 45-second solos) for a 2-hour show.

Last season they had the top 6 each dance with the All Stars plus they put the contestants back into pairs, so that's nine dances plus solos. If they don't do that, then maybe they will have the mini group dances (one for the boys and one for the girls).

Edited August 15, 2014 by ElectricBoogaloo

[shortpplfedup]

For me, Valerie is this year's Evan, She isn't great technically, but I feel good and happy watching her dance.

I cannot let this stand. Evan Kasprzak may be short and funny-faced, but his jazz technique is, and was, exceptional. His ballon is impressive, his athleticism is impressive and he is incredibly light on his feet.

[damnman]

When I started reading the comments and everyone kept mentioning Jessica, I was like who?  Yup she's that memorable to me, as is Jacque and Casey.

 

I am absolutely devastated that Tanisha was sent packing - girl is seriously awesome, but like a few people commented above I think it was her "look", the non-conventional beauties always get screwed over.  Tanisha you are a beautiful woman and one heck of a dancer!

 

Thank gawd Rudy's gone!

 

Comfort is seriously awesome! She has the "chill" attitude that is oh so Hip Hop.

 

Will.  Wowza, just wowza.  When he did that jump behind Jessica at the end of their routine I wanted to move Jessica out of the way so that I could see it for all its beauty.  He has seriously matured and is an absolutely gorgeous dancer!

 

I think of Valerie as the Fik Shun of this season, she exudes absolute joy when she dances but isn't the best dancer (she is really heavy on her feet), Fik Shun was the same way outside of his genre, how can you knock someone who has such a gorgeous smile? (Fik Shun I'm talking to you).

 

Ricky's lines are just beautiful but he is a much better soloist than partner dancer and Zack seems so "young" in his look but he matures drastically when he dances, and I agree with his mentor, he seems like a sponge that takes in all pointers and incorporates them.

 

Side note - I am not a dancer, have never been a dancer, just know what I like to see and agree with many posters above - this is not the best season of this show (I really miss SYTYCD Canada!)

[crowceilidh]

He has seriously matured and is an absolutely gorgeous dancer!

 

Just need to pop in to say that Will has ALWAYS been an absolutely gorgeous dancer.  ALWAYS. He is my vote for most unfairly overlooked dancer ever and as we know, that's a massive field of people.

Edited August 15, 2014 by crowceilidh

[waving feather]

Will.  Wowza, just wowza.  When he did that jump behind Jessica at the end of their routine I wanted to move Jessica out of the way so that I could see it for all its beauty.  He has seriously matured and is an absolutely gorgeous dancer!

 

I liked the choreography and Will was so beautiful during the piece. Just WHOA and that physique! On the other hand, Jessica is just a pretty dancer. She's doing pretty things on stage but hasn't done anything that wow me yet. Even her solo is pretty but that's about it. And yes, I don't how it happened but she's more forgettable than Valerie and Jacque (who started out as fodder #1) at this point for me. I completely missed her out when I was counting the people who were safe/in danger. 

 

I also agree that Zack is more introverted and reserved when he's not dancing but when he's dancing, he transforms. I'm always surprised by him even though I know he's good. Like, I forgot he actually does tap (and so well) until his solo this week.

 

Casey has also been winning me over since his dance with Kathryn last week. To my untrained eyes, his technique is on the same level or even better than Ricky's. Ricky does beautiful extensions through his legs but sometimes I find his upper body lacking. He would have beautiful lines in his legs but it doesn't extend fully out to the rest of his torso. I also enjoyed Casey's solo more than Ricky's. Casey finally danced to the music and it was more dynamic as a contemporary solo.

 

I didn't enjoy Ricky and Jaimie's routine because the partnering was not good at all. One of my favorites, Jess LeProtto, in season 8 received consistent constructive criticism regarding his lifts because he is also a small guy. I didn't hear anything of the same for Ricky even though it was obvious he sometimes had trouble lifting Valerie or Jaimie.

 

So glad Rudy is gone. I didn't get all the praise he got for his routine with Allison. Allison was doing all the work and when I tried to watch him, he looked BAD. Like untrained dancer bad. And I never thought his showmance with Jacque is real nor is reciprocated by Jacque. Let's be honest, Jacque can do so much better.

[RachelKM]

Just need to pop in to say that Will has ALWAYS been an absolutely gorgeous dancer.  ALWAYS. He is my vote for most unfairly overlooked dancer ever and as we know, that's a massive field of people.

Agreed.  He was always stunning.  His pas de deux with Katee was lovely (despite a minor slip) and his samba with Courtney was one of my favorite non-specialist Latin dances this show has had.   My recollection was that for some reason the judge didn't like his initial partner (Mia especially was horrible to her) and all of their routines were criticize more than I thought was fair.  They seemed to turn on him too (again, especially Mia)  when he started to become visibly frustrated with the critiques of his partner (I think her name was also Jessica). 

Edited August 15, 2014 by RachelKM

[Woodrose]

I believe Wade, I support Wade, I miss Wade's brilliant choreography.  Years ago, the police detective who investigated child molestation at NeverLand was quoted as saying he expects all of Jackson's 'special friends' to come forward eventually with their stories of abuse.  Wade has been joined in his suit by another victim who is also coming forward in his mid-twenties.  The psychs have explained all the reasons why people initially lie, often for years, about child abuse they experienced.

 

Curses upon Nigel for this asinine, mean, malicious, low-class stunt.  I love to watch dancing, but I'm now on board with canceling SYTYCD.  It will be Nigel's just desserts for this offensive show.

[WhineandCheez]

I think of Valerie as the Fik Shun of this season, she exudes absolute joy when she dances but isn't the best dancer (she is really heavy on her feet), Fik Shun was the same way outside of his genre, how can you knock someone who has such a gorgeous smile? 

 

Like shortpplfedup, I cannot let this stand. Fikshun is amazing in his own style.  Valerie, is  heavy  and clunky in all styles EVEN HER OWN.  If you are being given a pass, shouldn't you excel in your own style then?  She taps hunched over and looking down at her ugly red tap shoes.

[LadyArcadia]

There's nothing I can really say that hasn't already been said.  I'm just absolutely floored that Valerie is still there. Here's what I posted in the audition thread way back when

 

Tapper also did not impress me. Nigel was right, she was too childlike in her moves. Not enough grit and soul in her tapping. I don't think she deserved to even go to choreography.

 

 

My opinion of her hasn't changed. She seems like a sweet girl, but has no business being on the show this far.  The only thing she's impressed me with is her leg wave in the hip hop (that was seriously impressive).  Both her Samba and Viennese made me want to cover my eyes and cry.

 

And now in opposite land, I actually really liked Rudy. His goofy personality sucked, and he is overall cringe-worthy, but I watched his performance with Allison 4 times in a row and got chills each time.  Maybe it was just Allison, I don't know... but I loved it. It was my favorite of the night and in my opinion deserved the standing O.  Also, his Cha-Cha with Jenna was out of this world as far as technique.  No one else on the show could have done as well as he did in that Cha-Cha. 

 

Speaking of Cha-Cha... I call BS that there was only one awkward ballroom dance to MJ music. There are several MJ songs that make amazing Cha-Chas. They could have easily added another ballroom dance. 

 

SYTYCD needs to stop bashing on the ballroom and DWTS needs to leave Contemp alone.  Learn your place, shows!

[preex]

Can anybody point me to this week's Afterbuzz?

 

Here it is, with guests Makenzie Dustman & Jasmine Harper.  Courtney Galiano was also scheduled but she got stuck on set.

 

Curses upon Nigel for this asinine, mean, malicious, low-class stunt.  I love to watch dancing, but I'm now on board with canceling SYTYCD.  It will be Nigel's just desserts for this offensive show.

 

I highly doubt Nigel personally chose a theme featuring Michael Jackson as a spiteful response to Wade's allegations.  I don't even think Nigel is that involved in the organization/production part of the show.  Allegations against Michael Jackson has been around for years and years even before his death.  If people feel strongly that his work should be ostracized due to those allegations, then you would think there'd be outrage last year when his work was used and praised on the show.

 

Edited to fix the link.

Edited August 15, 2014 by preex

[BensBritches]

First, the good things:

Will... nothing more needs to be said...

Bye, bye Rudy.

Solos!  Finally!

 

Then, the bad:

MJ night?  Hated it!  I wanted to mute the music.

Jenna Dewan Whoever- FF'd her.  She may be a "legitimate" dancer, but her comments added nothing.  I only have so much time in my life to waste (still working toward my own personal carpe diem!)

Tanisha gone before the other 3? Sacrilege!

 

I still don't think Ricky is TCO.  I think Nigel is playing a good game by never really saying anything of value about him.  He praises him, but really it only seems to be his technique and nothing else, but he comments on the all around dancer for others.  Nigel calls him "the best dancer" but he's also always emphasized that this show is NOT about the " best" dancer, but "America's favorite."  I think Nigel wants either Jessica or a tapper to win. 

 

And while I do love Ricky, like someone above said, his height seems to hamper his partner dancing a lot.  His solos and his roles in the group dances when he's not paired with a much taller girl- I find captivating... but he alone with a female (particularly during the lifts) I find just not "pretty" if that makes sense.  Of course his height is not under his control, but I wonder if it will limit his career or future prospects.

 

Vince who?  Why do I have absolutely no memory of the guy Ricky said was a former contestant and is now his dance mentor?  I mean, not an ounce of recall.  Was he ousted early on?

 

I am also confused about the eliminations, if we are only going to have 1 winner, does it have to be a finale of 2 boys and 2 girls?  Shouldn't the top 4 vote-getters be in the finale if gender isn't going to play into who wins?  This season seems to both have dragged and be too short.  Are there only 2 shows left?  Next week we eliminate 2 more dancers (don't care for the ladies and hope it's Casey for the guys) and then we're at the final 4? 

 

Has there been less dancing this year?  Really the shows seem to pack way too much in that isn't contestant dancing, with dance crews, singing (if we can call it that) showcases, dance step tutorials, interview packages every week, results, eliminations, Nigel's pointless pontificating... This season has not been very memorable in terms of dancers or personalities, but I still would like to see more dancing!

 

I never thought I'd say this, but perhaps this show has run it's course and this should be the last season.  I used to live for this show.  I used to be inspired by this show.  I used to want to dance because of this show.  I used to get turned on to lots of new music from this show ("Cathedrals" by Jump Little children being one of my favs).  Now- I come here to snark.  How the mighty have fallen.

[phoenix780]

My recollection was that for some reason the judge didn't like his initial partner (Mia especially was horrible to her) and all of their routines were criticize more than I thought was fair.  They seemed to turn on him too (again, especially Mia)  when he started to become visibly frustrated with the critiques of his partner (I think her name was also Jessica).

 

I don't remember them turning on him.  I remember them bashing her, though, and saying she brought him down, until she broke a rib (I think it was a rib) and left the competition.  I remember him being a little frosty then, but I always felt like he was buying into his own hype.

 

He's a phenomenal dancer, though.  Not someone I liked that much the first go-round, but he was amazing in his routine the other night.  I remember with both him and Allison, they have this way of holding tension in their bodies that none of the contestants have.  It makes it interesting to watch, imho, the hold and release.  And forgive me, but it reminds me of when Tyra demonstrates how to model on ANTM, the way they have such control over their bodies when they move.  It's beautiful.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

What I love about Allison's dancing is that she has that tension so it's obvious that she is in complete control of every micromovement of her body but she still makes it look so natural and effortless. With other dancers, they may have the technique but sometimes they make it look like work (TM Jonathan in Center Stage) or it looks very calculated.

 

Re: Will being the most underrated dancer on SYTYCD - I always feel like that was Allison because the judges spent their entire critiques on Ivan. If they addressed Allison, it was usually to say, "You were great as always. Now let's talk about Ivan." Their critique for Why is what I always remember. She danced so beautifully and all they could talk about was Ivan's journey and his growth and how he had become a man and on and on and on while Allison just stood there totally ignored.

 

Will, on the other hand, was less ignored/underrated and more criticized if I recall correctly. Not that I'm saying that's any better but I felt their situations were a bit different when they were contestants. It's nice to see the judges acknowledge that Allison, Will, and other dancers they have brought back as All Stars are actually good at what they do. I think it's kind of ridiculous that they make the All Stars leave the stage during the critiques because the judges want to focus on the actual contestant. You know it's possible to have the All Star stand on the stage while the judges only give feedback to the contestant, right? Not our judges though. If a puppy ran across the stage they would have to put it on the hot tamale train and talk about its feet because the judges are of the "Ooh, shiny! Want to ride bikes?" variety.

[crowceilidh]

And the strange thing about the judges hating on Jessica King (Will's partner) is that she was stunning in the Adam and Eve dance and AWESOME in the HH.  They put Will in a very strange position, especially for someone of his general political stance - all zen and peace and earthchild and love.  

 

Re: Allison, as I said, the field of unfairly overlooked people is a very large one - I'm sure we all have our candidates.

 

Then there's the unfairly pumped up field - that's pretty freaking large too.  Kherington, this season's Jessica, Melanie, Valerie etc. ad nauseam.

 

Isn't it interesting that both Zack and Tanisha have that ability to transform their looks when dancing.  I really hope that Zack makes it through to final four.  In fact, I'd like him to take the prize.  He's the only dancer left whom I find remotely exciting and he's been my horse since the first show.

[shortpplfedup]

Like shortpplfedup, I cannot let this stand. Fikshun is amazing in his own style.  Valerie, is  heavy  and clunky in all styles EVEN HER OWN.  If you are being given a pass, shouldn't you excel in your own style then?  She taps hunched over and looking down at her ugly red tap shoes.

 

Even outside of his style, Fikshun danced much better than Valerie IN hers. I find her rhythms muddy and often off-tempo, and that's before I even get to her upper body and ARMS UGH.

[preex]

Re: Allison, as I said, the field of unfairly overlooked people is a very large one - I'm sure we all have our candidates.

Then there's the unfairly pumped up field - that's pretty freaking large too.  Kherington, this season's Jessica, Melanie, Valerie etc. ad nauseam.

 

 

I don't think Allison was overlooked on her season at all, she was consistently praised by the judges.  If anything, I think she lost out on votes because people assumed that she would be safe.  I think it is fair to say the views on the unfairly pumped up field can be HIGHLY subjective.  Ha.

 

I like all the remaining guys with Ricky being my favorite.  I think he definitely had some flat/ok performances but he brings something special and a level above the rest when he is in his element.  Zack is like Tanisha for me in that they are both impressively versatile but can be a bit subdue in their performances.  Casey's performance ability has grown so much since the start of the season, especially after top 12.  He's more relaxed and that even shows in his post show interviews.

 

I don't have a preference when it comes to the girls.  Jessica was in a few memorable pieces, but both good memorable and bad memorable.  lol. I think Jacque's run on the show has been good but uneventful.  Of the three remaining girls, Valerie has the most stage presence but is also probably the weakest dancer.

[Percysowner]

I cannot let this stand. Evan Kasprzak may be short and funny-faced, but his jazz technique is, and was, exceptional. His ballon is impressive, his athleticism is impressive and he is incredibly light on his feet.

I do agree that in his style Evan was fantastic. The thing is they kept giving him ballroom. I checked his dances for that season. He did three Jazz, one Pop-Jazz and two Broadway. He also did 1 contemporary and one Hip Hop. He did five Ballroom routines including 2 Jives, a Samba, a Rhumba, a Quickstep, and a Viennese Waltz. That's one HELL of a lot of Ballroom dances for one contestant. To be fair, he did get a lot of his style,  but WOW Jive and Quickstep are usually killer routines and he was not strong in Ballroom. I don't know if they really were luck of the draw, but only one contemporary and one Hip Hop?  

[Terrafamilia]

Just a couple notes on particular dances

Valerie & Ryan - this cha cha was more cheeky that sexy, even with that number Valerie was almost wearing. :-) I did notice the overall slowness and that her arms could have been sharper. Ryan is such a good partner though.

 

Zack & Makenzie - Zach's slacks seemed a little too large and he was wearing both a belt and suspenders. Belt and suspenders!

 

Jacque & tWitch - Jacque needed to be sharper. Not necessarily harder, just sharper. The piece also seemed shorter than the others.

 

Overall, save for Tanisha and Zach, what really stood out is the disparity in the maturity of the dancing between the dancetestants and the all-stars. Even though we have some who are demonstrably technically proficient (Casey, Ricky, Jessica) the all-stars they were partnered with clearly outshone them in the performance department.

 

Regarding the Michael Jackson theme - I've long since learned to separate the art from the artist. I thought it was nice that they chose some of the non-supermega hits like "Beat It" or "Thriller".

 

BTW - I recently discovered that DISH is airing the Classic Arts Showcase channel and was watching it (and Friday Night Smackdown - what a combo!) while also reviewing this show and making my notes. A clip of this number was shown and I thought why don't they recreate some famous pieces for the show instead of just churning out new stuff all the time?

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

[OnceSane]

 

Holy Shit, Comfort.  Lord Above. Can we just give it to her?

 

THIS.  I love Comfort.  But I'm one who loved her during her season as well.

 

I'm not sad/bothered by either elimination Wednesday night.  I wasn't a fan of Tanisha & Rudy was just annoying & not up to par with some of the other dancers.

[Aethera]

Damn it, the cost of dumping Rudy was losing Tanisha?  Not cool, America.  I'm mostly sad I won't get to watch Tanisha dance with Twitch - i think she's the only one left who'd actually be good with him.

 

Liked Jessica tonight more than I ever have, but it's unfair she keeps getting contemporary (Ade next week).  So sick of Ricky.  Rooting for Zach, who had by far the best solo.  Comfort totally blew Casey out of the water I thought, and was wearing a way better outfit than Jasmine did.

 

Next week I expect we'll lose Jacque and Casey.

 

Oh, and Alison was amazing.  Glad Rudy went before her awesomeness catapulted him into the top 4.

Edited August 16, 2014 by aethera

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I thought why don't they recreate some famous pieces for the show instead of just churning out new stuff all the time?

Probably because then the show won't be nominated for 87 choreography Emmys every season that Nigel can brag about. I would actually love if they recreated some iconic routines. There are so many dance scenes from movies and Broadway shows that could be used, but I'm 99% that it's Nigel's ego wanting more Emmys that keeps him insisting on original choreography every week (even if half of it looks exactly the same).

[yourpointis]

Rooting for Zach, who had by far the best solo.

 

 

 

According to Mackenzie (from the AfterBuzz interview linked above), Zach's solo (which I also liked best) was improvised.  

[Electruck]

One thing I almost commented on last week (top 10) was that I thought the choreographers did a good job highlighting the contestant, like Emilio and Tanisha alone at the beginning of their routines, and even having Kathryn in a dark dress instead of a bright one.

This week, not so much. Comfort and Allison were the focus for those routines, then Jaimie and her long billowy skirt was in front of Rickey for much of theirs.

BTW, just watched AfterBuzz, and for those who've commented on how Stacey Tookey looks different -- she's pregnant. Between that and no longer wearing her bangs swept to the side, there you go.

Speaking of hair, Valerie looked like an entirely different person with the hair extensions.

[crowceilidh]

I just can't with that girl on Afterbuzz. The one with the curly hair and horrible nasally little girl voice.  The only one I've been able to watch to conclusion this season is last week's with Jaime and Nick because she just wasn't there.

[kechara]

I can stand the voice. I have heard worse and have had to deal with it on a daily basis at times.  but I felt that the content wasn't that great this week.  Next week will be Spencer Liff and I'm looking forward to that.

[Terrafamilia]

I forgot to mention the snarkiest moment of the night.

 

Nick (referring to Tanisha and her adorable hiccups): She's the woman of my dreams.

 

Me: I'm sure she is, Nick. I'm sure she is.

[Mozelle]

I think that Jessica is a phenomenal dancer. I've been rooting for her since her original audition, and of the girls, I think she is the one to beat. Valerie is cute in a puppy sort of way, but I don't think she's that great of a dancer; not even that great of a tapper. Jacque still hasn't wowed me as a ballet dancer, but that's likely because I'm unfairly comparing her to the likes of Misty Copeland and Sara Mearns.

 

Zach, on the other hand, I can't take my eyes off of him! I loved love loved his solo. I've watched it several times already and still find new things to like about it. I've also found new things to like about Ricky, which surprises me because I didn't think he was a standout during auditions. Honestly, it wasn't until maybe three or four weeks ago that I was like, "OK, Ricky is bad!"

 

I guess this means of the remaining dancers, I'm throwing my lot behind Jessica, Zach, and Ricky.

[panthergirl13]

I FF'd through most of it. Honestly, I am bored to death and I used to LOVE this show. The only reason I continue to watch is to see the All Stars and to read this board. 

 

The MJ theme was distasteful, the music was meh at best, and the contemporary choreography is samey-samey to the point where I can practically dance along and I'm NOT a dancer...I just know what's coming next. (ok, at least I think I do and I'm usually pretty close. Grab! Throw! Bend over, shuffle backwards and pull! See?) 

 

Last week I meant to comment on Nigel's idiotic statement about the Emmys, and how all the writers on shows that win an Emmy get one and why can't ALL the choreographers on this show get one? Well, "suh", last I checked Jon Stewart doesn't make a joke and then mention the writer by name while the camera lovingly pans to his or her 'I'm not worthy" face. If Nigel would like to change the format of SYTYCD so that no choreographers are shown or mentioned but just have their names scoot by in the closing credits, maybe the Academy will entertain his suggestion. 

[Anothermi]

Speaking of hair, Valerie looked like an entirely different person with the hair extensions.

 

True that!  In fact, and I may be alone in this, I thought she looked like a very young Mary Murphy. 

[crossover]

I do agree that in his style Evan was fantastic. The thing is they kept giving him ballroom. I checked his dances for that season. He did three Jazz, one Pop-Jazz and two Broadway. He also did 1 contemporary and one Hip Hop. He did five Ballroom routines including 2 Jives, a Samba, a Rhumba, a Quickstep, and a Viennese Waltz. That's one HELL of a lot of Ballroom dances for one contestant. To be fair, he did get a lot of his style,  but WOW Jive and Quickstep are usually killer routines and he was not strong in Ballroom. I don't know if they really were luck of the draw, but only one contemporary and one Hip Hop?  

At least he got his style a lot.  Brandon, also S5, only had 1 hip hop and 1 contemporary.  And, he's a contemporary dancer.  He didn't get his contemporary routine until top 6.  He had 5 ballrooms, 2 discos, 2 broadways, 2 pop jazz and 1 jazz..

I forgot to mention the snarkiest moment of the night.

 

Nick (referring to Tanisha and her adorable hiccups): She's the woman of my dreams.

 

Me: I'm sure she is, Nick. I'm sure she is.

Thought that was cute too.  Way to play the game Nick.

I just can't with that girl on Afterbuzz. The one with the curly hair and horrible nasally little girl voice.  The only one I've been able to watch to conclusion this season is last week's with Jaime and Nick because she just wasn't there.

I prefer Jake over the girl.  And, I really liked the one with Lindsay and her mom.

[crossover]

Vince who?  Why do I have absolutely no memory of the guy Ricky said was a former contestant and is now his dance mentor?  I mean, not an ounce of recall.  Was he ousted early on?

He said Victor.  You probably don't remember him because he was S6, the fall season.  I think he went out at top 12?  I loved is tango with Karen and the jazz with Channing.

[crossover]

 Ricky - Anya seems like a pairing doomed to be a hot mess. I love Anya, but she's a mature, curvaceous woman and Ricky is a bendy twig. I hope they shock me, but I have a tough time seeing that pairing pull of ballroom. I think Ricky would have paired better with Linsey or Jenna (or Chelsie or Ashleigh).

I don't think we vote on next week's routines?  So it really doesn't matter if it's a hot mess or not, except for Ricky.  I'm sure he wants to perform well.  It will probably be latin because he had the V.Waltz already.  In this way if he wins, you can't say he didn't have latin and smooth.  And, the show won't have to worry about him being voted off after a ballroom routine.  Not saying he's going to win.  Stranger things have happened on this show.

[calipiano81]

Will the contestants be dancing with each other as well as with All-Stars? Because if it is just All-Stars, there would only be six routines (and six 45-second solos) for a 2-hour show.

 

Last season they had the top 6 each dance with the All Stars plus they put the contestants back into pairs, so that's nine dances plus solos. If they don't do that, then maybe they will have the mini group dances (one for the boys and one for the girls).

 

If the Top 6 are paired up with each other as well, who do you think/who would you all like to see paired?

Edited August 17, 2014 by calipiano81

[shortpplfedup]

I just can't with that girl on Afterbuzz. The one with the curly hair and horrible nasally little girl voice.  The only one I've been able to watch to conclusion this season is last week's with Jaime and Nick because she just wasn't there.

She is just godawful. Not just the voice, but I find her contributions incredibly dumb.

[joylove]

Good, if not great episode, IMO.

 

For the second time this season, the dance of the night belonged to the crew. That was beautiful.

 

Allison (oh, and Rudy, I guess) had the duet of the night for me. Every time I see her, I become a little more ashamed that she wasn't my favorite girl during her season. She is such a great dancer, and I'm looking forward to seeing her on DWTS this fall.

 

Will! I agree with all who said he looks so much hotter with the dreds. And he was wonderful in his routine with Jessica.
 

I'm disappointed in Mary.  Valerie's samba was not good and yet she didn't give constructive criticism.  Again, the judges didn't acknowledge Ryan even though they gush over the other all stars. 

 

Thank you! I know a little about samba, but not nearly as much as Mary. After the samba routine was over and Cat went to Mary first, I thought, "Oh, good, she's going to confirm my belief that Valerie looked lost for a good quarter of that routine." Then Mary basically hand waves the awful samba walks and didn't mention the terrible voltas! Very irritating. And, yes, the complete ignoring of Ryan gets more bizarre every week. Why do they do that? Why does he keep showing up despite the disrespect? I hope the money is good.

 

I'll add my voice the chorus of boos about Tanisha's elimination. She was by far the strongest, most versatile, most interesting female dancer there. The other three are boring and pale in comparison.

 

I'm mostly sad I won't get to watch Tanisha dance with Twitch - i think she's the only one left who'd actually be good with him.

 

Dang it! I just wept a little more for what could have been.

 

Thank goodness for the guys; they are MUCH MORE interesting than the women. Ricky is now my favorite, and I love Zach, too.
 

A few weeks ago, someone speculated that we were about the see the Melanie Mooreification of Jessica, and I fear he/she is right. The abundance of contemporary (or related) routines, the dearth of much else, overpraise, etc. It would be a shame if she won, especially if this is the show's last season.

 

Anya and Ricky is going to be like Anya and Kent.  She's too mature for him.

 

I don't know. Did I read somewhere that Ricky is cross-trained in Latin ballroom, or was that just Rudy? If Ricky has Latin experience, he could hold his own. I do agree that Anya is a force to be reckoned with, though.
 

 

Most people say S3 or S5 was the best but for me, it was S4.  S3 had the best technical dancers in their genre but only a few were versatile.  And they were not a cohesive group.  Nor were they as good at performing as S4.  S5 had versatile dancers as well but this was the season that the show really started shaping their critiques and manipulation of styles from the start of the season. 

 

Totally agree. I guess your appreciation of the seasons depends on why you watch the show. I watch to see how well dancers do in styles other than their own. A good number of my favorite routines of all time came in that season from contestants dancing outside their comfort zones.
 

Regarding the Michael Jackson theme - I've long since learned to separate the art from the artist. I thought it was nice that they chose some of the non-supermega hits like "Beat It" or "Thriller".

 

I agree. I certainly understand and respect the opinions of those who don't separate the two. However, for me, it's difficult to deny Michael Jackson's influence on dance, so, in that context, I think it's appropriate for So You Think You Can Dance to dedicate a show to his music (not him). As for the show's connection to Wade, I thought Wade and the show parted ways years ago. Therefore, I don't think the producers needed to take Wade's lawsuit into account when deciding whether or not to do a MJ tribute show. I do have mixed feelings about the songs they chose. While I'm glad they used some unexpected songs, I'm a little disappointed that, other than "The Way You Make Me Feel," they didn't use any songs that I just loved.

 

He said Victor.  You probably don't remember him because he was S6, the fall season.  I think he went out at top 12?  I loved is tango with Karen and the jazz with Channing.

 

Thank you!  I thought he said his name was Ricky, so I couldn't place him. Now that I know his name, I do remember him. And if we're talking about unappreciated dances, his and Karen's tango is very high on my list. Probably my favorite smooth ballroom dance ever on SYTYCD.

Edited August 17, 2014 by joylove

[realdancemom]

Allison (oh, and Rudy, I guess) had the duet of the night for me. Every time I see her, I become a little more ashamed that she wasn't my favorite girl during her season. She is such a great dancer, and I'm looking forward to seeing her on DWTS this fall.

 

I'll add my voice the chorus of boos about Tanisha's elimination. She was by far the strongest, most versatile, most interesting female dancer there. The other three are boring and pale in comparison.

 

Dang it! I just wept a little more for what could have been.

 

Thank goodness for the guys; they are MUCH MORE interesting than the women. Ricky is now my favorite, and I love Zach, too.

 

A few weeks ago, someone speculated that we were about the see the Melanie Mooreification of Jessica, and I fear he/she is right. The abundance of contemporary (or related) routines, the dearth of much else, overpraise, etc. It would be a shame if she won, especially if this is the show's last season.

 

I don't know. Did I read somewhere that Ricky is cross-trained in Latin ballroom, or was that just Rudy? If Ricky has Latin experience, he could hold his own. I do agree that Anya is a force to be reckoned with, though.

 

Totally agree. I guess your appreciation of the seasons depends on why you watch the show. I watch to see how well dancers do in styles other than their own. A good number of my favorite routines of all time came in that season from contestants dancing outside their comfort zones.

 

Thank you!  I thought he said his name was Ricky, so I couldn't place him. Now that I know his name, I do remember him. And if we're talking about unappreciated dances, his and Karen's tango is very high on my list. Probably my favorite smooth ballroom dance ever on SYTYCD.

 

I was only going to comment on Ricky with Anya since you quoted me and I wanted to clarify.  But then I agreed with a lot of what you said so I quoted more.  I took out the part about Ryan and Valerie since it was also my quote that you quoted.  I guess Nigel is still mad at him for not following the script and when it was his turn to say his number, he said Ashleigh's instead and pleaded for the audience to vote for her.  Their love was evident during the whole season and you can't blame the guy for wanting his wife in the finale.

 

Just like Tanisha's elimination was a disappointment this season, it was the same for Allison.  I wanted her to be the top female that season.  Ironically, Allison was also eliminated in top 8 and I see how well she is doing.  I know Tanisha will also do well.  All the choreographers have said that she can do anything and we saw that.  She's already appeared on DWTS multiple times and Mark likes having her as a partner.  I also agree that she would have killed her hip-hop with Twitch.  I also wished that we could have seen Marcquet do hip-hop.  I have seen both of them do hip-hop live and they're really good.

 

Tanisha was my favorite female followed by Carly.  I think Jessica is good with contemporary and she will be good with Ade because they're probably going to do jazz.  I don't know why Will and Jessica got a standing ovation.  It was nice and Will was hot.  But it must look better live because it didn't seem any better than Ricky's or Tanisha's routines.  Like others, I also didn't understand Jessica's outfit and I agree that MacKenzie looked fat in her outfit and she's definitely not.

 

Jacque is like her pointe work.  She's o.k. with both.  She is not all the way up on her blocks and she's kind of wobbly.  When she was partnered with Zack, she was never bad but she was never as good as he was.  Same with her All-Star dances.  For ballet, I'm unfairly comparing her to Eliana.  It's tough being a ballet dancer on this show.  You probably don't have time to be on pointe but you really shouldn't stay away from it for more than two weeks.

 

When I said that Ricky with Anya is like Anya with Kent, I meant it looked like a boy dancing with his older sister.  She is such a sexy curvy woman and dances really hot.  I have no idea if Ricky will be good with Latin dancing but he's short and thin.  I also agree with those that say that he's impressed me more with his solos and group numbers than partner dances.  However, I know that he will still get a lot of work after this show because of his talent.  I'm also rooting for Ricky and Zack for top two.

 

I remember Victor.  Season 6 is underrated.  For Top 20 showcase, I thought we would have four really good contemporary guys with Jakob, Billy Bell (before he was sick), Victor, and Nathan.  It also gave us Kathryn, Ellenore, Ryan, Legacy, Russell, etc.  I'm ashamed to admit that I also watched Victor on Dance Moms Miami.  That show was about his studio.  Angel was the other owner.  i will say that Victor and Angel are a lot nicer to their dancers than Abby Lee Miller.  I'm glad that SYTYCD didn't get her to be a judge like DWTS did.  

 

I like the earlier seasons better because it did push the dancers more outside their styles.  Also, it didn't seem like we were on contemporary overload.

 

I wanted to comment on Rudy and his pre-package.  I loved how he and his teacher knew that he was terrible but he didn't give up.  And now, he's better.  I found him annoying a lot of times but I could never deny that he was cherishing every moment of this show.   You can tell how much he loved being there and wanting to learn as much as he can.  I also like that he said that he fell to the ground when he accidentally dropped Allison during rehearsals.  He was not going to let her hit the ground.  That's taking care of your partner. 

[WhineandCheez]

know Tanisha will also do well.  All the choreographers have said that she can do anything and we saw that.  She's already appeared on DWTS multiple times and Mark likes having her as a partner

 

Tanisha has been on Dancing With the Stars??  Are you sure? As what?

[realdancemom]

Tanisha has been on Dancing With the Stars??  Are you sure? As what?

Yes.  She was Mark's partner in this clip.

 

 

She has also appeared with the Vibe dancers at least once if not twice.  I can't find a clip of it but there was a dance featuring young Utah ballroom dancers.  It was choreographed by Chelsea and Mark.  It had a big ice sculpture in the middle of the floor.  The dance starts with Mark and Tanisha.  If somebody finds it, you will notice Lindsay, Witney, Nick (also S9), Brittany, Brandon, Landon, and a bunch of familiar faces (I think Jenna too).

 

Here's another clip but I don't know if she's performing with the other Vibe dancers in this one.  Brittany Cherry and Brandon Armstrong were mentioned since they were the DWTS kid champions years before.  If SYTYCD is still on, I hope Brandon tries out and makes it.  He went on a mission so that's why he hasn't tried out yet.  He was Lindsay's audition partner but he was too young to audition then.

 

Edited August 18, 2014 by realdancemom