S11.E15: Winner Announced

[waving feather]

Those are just two genres that all the showmanship and energy in the world can't help you "fake" your way through, unlike ballroom-hip hop-jazz-contemp.

 

To me, ballroom is pretty difficult to fake your way through too. Real ballroom that is, not the contemporary/jazz styled ballroom on this show. I'm surprised that there were zero ballroom routines in the finale. I guess SYTYCD has stopped trying to pretend that it's not biased towards jazz or contemporary dancers, especially this season. I don't think I've seen this many jazz or contemporary routines in the history of this show.

 

I'd gladly trade that Ricky/Zack hip hop number with other ballroom pieces (e.g. Bridget and Emilio's Jive). We had JUST seen that last week. Do we really have to see that hip hop so soon again? It's fun the first time because of their energy and the surprise factor but fell a little flat this time round. And Ricky missed a step in the beginning part, which threw off their synchronization for a few seconds. Bleh!

 

And do they really have to telegraph who are the final 2 in the opening broadway number? Ricky and Valerie were the only two being featured. Jessica and Zack were nowhere to be seen until the last pose.

 

The only thing I liked about the finale is that Sonya and Chris Scott group dance. So nice to see Emilio again. IMHO, Emilio and Zack should have been the Top 2 guys. Next season, people shouldn't bother to audition if they are not heavily contemporary trained.

[SweetSable]

Valerie won ???  Talent no longer means anything at all on this show anymore.  Blech.  Only made it through one episode and her klomping was appalling, with her orthopedic shoes and horrid posture.

 

No, Valerie did not win - Ricky did.

[ari333]

I love ballroom, so this totally figures.

 

No more, "Shazam," please... unless Kat gets to knock Nigel in the teeth again. :).

[GenieinTX]

Why in the hell were there no Latin ballroom dancers on that stage during the Enrique song?  I like that song, but this is a dance show.  Why a perfect opportunity to showcase some...  oh I don't know.... dancing?

 

This season was a snoozefest.

[ketchuplover]

I got misty-eyed when Ricky said he'd been dreaming of that moment.  Go Zack Go!

[Mertseger]

Was the JTF bit the lamest and most ineffective way ever to announce that there will be a season 12? Or is that interpretation just wishful thinking on my part?

 

I must say that both JTF and Paula made Cat look like the consummate professional that she is.

 

Valerie coming in second was, indeed, egregious, but I suspect that Ricky was pretty much a wire-to-wire victor like Melanie (and Ricky proved himself proficient in a much wider variety of dance than Melanie). It is probable that the vote gap between 1st and 2nd was huge, and the distance between 2nd and 4th much smaller. Either that or Ameriker is full of idiots (which I never bet against). 

Edited September 4, 2014 by Mertseger

[rereader2]

I must say that both JTF and Paula made Cat look like the consummate professional that she is.

 

^^^This!

[ari333]

I think Paula looked great. People get older.

 

The Australian dude was fantastic imo. Wow.

[Sharpie66]

My cable box/dvr died with 25 minutes left to go. I was bummed at first, realizing that I won't be able to make my usual End of Season Best Of SYTYCD dvd since I'm losing all of the summer's shows, but then I realized that, watching last night's episode, I had little to no recall of any of the best-of dances that they were doing (except for Emilio/Jasmine's snake dance), so no great loss, and I get to save the day's work it would have taken to assemble the dvd. In the end, no biggie!

 

For the first cut, I was mumbling "Please let it be one of the girls, PLEASE let it be one of the girls..." but then was really shocked it was Zach. WTH? After that, I really feared that Valerie would pull it off. After the dvr died, I immediately logged onto here to see who won, and was relieved to hear it was Ricky, who was my second choice after Zach.

 

I just hope that, after the tour ends, Zach can get cast in a Broadway production that can highlight his talents.

[ToxicUnicorn]

My guess is: Zack's life will be the most changed by this show, of the finalists.

 

I was touched by Ricky's joy and tears. 

 

What was the name of the Australian dancer and of the twins?  I'd like to look them up.

 

Thanks for the answer that Dominic was dancing with Emilio.  I'll have to watch that again.  I think I've enjoyed these choreographer collaborations, for the most part. 

 

As much as I laugh about Sonja's upside down bicycling move, I will miss her if the show comes back and she is not on it.

[RachelKM]

I just hope that, after the tour ends, Zach can get cast in a Broadway production that can highlight his talents.

I think Zach is likely to do well. And just because the prize was the role in On the Town, doesn't prevent the director from hiring anyone else from the show.  I believe Spencer Liff was very complimentary of Zach. That cannot hurt his chances. 

 

I, like many others, was shocked when he was fourth.  But I am reasonably certain that kid will get work, which helps.

[LBFilmBuff]

Phew, dodged a bullet there at the end.  I'm happy for Ricky and I'm glad that America can put such a, well, obviously gay guy in as the winner.  I too thought Zack was going to win in the end and was shocked that he was eliminated in fourth place.  Still not sure how that happened.

 

Other than the results, I frankly fast-forwarded through a lot of it.  I really hate that they do a "greatest hits" kind of thing for the finale.  I mean that might have worked back in the stone age, i.e. before the internet, but now with Youtube and this site and all the others, you can endlessly rewatch something you want to see again.  I'd much prefer to see new dances, heck even from outside dancers.  I wanted to see Misty dance fer cripes sake. :-)

[ari333]

I liked the voted-in Bollywood group of guys, but why was that one dude in red?

 

I didn't need to see the two kings hiphop thing again so soon. Bah

[magdalen]

When they got rid of Teddy and then Emilio, the season took a nosedive from which it didn't recover. The only dances I watched over and over were their duo, and the last group routine w/the top 10 and the all stars. All the rest were yawn fests, even Sonya's. There was way too much Travis Wall: he choreographs the same dance over and over and over. it's made me hate contemporary.

And judging by comments here, I guess I didn't miss much by fast forwarding through everything but the dance routines.

Other seasons, I could see a real learning curve w/the dancers, but not this one--they all seemed to pretty much maintain what they came with. I dunno, there was just some spark missing this season. The only other season that was more disappointing was the one where Mia Michaels whinged through her entire judging duties, to the point I got so fed up I didn't even finish watching it. They wisely got rid of her next season.I enjoyed when they used to have a constantly rotating roster of judges who were also dancers; I don't care what second rate actors have to say about anything.

As for this season's top 4...really? Really? Valerie runner up? I just hope next season they bring back the personality and spark and diversity that used to make this show so good.

[dcalley]

What was the name of the Australian dancer and of the twins? I'd like to look them up.

Michael Dameski and "Les Twins" (their duo name).

 

And did people really love Dirty Diana so much to make a big stink about getting Allison back?

I think Nigel wanted it and also was looking for such a fight. He wanted to say "DWTS refused to release Allison to us for one night, but I called [head honcho] up and made him do it! I am a powerful man!" He neglected to mention Chelsie in his list of SYTYCD dancers who have gone on to DWTS. I liked how Mary was the one to bring up Dmitry. Mary <3's Dmitry (as she should!). And yet the finale had nothing ballroom.

 

I liked the voted-in Bollywood group of guys, but why was that one dude in red?

I don't know, I guess he was super special. There was also some weirdness with a guy coming in from offstage just to join them for the bows at the end. Perhaps he was injured.

 

I, like so many of you, was really disappointed to see Zack come in fourth. I sensed there was trouble when I couldn't find him until halfway into the top 20 number. He did a great job keeping up with the hip hop guys in the train station number, I thought. I think I saw Courtney in there.

 

There was way too much skippable material. If you haven't seen this episode yet, just watch the new top 20 and top 10+all-stars dances (hulu has them).

[realdancemom]

Most of dances were either contemporary or hip-hop.  They didn't repeat any ballroom.  They should have done either Tanisha's AT or the jive since Bridget didn't get to do a dance.  Jacque didn't either.  It seems like in the other seasons, they had all top 10 dancers repeat at least one of their dances.

 

I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised that Zack came in fourth since he was in the bottom a few times.  I was hoping he would be runner-up or winner.  I'm glad Ricky was the winner.  I can't believe that if there was a girl winner, it would have been Valerie. 

 

I agree that the Aussie winner was what Rudy wanted to be.

[Mertseger]

(Question to the hive mind: should we stop saying "jidges" now that Cat is most clearly going with "judges"? IMHO, there are at least three things that Cat should never change including "Ameriker", the direction of her nose, and "jidges", but if she was not enjoying the ribbing of her pronunciation to point that she's going with the banal American standard, should we honor that? If JTF uses it, is that proof that it is over?)

[BensBritches]

So for the first time in my 11 seasons of watching this show, I came on here last night to be spoiled.  Never, ever thought I'd do that.  But after Zach came in 4th (4th????), I started to fear that Ricky would not win and I had no interest in watching Valerie take the whole thing... thank God you guys were here to put me at ease. 

 

Still I FF'd through most of the show.  Such as shame.  This show was never-miss TV for the Britches family for many years.  But even 11-year old LilBritches didn't really care and I was the only one who tortured myself each week.

 

I am happy for Ricky.  I thought he was a gorgeous dancer.  Overall however I was disappointed in the season.  The finale didn't feel like a finale.  The Bollywood group wasn't that spectacular, but Les Twins can stick around and perform whenever they want! The Aussie winner, as has been pointed out, is what Rudy aspires to be- but there wasn't enough "dancing" in what he did for my tastes.  No ballroom for the past 2 weeks = Boo!!!

 

Finally, Allison is going to DWTS?  Does she do/specialize in ballroom? Isn't that show all ballroom (I don't watch it). I think she's a lovely dancer, but I'm not sure why she would have been chosen for that show.

 

My wish for next season (if there is one)- less Travis Wall, more Mark Kanemura!  A girl can dream, right?

[crowceilidh]

 

I must say that both JTF and Paula made Cat look like the consummate professional that she is.

 

The difference is that, as a highly professional comedian, JTF intended to make Cat look like the consummate professional she is. 

[phoenix780]

I think Zack peaked a little too late and that's why he wound up 4th.  For the longest time I think I was confusing him with Teddy and/or Casey, and I didn't really notice him until Phillip Chbeeb's routine a couple weeks ago.  

 

I'm not bothered by Valerie taking 2nd.  Other than Ricky and Tanisha she's the one I noticed early on, in a good way, and I liked her personality the whole way through the competition.  In this season that's enough for me, and as I've mentioned before I don't feel like she robbed anyone.  I'd probably put her in 4th overall if I ruled the world, behind Zack, Ricky, and Tanisha (who could have screwed up at some point had she stayed I suppose...though the way she stole moments in the performance last night I doubt it).  

 

The lack of ballroom- isn't it funny, because at the beginning of the season it seems like people felt they were stacking the deck in favor of ballroom to get a winner from that genre.  And here we are wrapping up with it not being much of a factor at all.

[katisha]

I haven't had a chance to watch this episode yet but I had to come to this forum to confirm the inevitability of a Ricky win.  Ah, good luck to him - he is certainly a talented dancer, but it was so obvious from so early in the season that he had it in the bag that I, like many others here, found the season incredibly dull.

 

I'm from Australia and you all saw the winner of what was probably our last-ever SYTYCD (because the ratings were so crappy), Michael Dameski, and if that has to be our last season, it couldn't have had a more worthy winner.  He is just brilliant.  He did that solo wonderfully on our show but I saw a clip of his performance on your finale and he still found a way to improve upon it.  Hopefully his performance may open up some opportunities for him in the US.

[cali1981]

I'vw always thought that Ricky would win so no surprise there.  I had Jessica second until Valerie did the blindness routine with Zach.  My feeling was that it cold push her just ahead of Jessica who, IMHO, is a superior dancer.  Frankly once the winner is chosen, where the rest of the top four (or even top ten) actually finish means absolutely nothing.  They will all have choreoraphers, poducers, agents, etc, contacting them as soon as the tour ends and will be professional dancers.  That, after all, is the real reward for being on the show.  It buys a degree of recogniton that is priceless.  Jessica will have people banging on her door, as I suspect will Zach.  Valerie will as well but I not certain which direction her professional career will go.  As far as Ricky, who again IMHO, was the clear winner, is concerned  I'm not sure that I can see him in a featured role in the revival of On the Town.  I'm assuming that he will a member of the ensemble.  It's not a bad payoiff however, and like Evan and Jess before him, perhaps Ricky can become a Broadway dancer if thats what he wants.

[panthergirl13]

I watched the last 10 minutes, yawned and went to bed. This thing would need a complete overhaul (read: goodbye Nigel) for me to be interested in watching another season. It was good while it lasted, show.

[luvthepros]

.......like Evan and Jess before him, perhaps Ricky can become a Broadway dancer if thats what he wants.

Evan and Jess came auditioned on SYTYCD as Broadway dancers. It is evident with both of those guys and Broadway dance is their passion. I saw both of them in "Newsies" and they were a treat to watch.

 

Ricky, OTOH, will probably not be as well suited to Broadway if he can not tap. I wish him the best of luck in where ever his journey takes him.

[waving feather]

Spencer Liff also mentioned that he has tried getting some of the contestants from SYTYCD on Broadway but it often doesn't work because you have to know how to carry a tune as well. Dancing alone may not be enough. And of course, being proficient in tap would help too, especially for a show like Newsies. I'm just glad Jess Leprotto, who was eliminated way too early, is living out his dreams on Broadway. First Newsies and now On The Town. From this cast, I can only see Zack or Teddy on Broadway. Teddy in particular because he can tap plus he has quite a good voice.

[GinevradiBenci]

I could see Ricky in something like...hmm, maybe Seven Brides for Seven Brothers? I thought On The Town had a lot of classic Broadway hoofing, though, which I can't quite see on him.

 

I don't care about Valerie's placement so much. I'm a little baffled by her fanbase and Zach's lack of one, but whatever. Jessica did nothing for me and Tanisha was booted way too early, but you either win or you tour or it doesn't matter, so the precise order of finish doesn't bug me. And once Emilio was booted I think I really lost a lot of interest this season anyway.

 

FYI, Evan is also going on to another Broadway show, a Cole Porter revival of Can-Can. I liked Jess a lot but I loved Evan in his season and it's good to see that at least a few people are getting over to Broadway. Although the whole tap thing makes me curious - Alex the ballet dancer did a stint on Newsies, but can he tap?

[Lemons]

Evan and Jess came auditioned on SYTYCD as Broadway dancers. It is evident with both of those guys and Broadway dance is their passion. I saw both of them in "Newsies" and they were a treat to watch.

 

Ricky, OTOH, will probably not be as well suited to Broadway if he can not tap. I wish him the best of luck in where ever his journey takes him.

I could see Ricky in a company like Mark Morris.   I thought he had the best training out of all of the finalists.  The girls both had some nasty posture which makes me wonder about their training. 

[SSAHotchner]

It was a waste of time and I fast forwarded through a lot of it. There weren't any dances this season that I felt I had to see again, certainly not any of the ones they chose for this finale.

[Electruck]

Alex the ballet dancer did a stint on Newsies, but can he tap?

I seem to remember that in his season, the week each contestant showed themselves dancing as youngsters, Young Alex's video showed him tap dancing.

[RBee]

Spencer Liff also mentioned that he has tried getting some of the contestants from SYTYCD on Broadway but it often doesn't work because you have to know how to carry a tune as well. Dancing alone may not be enough. And of course, being proficient in tap would help too, especially for a show like Newsies. I'm just glad Jess Leprotto, who was eliminated way too early, is living out his dreams on Broadway. First Newsies and now On The Town. From this cast, I can only see Zack or Teddy on Broadway. Teddy in particular because he can tap plus he has quite a good voice.

 

 

I seem to remember that in his season, the week each contestant showed themselves dancing as youngsters, Young Alex's video showed him tap dancing.

 

Alex, Jess, Evan, and Thayne (season 4) all tapped...and sang in Newsies. Here is their Tony Award performance from 2012. You can see Alex, Jess, and Thayne in the first few seconds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmKUI_RzfR8

Evan and Jess had a neat featured part in one of the bigger tap numbers, but all members of the chorus tapped. And wavingfeather is correct about the necessity of a decent voice to make it on most choruses.  I would add acting ability as a requirement, of course. 1,200 guys auditioned for the fewer than 20 chorus member/swing parts in that show. It takes a lot to stand out from a crowd that size.

 

I haven't heard Evan sing solo, but Thayne, Jess, and Alex all have very nice voices. The Newsies cast recording is awesome and they all should be very proud to be a part of the OCR.

In addition to Jess moving on to On the Town, and Evan joining Can-Can, Thayne left Newsies early to be in Matilda until it closed. Thayne is now working with Mia Michaels in the cast of Finding Neverland. He's playing the dog: 

 http://www.edgeonthenet.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=theatre&sc2=features&sc3=&id=165129

 

Evan, Jess, and Thayne, as well as Ariana Debose from Season 6, are firmly on the radar of Broadway's casting directors.

 

Edited September 5, 2014 by RBee

[paramitch]

I was so bummed that Zack came in fourth, but after that at least the Band-Aid was ripped off and I was able to just enjoy the rest as entertainment. The night's encore choices definitely spotlighted a weak season overall -- and I was really unhappy that not a single ballroom routine was included! I thought it was lame to include so many routines we just saw last week, and I still don't know why that terrible snake routine was included. However, I enjoyed the opening number and especially adored the later group number by Sonya and Christopher -- that was lovely, although I thought Will pulled focus a bit (and I usually love him).

 

I wasn't unhappy Ricky won -- what I found interesting in my feelings is that I was so excited about Ricky and his beautiful leaps and extensions early on, but I got less excited as we neared the finale. This episode actually spotlighted what bugged me most about him -- first off, his visible difficulties on lifts with even the most tiny, sylphlike girls (it wasn't Valerie's fault that he looks clumsy doing them, in other words), secondly (and most strikingly, for me) -- his occasional inability to morph or change his quality of movement for the varying dance styles. Sometimes his movements have a self-conscious prettiness to them that for me didn't always fit the styles he was dancing, and because his movement is so striking, it was very noticeable for me.

 

To me, the choreographers colluded in this in overloading all of Ricky's routines with the same movements spotlighting his extension ability -- to the point that in the end, I was bored with them because they always seemed to have the same quality to them.

 

I think Ricky is talented, and I'm very happy for him, but to me he doesn't have anywhere near the creative flexibility of Jakob, with whom he's often compared. Jakob had a few similar, almost spooky abilities, but for me the choreographers in his season used his abilities much more seamlessly (and far less self-consciously). I also snickered a little when the clips kept showing Ricky doing his constant "Home Alone" face-grabbing thing over and over again, and let's just say I fervently hope he finds a different way to express his surprise and emotion in the future. It just always felt very artificial and precious to me.

 

This was definitely by far the worst season to date for me -- primarily due to bad casting. For me, this year's cast wasn't diverse enough, and they all looked like kindergarteners -- an overwhelming number of tiny, waiflike boys and girls, with an emphasis on routines that lacked power, creativity or diversity. When you look back at almost all previous seasons, there are always many routines that feel like they are about men and women, and this season I just felt was missing that maturity and was overly twee (and forgettable).

 

Look at how explosive and mature Tanisha's routine with Rudy was when compared to Jessica's work, for instance. Jessica was so busy being a floaty happy fairy girl (complete with perma-grin) that she simply had no different colors or emotional shadings for me across routine after routine this season.

 

I'm just glad they didn't encore that terrible blind-girl routine with Valerie. I liked Valerie, and actually felt like she demonstrated a fair amount of versatility this season. But she seemed incapable of protraying any emotion but "sunny," and that made her repetitive to me (and that blind routine was the nadir of the season for me). I also couldn't believe they didn't encore "Piano Man," since that for me was easily one of the best in the history of the show (and yet did make a big fuss about "Dirty Diana," another terrible routine that worse, didn't showcase the contestant at all).

 

I still love the show, and I'll still be watching (and criticizing loudly) when it comes back. But I really hope next season's cast (and I have to believe there will be one) is chosen less on their adorability and 'type' and more on their actual dancing potential next time. I also hope we get more diversity again next season as well.

 

Thanks for all the fun discussions throughout this season, as always!

[shimarella]

Regarding the Bollywood routine...it was a tribute to the closing dance routine from Dhoom 2 so the guy in red was meant to symbolize the lead actor/dancer Hrithik, who is a hottie and a bad-ass dancer in his own right. I was pleasantly surprised to see the crew because I had been FF-ing through that competition...this is the contemporary Bollywood I had been wanting to see on the show, and Bollywood dance team competitions are a huge phenomenon in the US. Go, dudes!

[apicalmeristem]

I was lucky enough to attend the live taping so I have a few thoughts/random bits of info:

-They haven't heard if there's going to be a season 12 yet. Nigel actually turned to the audience during one of the commercial breaks and stated that while making a speech about the importance of the arts and how the show has contributed to that, etc.

-Nigel also stated that Ricky was #1 in terms of votes EVERY week. Though I'm sure that wasn't surprising.

-I was watching the cue cards scroll as Paula Abdul was on stage and she definitely decided to go off and do her own thing instead of following them. She seemed like she didn't rehearse at all!

Finally after seeing them perform live- Tanisha was ROBBED. That is all. 

[crowceilidh]

Thanks for the report, apicalmeristem.  I'd like to hear any other tidbits you have - I'm always fascinated by what actually happens as opposed to what we're allowed to see.

[realdancemom]

Loved reading and discussing this season on this forum.  Hope there is another season because I still look forward to SYTYCD every summer.  Some seasons are better than others but there is still no other show like it.  Nigel does talk too much but I also know how much he loves dance and wants this show to be renewed.

 

apicalmeristem, thanks for your live show feedback.  I've watched Tanisha for a long time and she always stands out among the girls which included Witney and Lindsay. 

[MyFavShows]

I was lucky enough to attend the live taping so I have a few thoughts/random bits of info:

-They haven't heard if there's going to be a season 12 yet. Nigel actually turned to the audience during one of the commercial breaks and stated that while making a speech about the importance of the arts and how the show has contributed to that, etc.

-Nigel also stated that Ricky was #1 in terms of votes EVERY week. Though I'm sure that wasn't surprising.

-I was watching the cue cards scroll as Paula Abdul was on stage and she definitely decided to go off and do her own thing instead of following them. She seemed like she didn't rehearse at all!

Finally after seeing them perform live- Tanisha was ROBBED. That is all.

Cool and interesting info. I thought Tanisha was the best girl by far! and never voted for a single female besides for her and Carly the entire season (always giving Tanisha more votes). Once they both were gone, I only voted for boys. Edited September 5, 2014 by MyFavShows

[hula-la]

 

Alex the ballet dancer did a stint on Newsies, but can he tap?

Alex can definitely tap. I live in the area where he grew up, and I remember years ago watching him at perform as a winner in a tap division of a dance competition. My friend called him her "tapping son". I missed when they announced Zack as the fourth place finisher, but did he definitely place fourth? I'm wondering if they wanted to have a boy and girl as the final two, and while he didn't win, he may not have been truly in last place.

Edited September 5, 2014 by hula-la

[iameatingaburrito]

I wasn't unhappy Ricky won -- what I found interesting in my feelings is that I was so excited about Ricky and his beautiful leaps and extensions early on, but I got less excited as we neared the finale. This episode actually spotlighted what bugged me most about him -- first off, his visible difficulties on lifts with even the most tiny, sylphlike girls (it wasn't Valerie's fault that he looks clumsy doing them, in other words), secondly (and most strikingly, for me) -- his occasional inability to morph or change his quality of movement for the varying dance styles. Sometimes his movements have a self-conscious prettiness to them that for me didn't always fit the styles he was dancing, and because his movement is so striking, it was very noticeable for me.

 

I've noticed Ricky having a little difficulty with lifts in past episodes but not in the finale, and Valerie is not tiny. I also think he morphed into different styles incredibly well, both hip hips and cha cha (and jazz with Lauren + jazz with Jessica) were impressive, but he messed up both hip hops in the finale (seems like he was either going too fast or forgot parts), he did them a lot better the first time. I didn't see any self-conscious prettiness in any of his dancing, and actually no prettiness at all in anything that wasn't contemporary or waltz.

 

I also only noticed the annoying home alone face one time the whole episode, during the scary dance themes montage.

Alex can definitely tap. I live in the area where he grew up, and I remember years ago watching him at perform as a winner in a tap division of a dance competition. My friend called him her "tapping son". I missed when they announced Zack as the fourth place finisher, but did he definitely place fourth? I'm wondering if they wanted to have a boy and girl as the final two, and while he didn't win, he may not have been truly in last place.

 

Wikipedia lists him in 4th place and Jessica in 3rd. I'm pretty sure they were eliminated in order.

Edited September 5, 2014 by iameatingaburrito

[apicalmeristem]

Thanks for the report, apicalmeristem.  I'd like to hear any other tidbits you have - I'm always fascinated by what actually happens as opposed to what we're allowed to see.

I have a few more tidbits! 

 

-When they replayed the Enrique performance (it was taped about 30 mins before the show started) Jenna Dewan Tatum got up and started salsa dancing with Nigel then Adam. Super cute.  

 

-The judges are obsessed with taking selfies. Especially Tara Lipinski (who I accidentally called Tara REID. Too much sharknado) 

 

-Before Rudy and Tanisha's dance Rudy was nervously grabbing at his pant leg so Tanisha reached out and took his hand. 

 

-During the first commercial break Cat immediately said "Where are my red vines?" and someone brought them to her. She shared them with the young girls near the stage who stood for the entire performance. I was sad she didn't offer any to the rest of the audience since we were all starving at that point. 

 

-The stage and the studio are both much, much smaller than they appear on tv. 

 

It was an amazing experience though! Sorry to everyone who was annoyed at seeing that "2 kings" hip hop dance again because I was SO excited I got the chance to see it live! 

[crowceilidh]

Thanks again, apicalmeristem.  I think I really want to go to a taping sometime, but I really don't want to fly across the continent.  I'm always so glad to hear observations from people who are able to do so.

Edited September 6, 2014 by crowceilidh

[OnceSane]

I FFd through 95% of the show.  I think I watched three dances total.  & I'm not surprised at the Ricky win, that was telegraphed from basically day one.

[RBee]

Jess' Twitter post and photo with Ricky:

https://twitter.com/D8Jess/status/508030819718676480

 

Apparently, Ricky is already in NYC. It just now occurred to me to wonder how this is going to work, with the tour and the show both happening this fall.

[traboule]

I was really disappointed that Zack came in fourth - I think that first week's votes probably brought him down, because he had that foxtrot with Jacque that was criticized by the judges. I was fairly sure that Ricky would win, but internet chatter had me thinking Zack had a shot at an upset. So once it was revealed that he was fourth, all sense of suspense was lost. But judging by how much the choreographers loved him, I think he'll be all right. I hope his Broadway dream is realized.

 

I was disappointed in most of the dances that were picked for reprise - it was very heavy in the contemporary routines. I would have liked to see "Good Kisser", the "Happy" jive, or Jacque/Zack's "Stay with Me." Also, too bad they don't do reprises of group numbers. But even with dances I like, the finale reprise usually seems the lesser version anyway. I was happy that "Senile" with Carly and Serge was chosen by voters, but the make-up on their faces was inferior to the original performance's more fierce look.

 

I really liked both new group numbers - the first number just to see all twenty back on the stage (oh Teddy you're so suave). It's too bad Stanley fell, though. The second train station number was a lot of fun and just all around great dancing. Of this year's contestants, Emilio and Zack really stood out in that number.

 

I bought a ticket for the SYTYCD tour. This may not have been SYTYCD's best season, but I expect that it will still be a good show - I mean, I'll get to see Tanisha the beast perform live!

[kechara]

I just watched Afterbuzz. Teddy, Emilio and Serge were on.  They said that every single one of them picked out Ricky as the winner on the first day. They also all seem very close.

There were a lot more injuries this year they said, than previous years. Jessica and Emily were taped up all the time. Emily had bad back issues, shoulder issues - something tore and dislocated shoulder.

Emilio might do the Fikshun part of the hip hop with Zack on tour.

There was more but that's all I remember off hand.

Serge was thought to be  on tour and then he wasn't - some kind of mis-communication.  Also not in the DWTS troup either. They can't do a competing show for a year after their season.

[traboule]

^^^^ That was a pretty good Afterbuzz episode. I was actually coming here to recommend it. For those who weren't watching Afterbuzz due to annoyance at some of the cohosts, this episode with Serge, Teddy and Emilio was hosted only by Kristyn Burtt.

[kechara]

Not being a dancer at all, I found some of their thoughts on the dances and choreography quite interesting.

[traboule]

Not being a dancer at all, I found some of their thoughts on the dances and choreography quite interesting.

 

Agreed. It was also fun watching them geek out over their fellow dancers' routines, e.g. when they were explaining to Kristyn why they preferred Sonya Tayeh's "You Need" routine for Rudy/Tanisha over "Good Kisser".

[kechara]

I liked the part where they said which routing that they didn't get that they would have really wanted.

Also their comments about the choreographers and how they related to their dancers.

[tankgirl73]

I must say that both JTF and Paula made Cat look like the consummate professional that she is.

 

The difference is that, as a highly professional comedian, JTF intended to make Cat look like the consummate professional she is.

 

 

Yeah, this.  I thought it was hilarious.  It's actually quite difficult to do 'bad acting' on purpose, and have it be funny.  

 

Paula, though, was just... weird.  As in, I couldn't understand how she was supposed to be anybody famous with that incredible lack of skill, kind of weird.

 

My daughter wanted Valerie to win, so she was happy that Valerie did well.  Myself, I'm in agreement with the masses saying that Tanisha was robbed and Zack should have placed higher than Valerie.  But Ricky was my favourite from the start so I'm pleased that at least that was done right.

[ToxicUnicorn]

Also, too bad they don't do reprises of group numbers.

traboule, this is a brilliant comment.  I would love for the finale to be a reprise of the group numbers instead of duets.