S17.E06: Girls Night Out

[jewel21]

Quote

Group B competes in the studio rounds; six more dancers showcase their talents in various dance styles.

Airdate: 06/22/2022

[displayname]

I don't understand what "Group B" is, or why this episode is named "Girls Night Out".

Edited June 19, 2022 by displayname

[realdancemom]

Girls Night Out might mean that the couples are going to do the girls' styles since they did the guys' styles this week.  Don't know what Group B means.

[displayname]

4 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

Girls Night Out might mean that the couples are going to do the girls' styles since they did the guys' styles this week. 

Ah, OK, thanks.

[DEL901]

Shut up Leah.   And do not interrupt another judge.  

[BlackberryJam]

I’m behind, but that jazz routine felt awkward to me…

[mojoween]

tWitch how could you?  Sure Waverly is a beautiful dancer, but James has IT.

I don’t know what they were all banging on about, I thought James supported Virginia throughout the entire piece.  Fuck I’m so mad, I adored James.

Leah’s not great, and she’s also terrible.

[DEL901]

2 minutes ago, mojoween said:

tWitch how could you?  Sure Waverly is a beautiful dancer, but James has IT.

I don’t know what they were all banging on about, I thought James supported Virginia throughout the entire piece.  Fuck I’m so mad, I adored James.

Leah’s not great, and she’s also terrible.

When tWitch said there was a split decision one dancer, I assumed it was James, my thought was he wanted to keep James, but lost the vote.  I don’t mind. James was good at his style but wasn’t feeling contemporary.  

Edited June 23, 2022 by DEL901

[BlackberryJam]

I agreed with the eliminations. I love James in his own style, but he was not good tonight. Virginia was just there. I wouldn’t have cried if the other couple had been sit home. I do wish the could have done solos before the eliminations were decided.

[DEL901]

Just now, BlackberryJam said:

I agreed with the eliminations. I love James in his own style, but he was not good tonight. Virginia was just there. I wouldn’t have cried if the other couple had been sit home. I do wish the could have done solos before the eliminations were decided.

Agree on all points.  Not good when you don’t shine in your own style, jazz girl.  And not only do I miss the solos, I hate that the audience is the proxy for America.  

[mojoween]

2 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

Agree on all points.  Not good when you don’t shine in your own style, jazz girl.  And not only do I miss the solos, I hate that the audience is the proxy for America.  

Honestly the show ended eight minutes ago and I’ve already forgotten her name. Is it Alexis?  Are there two Alexis’s?

Anna is being held back.  Good thing she shines on her own.

[desertflower]

Beau surprised me tonight, I think he did well in his dance.

The jazz dance was really forgettable.

I think James and Virginia’s dance had interesting elements to it but seemed like James was a little slow with some of the transitions. Given more time and practice I think he could be an interesting contemporary dancer. I liked how the choreographer mixed his bonebreaking into the routine.

Keaton is still my favorite, I think. 

[displayname]

Keaton/Alexis are the couple to beat even now, and Keaton just transforms on the stage. He's my pick to win.

Ralyn/Carter were forgettable, and Carter's movement is too saccharine for me.

I enjoyed the way James was choreographed into the contemporary, but I cannot deny he had little to no "contemporary technique". Virginia was forgettable.

Did not enjoy Waverly in that jazz at all. Jordan was better to me but not noteworthy.

Beau is a good performer, but not a particularly skilled dancer. That being said, he was certainly not the weakest of the night. Anna was fine.

Essence was amazing. She'd be my pick for the female winner, if we were doing that gimmick again. Thiago hasn't lived up to his solo work.

Agree with the eliminations based off what was shown in this episode, although I find James more interesting than Waverly.

[Mystery Author]

Quote

I’m behind, but that jazz routine felt awkward to me…

To me, as well. But the jidges went orgasmic over it.

I enjoy watching Beau. Maybe he's the quintessential FAVORITE dancer, rather than the best dancer.

[HerkyJerky]

4 hours ago, displayname said:

Essence was amazing. She'd be my pick for the female winner

AGREED!

[BlackberryJam]

4 hours ago, Mystery Author said:

To me, as well. But the jidges went orgasmic over it.

I enjoy watching Beau. Maybe he's the quintessential FAVORITE dancer, rather than the best dancer.

 I wondered about that too. But thinking about it nobody said anything specific about why they loved it other than "amazing wonderful bloomyaway".  The studio audience certainly didn't feel the same.

[DEL901]

Very happy to see Daniella and Pasha.  

[sharifa70]

I like Keaton but I felt like that dance was definitely choreographed for Alexis. It seemed like he spent the whole time just walking around the stage while she twirled around him. Not his style, I get it, but I felt that more than any other routine the female partner did all the heavy lifting.

I enjoyed James and Virginia’s routine and was sorry to see them go.

Beau really surprised me in a good way.

Essence was my favorite of the night.

Leah did a lot of interrupting. Not cool. 

I very much appreciated tWitch’s specific comments about ways the dancers could improve. He has a gift for offering critiques without tearing people down. Also, I loved that he pointed out that hip-hop does, in fact, require technique. I love how broad his dance vocabulary is and how I’m learning from him.

[Court]

12 hours ago, mojoween said:

tWitch how could you?  Sure Waverly is a beautiful dancer, but James has IT.

I don’t know what they were all banging on about, I thought James supported Virginia throughout the entire piece.  Fuck I’m so mad, I adored James.

Leah’s not great, and she’s also terrible.

I agree completely. He was my favorite. Also, we've seen them give the same feedback to Waverlt repeatedly and he still slips through. 

I despise this format where only the studio audience votes and then the judges just decide. I haven't watched in several seasons so is this new? Can they not all dance for their lives?

[BlackberryJam]

I think Waverly is getting a pass because he's Julliard trained, but he's likely to go out next week. James was just not good in that routine, and neither was Virginia. The whole thing looked uncomfortable, and not in a deliberate way. 

[Mason]

There's a WofD feeling I hope I'm wrong about. As if some of the voting/judging has been pre-determined. I don't believe for one minute tWitch would willingly be involved in a show like that. (I remember Fik-shun's face when he realized it didn't much matter what he did, the die was cast.) But it sure feels that way... 

[luvthepros]

I enjoy the group routines for one reason......to see how the individual dancers fair doing same choreography. This is a competition so I want to see the individual styles and technique and to be able to compare them. To costume and makeup all the dancers, male and female, the same way is not conducive for identifying who is who. Why bother even having a group routine if it is impossible to pick out who is who? Just ludicrous, if you ask me.

[BlackberryJam]

25 minutes ago, luvthepros said:

I enjoy the group routines for one reason......to see how the individual dancers fair doing same choreography. This is a competition so I want to see the individual styles and technique and to be able to compare them. To costume and makeup all the dancers, male and female, the same way is not conducive for identifying who is who. Why bother even having a group routine if it is impossible to pick out who is who? Just ludicrous, if you ask me.

I enjoyed the group routines in the same costumes, but I wish there had been a reveal at the end. I could pick out a few of the guys based on  body type, but the women were a mess. 

[healthnut]

I would've preferred  Waverly and Jordan have gone, I don't find either one of them interesting and their routine was by far my least favorite. I agree that Waverly is probably getting through on his Julliard training and I think Jordan is getting by because she was a Rockette.

[realdancemom]

16 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

I’m behind, but that jazz routine felt awkward to me…

Will give my thoughts on the jazz routine after DisplayName's quote.

16 hours ago, DEL901 said:

When tWitch said there was a split decision one dancer, I assumed it was James, my thought was he wanted to keep James, but lost the vote.  

Agree that James was the split decision and Virginia was the unanimous decision.  If you land in the bottom after giving a sad story then you're not long for the show.

12 hours ago, displayname said:

I enjoyed the way James was choreographed into the contemporary, but I cannot deny he had little to no "contemporary technique". Virginia was forgettable.

Did not enjoy Waverly in that jazz at all. Jordan was better to me but not noteworthy.

Beau is a good performer, but not a particularly skilled dancer. That being said, he was certainly not the weakest of the night. Anna was fine.

Essence was amazing. She'd be my pick for the female winner, if we were doing that gimmick again. Thiago hasn't lived up to his solo work.

Agree with the eliminations based off what was shown in this episode, although I find James more interesting than Waverly.

Keaton/Alexis - Alexis shined in this routine.  Keaton was decent but my eyes were on Alexis.  I think having the studio audience vote is helping Alexis since America didn't really vote for female ballroom dancers. 

Ralyn/Carter - this is where you can tell that Carter, like other Utah ballroom dancers, is cross trained.   Don't remember much else about this routine.

Waverly/Jordan - they dance like background dancers to me.  They don't have the IT factor and they lack in performance skills.  This is where they could use lessons from Beau.  Waverly was too soft for this jazz routine.  I guess Jordan being a Rockette is just used to not standing out.  Both of them have skills but not presence.

Beau/Anna - Both are good performers.  I disagree with Jojo.  Beau is showing more technique during the live shows than what he did in his audition.  But he's still not doing that much.  Even in this number, Anna did more.

James/Virginia - Like that the choreography included James bone breaking but he didn't do much.  He does move better than somebody like Cyrus though.  Virginia is forgettable. 

Essence/Thiago - Yay!!  After their disappointing performance in the first show, they redeemed themselves.  Nerves definitely didn't come into play with this number. 

Agree with bottom four.  Like you, I find James more interesting than Waverly and would have kept him. 

3 hours ago, Court said:

I agree completely. He was my favorite. Also, we've seen them give the same feedback to Waverlt repeatedly and he still slips through. 

I despise this format where only the studio audience votes and then the judges just decide. I haven't watched in several seasons so is this new? Can they not all dance for their lives?

This is the first time that the studio audience gets to decide who is in the bottom.  They had other seasons where the dancers don't dance for their lives.  In those seasons, they brought it back when there's less people.  They might do that again since one hour really goes by fast.  I'm glad they brought back working with the choreographers in this episode.

2 hours ago, Mason said:

There's a WofD feeling I hope I'm wrong about. As if some of the voting/judging has been pre-determined. I don't believe for one minute tWitch would willingly be involved in a show like that. (I remember Fik-shun's face when he realized it didn't much matter what he did, the die was cast.) But it sure feels that way... 

Not sure about voting/judging on SYTYCD but I do remember Fik-shun's face when he was eliminated on WOD.  His scores were definitely low balled.

52 minutes ago, luvthepros said:

I enjoy the group routines for one reason......to see how the individual dancers fair doing same choreography. This is a competition so I want to see the individual styles and technique and to be able to compare them. To costume and makeup all the dancers, male and female, the same way is not conducive for identifying who is who. Why bother even having a group routine if it is impossible to pick out who is who? Just ludicrous, if you ask me.

I had a difficult time telling who was who in the group number too.  Not sure if the show is using the group number as a way to decide the competition though.  I think it's more to showcase a choreographer's work and a lot of times, the group numbers win Emmys.

Leah needs to be replaced.  It's bad when a judge just says "You know that thing?" because she doesn't know the name of the move they did.

Edited June 23, 2022 by realdancemom

[luvthepros]

We have a Rockette competing this season. Has there ever been a Rockette on this show?

Thiago has beautiful eyes. So nice to be able to see them without all that make up he wears.

This Cha Cha is the closest we will get to seeing a Patrick Swayze look alike on that stage. LOVED Keaton in this dance. He did that with only two ballroom classes. Just WOW!!!

Sorry, I just don't see what Jo Jo sees in Beau. He seems to be lumbering on that stage, especially with a partner like Anna. Beau has a future on the Broadway stage but he is still not in the same league as his competition on this show.

17 hours ago, DEL901 said:

When tWitch said there was a split decision one dancer, I assumed it was James, my thought was he wanted to keep James, but lost the vote.  I don’t mind. James was good at his style but wasn’t feeling contemporary.  

Is Bone Breaking really a style? Not to me it isn't.

Edited June 23, 2022 by luvthepros

[Tigregirl]

I like Jordan.  I think she is very well trained and due to that makes things look effortless.  I’m not sure her choreography has challenged her that much and maybe that’s part of why she didn’t get the votes last night.   I also don’t remember her getting much broadcast time during the auditions.   Carter and Raylyn do absolutely nothing for me, and so far neither have Thiago and Essence, although I loved Essence in the audition rounds.  I think Virginia was the right woman to go, but I wish Carter had gone instead of Jim.  I like Jim but agree with Waverly staying if they had to make a choice between the two.  I’ve liked Anna since her original audition, and while she and Beau are a great partnership, I would love to see her with other partners too.  Keaton is still my favorite (and would love to see him and Anna do a number together), and he REALLY reminded me of Patrick Swayze last night, in the Dirty Dancing scene where we first see him dance with his blonde partner.  Patrick was still sexier though…

Edited June 23, 2022 by Tigregirl
Typo

[displayname]

18 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

Keaton/Alexis - Alexis shined in this routine.  Keaton was decent but my eyes were on Alexis.  I think having the studio audience vote is helping Alexis since America didn't really vote for female ballroom dancers. 

I agree Alexis was better, but Keaton to me did perform very well. I find him very gifted in the performance department and do think he's going to win (currently), although I think technically you could tell he was flawed here.

18 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

Waverly/Jordan - they dance like background dancers to me.  They don't have the IT factor and they lack in performance skills.  This is where they could use lessons from Beau.  Waverly was too soft for this jazz routine.  I guess Jordan being a Rockette is just used to not standing out.  Both of them have skills but not presence.

Yep, yep, in fact I was stunned that Waverly is Juilliard trained？I would've thought he'd be better than that. I remember not caring for his audition solo, and I didn't care for his contemporary in the first week either, although I felt he was technically very skilled. My memory goes to Billy Bell and his amazing musicality. He was criticized for lack of connection for all those hetero romance contemporary duets, but I think he did do well in other regards. Here actually I would draw a comparison to Billy's jazz (Boogie Shoes with Lauren), where he was able to translate his training much better.

I don't really have an opinion on Jordan lol, she's just there.

18 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

Agree with bottom four.  Like you, I find James more interesting than Waverly and would have kept him. 

Based off "future potential" surely. But tonight I felt he was weaker. My heart would've wanted James to stay, though, had I been judging.

Edited June 23, 2022 by displayname

[ellenr33]

I love Keaton he is such a beautiful performer. 

Essence is also a favorite. 

I feel like the jazz routines timing was off! Thiago isn't really impressing me like I thought he would! 

[realdancemom]

1 hour ago, displayname said:

I agree Alexis was better, but Keaton to me did perform very well. I find him very gifted in the performance department and do think he's going to win (currently), although I think technically you could tell he was flawed here.

Yep, yep, in fact I was stunned that Waverly is Juilliard trained？I would've thought he'd be better than that. I remember not caring for his audition solo, and I didn't care for his contemporary in the first week either, although I felt he was technically very skilled. My memory goes to Billy Bell and his amazing musicality. He was criticized for lack of connection for all those hetero romance contemporary duets, but I think he did do well in other regards. Here actually I would draw a comparison to Billy's jazz (Boogie Shoes with Lauren), where he was able to translate his training much better.

I don't really have an opinion on Jordan lol, she's just there.

Based off "future potential" surely. But tonight I felt he was weaker. My heart would've wanted James to stay, though, had I been judging.

Yes, Keaton did perform well and has the Patrick Swayze comparison.  Just noticed Alexis more in this number.  I noticed Keaton more in their first number even though both were great. Edit to add - I think the difference is that Alexis did a lot more in this routine which makes sense since she took ballroom while both had about the same amount of technique in their first routine.  That's what made their first routine so outstanding is because of their side by side work

Yes, James was weaker in this episode so I was basing my decision on future potential.  Also because he's the only hip hop guy while we have Keaton and Thiago for contemporary.  Those two are better than Waverly so I would have let Waverly go. And James is just more interesting to me with his unique style and his personality.

Edited June 23, 2022 by realdancemom

[BlackberryJam]

I rewatched James' audition. He has beautiful skills with his arms and upper body. His legs though...he doesn't have graceful legs and feet. That hurt him I think. 

[luvthepros]

7 hours ago, DEL901 said:

Very happy to see Daniella and Pasha.  

Speaking of the choreographers..........I guess Teddy Florance is taking Travis Wall's place on this show.

[luvthepros]

4 hours ago, Court said:

I agree completely. He was my favorite. Also, we've seen them give the same feedback to Waverlt repeatedly and he still slips through. 

I despise this format where only the studio audience votes and then the judges just decide. I haven't watched in several seasons so is this new? Can they not all dance for their lives?

This format is new to me and I've watched every single show since season 2 episode 1. I'm hoping when they have less couples, there will be time for DFYL. This show is only given one hour so there have to be some elements that cannot be included in the early live shows.

3 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

I think Waverly is getting a pass because he's Julliard trained, but he's likely to go out next week. James was just not good in that routine, and neither was Virginia. The whole thing looked uncomfortable, and not in a deliberate way. 

Virginia surely can point her toes, though.

[Darian]

4 hours ago, realdancemom said:

Leah needs to be replaced.  It's bad when a judge just says "You know that thing?" because she doesn't know the name of the move they did.

I am not going to rewatch and it was probably a different time, because this is how she judges, but at one point she referred to a move as either "that flippy thing" or "that flippy thingy." Unacceptable. I am only watching because the dancers worked for so many years and I love to see them. I liked seeing a bit of them working with the choreographers again. Just wish they had a judging panel where everyone knew technique, even if only in one or two disciplines.  

[BlackberryJam]

 I fastforward through most of the jidging….

[realdancemom]

36 minutes ago, Darian said:

I am not going to rewatch and it was probably a different time, because this is how she judges, but at one point she referred to a move as either "that flippy thing" or "that flippy thingy." Unacceptable. I am only watching because the dancers worked for so many years and I love to see them. I liked seeing a bit of them working with the choreographers again. Just wish they had a judging panel where everyone knew technique, even if only in one or two disciplines.  

That was the time that I was thinking of when she just said "the flippy thing" because she didn't know what to call it. 

[crowceilidh]

Just starting in to watch this week and gotta drop by here to say: WOW Cat Deeley!  What an entrance, what an amazingly well-structured and fitted dress!  She is just lovely in all kinds of ways.

[rlc]

Leah Remini has no business being on this show. It is an insult to the dancers.

Alexis is very good, and Keaton did well considering his lack of experience. Carter and Ralyn did better this week than last. I fear that Beau will win this season because they want to prove a point, but I ask you- if he had a typical dancer body and the same skill level, would he have made it past auditions? No, I don’t think so. The technique is not there. Waverly could have gone home this week, and I’d be just fine with that. Jordan has lovely technique- I hope she starts to connect more. Anna likely won’t make it much longer, but there’s something I really like about her on stage. Wasn’t particularly impressed with Essence performing in her own style. Thiago is a soloist, not a partner dancer. 

[P2C2E]

I could judge as well as Leah Remini and neither of us has any business judging this show. Judges are there to help the audience interpret what they don't know. To tell me that someone needs better extension or what the technique should look like. They're there to tell me what good partnering is and give specific dance critique. Leah is just giving the audience perspective, "that moved me" "you look beautiful together" "you took me on a journey". All that shit is stuff I can see for myself. Tell me something I don't know!!

She is just so out of place and out of touch. And I think she knows it. Half her sentences started with "I agree". She can't have an opinion of her own because she doesn't have an opinion of her own because she doesn't know enough to have an opinion!

[Pj3422]

8 hours ago, P2C2E said:

I could judge as well as Leah Remini and neither of us has any business judging this show. Judges are there to help the audience interpret what they don't know. To tell me that someone needs better extension or what the technique should look like. They're there to tell me what good partnering is and give specific dance critique.

THIS. Along with the studio audience vote, I’m disappointed in this season. 

And as long as we’re talking about stupid judging, here are my ill-informed comments: 1. Jojo has really tiny hands, like chipmunk-sized. I wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t been waving her arms around during the judging. 2. I really, really, really want to see Beau play Nicely Nicely in “Guys and Dolls.”

[bourbon]

Quote

That was the time that I was thinking of when she just said "the flippy thing" because she didn't know what to call it. 

I wish they had three judges: one contempto/jazz, one hip hop, one ballroom. Between them, they should have enough vocabulary to judge the major styles and the other styles that sneak in there like Broadway, Bollywood, tap, or afrojazz. I don't *mind* in theory a judge who is not an expert in dance. I think expert judges get a little too wrapped up in technique or throw around terms that non-dancers aren't going to get (I still, after all these years watching, don't know what hip hop judges mean by "in the pocket.") and don't tend to focus as much on chemistry and audience connection. I think it can be helpful to have a judge who is there acting as audience surrogate actually watching in person. That said, Leah does not add anything to the conversation. It's not cute or funny to have a judge screech about the dancer's "flippy thing." It's an insult. I'd rather have Mary Murphy. Or aren't there any DWTS castoff pros who need a job? Hell, I'd rather have Vanessa Hudgens back. At least she has musical theatre experience. 

Beau just dances very heavy to me (no pun intended). It all just seems very labored. Don't know if he sings, but there are a ton of musical theatre roles he could kill. But here doing contemporary in a wind blown linen shirt? It just doesn't work. I liked Carter this time out, and I really enjoy Keaton's athleticism. 

[peachmangosteen]

14 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

 I fastforward through most of the jidging….

Right! I have done that for years. I don't give a single shit about the judging.

[Quickbeam]

I’m confused as to why Beau is still there unless it’s to prove a wokeness point. I find his movement labored. I don’t enjoy watching him at all. He seems to lack the skill level of any of the other dancers.

[ruffy666]

7 minutes ago, Quickbeam said:

I’m confused as to why Beau is still there unless it’s to prove a wokeness point. I find his movement labored. I don’t enjoy watching him at all. He seems to lack the skill level of any of the other dancers.

I kind of agree, but again this is "America's Favorite Dancer" and not America's most talented dancer... America loves an underdog!  (sometimes)  He moves better than I'd probably expect but most of his movements are clipped and labored which I think tWitch kind of alluded to in his critique.

I am most annoyed by Carter I think... a poster above called his movements "saccharine" and I think that's a good word for it, it's too ... exaggerated in an old school broadway kinda way.  

[jewel21]

While not all of the performances moved me, some caught my attention. Keaton once again surprised me. I thought he did really well in his ballroom number and my eyes ended up being on him the entire time rather than his partner. 

I thought Essence and Thiago killed it. I was underwhelmed by them last week but I thought they really stepped up this time. And Thiago did a wonderful job with hip hop. I felt he really kept up with Essence. 

Lastly, Beau surprised me. I thought he did a pretty good job in his number and I wasn't expecting him to be able to keep up. He showed more technique than I thought he had. I agree with others that he would be great on Broadway. 

[realdancemom]

32 minutes ago, ruffy666 said:

I kind of agree, but again this is "America's Favorite Dancer" and not America's most talented dancer... America loves an underdog!  (sometimes)  He moves better than I'd probably expect but most of his movements are clipped and labored which I think tWitch kind of alluded to in his critique.

I am most annoyed by Carter I think... a poster above called his movements "saccharine" and I think that's a good word for it, it's too ... exaggerated in an old school broadway kinda way.  

Agree on how you and others describe Beau's movement.  I also agree with others that he would be great on Broadway.

With Carter, I think he moves that way for a variety of reasons.

1) His main genre is ballroom.  Like musical theater, it's exaggerated.  However, it also has the element of "Look at me" when it comes to looking at cameras and the judges/audience which Witney and Jenna were especially known to do.  This makes sense since during competitions, a bunch of couples are thrown in a big space and you have to stand out.  It's very cutthrought.

2) He's young and from Utah.  I live in Utah so this is not a criticism.  It's just a fact. If he seems sweet and naive/innocent/sheltered, he most likely is.  I wouldn't be surprised if he announces that he's going on a mission pretty soon just like Brandon Armstrong from DWTS did in between SYTYCD auditions and being on DWTS. 

I wasn't surprised when Alexis said that she married her high school sweetheart when she was 18 either.  She does have the advantage of dancing with Derek and other pros on tour though so that she doesn't suffer as much with the saccharine comment.  I guess to Jojo, it's a big deal to do an aerial in heels since she made the same remark twice.  It's not if you live in Utah and trained in ballroom in the Utah County area.  Tanisha Belnap did it during her SYTYCD audition.  My daughters also can do them as well as the other girls that performed in ballroom showcases with either the Vibe or CenterStage.

[realdancemom]

14 hours ago, crowceilidh said:

Just starting in to watch this week and gotta drop by here to say: WOW Cat Deeley!  What an entrance, what an amazingly well-structured and fitted dress!  She is just lovely in all kinds of ways.

I should write comments as I'm watching the show.  When Cat first came out, I was like Wow!!  She's gorgeous especially with her outfit.  I told myself that I should make a comment about that and then I forgot.  I only remembered when I saw your post.

[dogdays2]

I do (did, that is) like the judging b/c good judges would point out things, both good and bad, that I didn't notice.  Much as Nigel irritated me for some of the stuff he said, I find myself missing him b/c at least he knew dance and at least he gave critiques.  Ditto for Mary and some of the others they had over the years.  

The only one of the current judges who has ANY perspective is Twitch.  Asking someone who's ~20 years old to judge isn't fair to her or the contestants.  Even if you've spent your entire (short) life dancing, you don't yet have the perspective that comes with a few more years behind you. BTW, the yellow dress looked like something I wore in the 1980s, just saying.  The third judge is totally useless.  

I like having the studio audience vote for two reasons.  First, they are experiencing it live in a way that might not come across on the TV screen (like watching a live sporting event).  Second, it's not about which contestants can leverage a "network" to get people to call in for them.  I always wondered if some folks who were voted off just couldn't or didn't get all of their friends, relatives, neighbors, etc. to create an army of callers.  

Finally, the show should be 90 minutes.  Two hours often felt a bit tedious but one hour feels rushed.  Seems like a lot of effort for 12 contestants and I'm not feeling it this season.

[Mason]

5 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

I’m confused as to why Beau is still there unless it’s to prove a wokeness point. I find his movement labored. I don’t enjoy watching him at all. He seems to lack the skill level of any of the other dancers.

Last week, I said I was looking forward to seeing him dance: unexpected, after a (to me) off-putting audition. Now I'm back to being done with him. He's comedic and a natural for Broadway. Perhaps he'll even be good in a ballroom style. (Benji Schwimmer's dad is a big dude, and he's pretty smooth.) But I too have a less than ideal body type; and no matter how much praise I get, I cannot and will never reach the reach and height of a contemporary dancer. Woke or not, any judge who is blind to his physical limitations and acts as if all he has to do is try harder does the dancer, his fellow contestants and the viewing audience no favours. 

[healthnut]

5 hours ago, realdancemom said:

She does have the advantage of dancing with Derek and other pros on tour

What tour was this?