S18.E09: Challenge #5: Brand Challenge

[DanaK]

Quote

The competition continues as the top four dancers take on a brand challenge. This week the dancers will take on a brand-themed dance challenge choreographed by Hi-Hat featuring SYTYCD All-Star, Emmy-nominated choreographer and professional dancer, Witney Carson. Who will rise to the challenge and remain on the show? This week all four dancers will have to dance for their lives, and someone will be eliminated before next week's season finale where one person will win $100,000 and be crowned the winner of So You Think You Can Dance. Tune into the all-new "Challenge #5: Brand Challenge" episode of So You Think You Can Dance airing Monday, May 13 (9:02 - 10:00 ET/PT) on FOX.

 

[crowceilidh]

Except for the product placement and the main product placementer Witney, this was an enjoyable episode. 

Going on their solos for the brands, I would have ditched dakayla.  Going on their solos on stage, either of the boys could've gone for me.

Judges certainly telegraphed to the audience that Easton was going.

I did not enjoy Allison's hairography and JoJo's was only faintly more entertaining.  If Maks had done it too, I might've thought that part was fun, but oh no, he might break his knee (Madison you have to push through it, but Maks doesn't).

Instructive how few people have jumped into the thread so far.

 

[Andiethewestie]

Easton is fine. He's already touring. He's still green in hip hop  and still a bit competition dancer but his technique is gorgeous in contemporary. Madison is limping to the end but my goodness even when she's not full out she's the star of the group. I honestly thought she was going based on tonight but I'd be fine with Anthony leaving he just really demonstrated his less than perfect technique. Dekala is rehashing her audition which isn't bad but is it growth? If Madison can heal she's my winner. 

[Quickbeam]

Soo much tumbling with some contemporary moves thrown in. I agree that Madison is the one to beat.

[tv echo]

Except for episode 7, they have alternated between eliminating boys and girls every week:

Episode 1 - auditions
Episode 2 - auditions
Episode 3 - auditions
Episode 4 - top 10 were revealed (5 girls, 5 boys)
Episode 5 - two girls were eliminated (Olivia, Avery)
Episode 6 - two boys were eliminated (Roman, Braylin)
Episode 7 - boy was eliminated (Jaylin)
Episode 8 - girl was eliminated (Mariyah)
Episode 9 - boy was eliminated (Easton)

Coincidence or contrivance? Most likely the initial elimination next week will be one of the girls. The only question is, will they keep Madison, who's competed better this entire season? Or will they keep Dakayla, in order to create the fake drama of a Hunger Games type situation for the final two dancers where the "romantic" couple compete against each other?

Edited May 14 by tv echo

[mojoween]

Would have kept Easton over Anthony for sure.

Agree that what they showed us of Alison and Jojo dancing was less than impressive.  You can do better, show!

They couldn’t have put Madison in long pants and Dakayla in shorts to cover up Madison’s scars and wounds?

Ok.  WE GET IT.  You are hawking Gatorade.  No need to have a real life ad in every single commercial break.

[realdancemom]

Easton is the type of contestant that would have won in previous seasons. The audience loved to vote for contemporary guys with beautiful technique that are good enough in other styles like hip hop.

This season, I think Madison should win. I just hope that her injury doesn't get worse.

Dakayla really danced for her life. She probably would have been out after the brand challenge. Her raw emotions came through with her solo and it was powerful.

Based on the ending solos, Easton was the right one to go. Also except for last night's group number, his face showed how overwhelmed he was with hip hop and jazz funk. He's beautiful in contemporary or a Classical musical number like the trio that Chris Scott choreographed.

I like the challenges. Next year, I hope they can get Derek to choreograph a fusion ballroom/jazz number as if they were auditioning for one of his shows. We need some ballroom back. 

[Andiethewestie]

I

On 5/14/2024 at 6:54 AM, tv echo said:

Except for episode 7, they have alternated between eliminating boys and girls every week:

Episode 1 - auditions
Episode 2 - auditions
Episode 3 - auditions
Episode 4 - top 10 were revealed (5 girls, 5 boys)
Episode 5 - two girls were eliminated (Olivia, Avery)
Episode 6 - two boys were eliminated (Roman, Braylin)
Episode 7 - boy was eliminated (Jaylin)
Episode 8 - girl was eliminated (Mariyah)
Episode 9 - boy was eliminated (Easton)

Coincidence or contrivance? Most likely the initial elimination next week will be one of the girls. The only question is, will they keep Madison, who's competed better this entire season? Or will they keep Dakayla, in order to create the fake drama of a Hunger Games type situation for the final two dancers where the "romantic" couple compete against each other?

I think it all hinges on Madison's injury. She goes if she can't compete. They gave her a bi this week, even though the quality of her dancing is at a very high level. 
Anthony even with "growth" is just not at the level of the boys who have left, so it would be a lunch bag let down if he stays. Dekayla, I think had her highlights with her Dad narrative but we will see.

Edited May 15 by Andiethewestie

[Mason]

White costumes with a white background. Again, monochromatic. I swear, they're going out of their way to make it next to impossible for anyone to be recognized.

Madison represents everything the new format expects of its winner, so I hope she can persevere. I like her.

If they are going to plug a product, they really should plug it 100%. I'm still left wondering how Gatorade Water differs from Gatorade or G-Zero, other than it's designed "for dancers like us."

[AllAboutMBTV]

Aren't the Brand and Video challenges basically the same? Dancing on film to sell a product/song/musical artist, which is later hyper-edited and doesn't show more than a few seconds of continuous dance. Sigh...

I get what the show producers and creators are going for in this season's format, but it doesn't interest me at all. I miss ballroom. I miss disco, African Jazz, tap, popping, crump, ballet, Bollywood, etc., etc. This season has largely just been the same thing over and over.

But, yeah, Madison for the win. IF this show continues and in this format, it'll be without me watching it.

[A.Ham]

2 hours ago, AllAboutMBTV said:

I get what the show producers and creators are going for in this season's format, but it doesn't interest me at all. I miss ballroom. I miss disco, African Jazz, tap, popping, crump, ballet, Bollywood, etc., etc. This season has largely just been the same thing over and over.

Yup, my only involvement with the show post auditions (and there was a LOT of fast forwarding on those) is really only reading these forums. Not interested in this dance/big brother mashup.

In my eyes the show could benefit from the couples format and focusing on the dancing only. I would even love to see new dance styles introduced, but alas... this is what the producers came up with. 

[coffeebean]

Unpopular opinion here......I'm really enjoying what this show has become. It is a completely different animal from season 2 (when I started watching) but it still highlights dance and that is why I tune in to watch. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED the original format of this show. My all time favorite dancer ever from this show is and always will be Jess LeProtto. As a Broadway dancer, Jess could do it all, including tap.

I'm calling it now. Madison will win this even if she is still injured and hurting. I realized during this episode that Madison was going to beat Easton. Easton being eliminated, however, at top 4 surprised me. I was so sure the top 2 would be him and Madison.

Madison blew it out of the water with her Jazz solo. Loved it!

[crowceilidh]

I strongly suspect that Dakayla and Anthony are providing the show's only suspense for the reality show b.s. narrative part of the show and that's why Easton isn't there, instead of Dakayla. 

I mean the judges were talking her up when I couldn't see it at all, AND her solo was good, but Easton's was easily better and imo showed that he had taken on board a lot of the criticism levelled at him.  Whereas I don't remember Dakayla having a particular consistent strain of criticism levelled at her.

If you weren't already dating, it would be a very canny thing to "fall" for another unhitched dancer in this format.  Jus' sayin'.

I am enjoying more things about this format than I thought I would, but it still needs a helluva lot of tweaking to be more about real dance/music and less about editing/rality show/judges.  More contestants use more choreographers and more music.  I know, that's money.  But this show is worth way more than money as we have consistently seen over the years.

[Diana Berry]

On 5/13/2024 at 11:52 PM, Andiethewestie said:

Easton is fine. He's already touring. He's still green in hip hop  and still a bit competition dancer but his technique is gorgeous in contemporary. Madison is limping to the end but my goodness even when she's not full out she's the star of the group. I honestly thought she was going based on tonight but I'd be fine with Anthony leaving he just really demonstrated his less than perfect technique. Dekala is rehashing her audition which isn't bad but is it growth? If Madison can heal she's my winner. 

Who does Easton tour with ?  I thought he did great.

[Andiethewestie]

He's on Derek Hough's Symphony of Dance Tour