S12.E10: Top 18 Perform + Elimination

[OakGoblinFly]

Another night of mostly "meh" dancing.  Something isn't clicking this season for me.

 

I sorta, kinda liked the idea of the robot-dance and I thought Virgil and Haley danced it well ..... I found myself getting more annoyed at the dancers the longer that they stayed in "character" ..... it got weird and then uncomfortable.  Psssssst, Haley, you're NOT supposed to mention the fact that you trained in styles other than jazz.

 

Wow, the judges really sent the bus after Marissa didn't they?  Maybe the reason that Marissa looked at the audience was because Asaf gave her nothing (talk about vapid) to work with.  Also, she looked petrified going into some of those lifts - (not that I blame her).

 

While JaJa was good in her piece, she wasn't as good as the judges claimed her to be.

 

Of course Nigel's mind went straight to the gutter when Paula mentioned "package" during Burim's critique.  I didn't think there was anything wrong with Paula's comment until pervy Nigel started with the innuendos.  Hey judges (specifically Nigel) the reason Yorelis (I think that's her name) did well in that Afro-pop-jazz dance is because she's heavily cross-trained and once auditioned as a contemporary dancer.  I thought that the trio performance the dance well - I just didn't like the choreography.  And of course the wonky camera work didn't help (or maybe that's why I didn't like the choreography - I couldn't see it).

 

I'm glad that the Twitter-verse saved Kate - she truly is a lovely dancer.

 

I covet Cat's shoes.

 

 

[OakGoblinFly]

Oh for fucks sake. Burim or whatever his name is, should have stayed since he actually succeeded in doing the choreography. BAh.

 

 

And I never fear that Burim is going to drop his partner like I am with Asaf.  I don't understand why the judges elected to keep Asaf over Burim when Burim has been nothing but receptive to the process (sure he gets frustrated, but I think that's because he (1) wants to learn and (2) doesn't want to disappoint his partners) - I'll take that attitude everyday and twice on Sunday over stank-face "why are you making me do this" Asaf (and I for a second do not believe this "redemption").

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I liked the Team Stage group dance this week. The choreography itself was the same old contemporary stuff but I loved the staging of this routine. Despite this, can we not have Team Stage do a contemporary group dance every week? Two weeks in a row was already too much for me.

Edited July 28, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Haleth]

I used to look forward to this show every week and was always very invested in some of the dancers.  This time I've decided to DVR it and watch on Tues so I can skip all the judging and street vs stage nonsense.  I only want to see good dancing.  And I'm still waiting.

 

I went back and watched the opening group number specifically to watch for both of them to confirm my initial impression of their roles in that routine. They were initially not onstage and once they joined the group, they were in the back because they were both pretty terrible.

 

I did watch the opening and closing group numbers live and did notice how Asaf and Burim were once again hidden in the back so the audience could not see how bad they were.  I can't believe Asaf is still on the show and Moises got booted.  Just goes to show what a bad idea street vs stage is.  

[Whimsy]

Maybe are they keeping Asaf as a kind of "joker" ? As "in order to be sure to be able to save the one they really don't want to leave" ?

Oooooh!  Asaf's the goat!!  That makes much more sense now! 

 

I actually don't believe that, though.  Nigel loves nothing more than the redemption arc.  I think he's hoping Asaf will improve by leaps and bounds to prove the redemption accurate.  I am sure we all agree here that that will never happen!  Asaf is terrible!  I still think he's awful pretty though.

[Shades of Red]

First I have to address Nigel's comment. I couldn't believe that he said that. And the look on Neptune's face said exactly what I was thinking. It was a combination of "Did he really just say that?" and "WTF?" I know that racism is alive and well even today so I believe that there are ignorant racist people who would complain about interracial dancing on television. But he got "so many" complaints about a "white girl dancing with a black guy"? Exactly how many is "so many," Nigel? Then of course I was wondering exactly which routine elicited "so many complaints" during S1. Was it when Jamile danced a jive with Ashlé? Or when Jamile did the quickstep with Snow? I was just shaking my head when Nigel said how far we have come in ten years, as if SYTYCD somehow sparked a civil rights movement.

... 

Slow hand clap for your entire post!  Couldn't agree more but specifically want to say thanks for the above part I've quoted.  I thought I was imaging things at first and couldn't believe what I hearing.  What an awful thing to say especially with the two dancers on stage. 

 

I know at times Jean-Marc has some weird ideas, but in this case I think he had to do something to try to make it look like Asaf was doing some ballroom.  It backfired, but there's only so much you can do.  The reason it didn't look like a cha cha is it couldn't look like one.  In fact it couldn't look like much given who the male was dancing. 

 

I think Paula is actually giving some great critiques to the dancers and is trying to help them.  I didn't watch her on Idol so have no idea what she was like there.

[mojoween]

The thing that irritates me most is that the judges PICKED Burim but Asaf was only slotted in because of an injury. So common sense would dictate that when you have a choice between the guy you put through and the guy you initially didn't, you would bounce the alternate.

[LydiaMoon1]

Nigel's comment about interracial couples was so unnecessary. Race will never stop being an issue in anything if people keep bringing it up.

IA that Nigel's comment was unneccessary, but the rest of your assertion is just....no.  Race will continue to be an issue as long as it's an issue (whether you talk about it or not).  For instance, I thought from the beginning that the only reason Burim and Asshat made the top 20 was because they were white.  IMO, betters dancers were cut in order to keep them because the show felt they needed to have more than one white, male dancer to attract an audience.  Actually, better dancers are STILL being cut in order to keep Asshat around.  His dance ability is limited, his personality grates, and he can't learn choreography.  Why is he still there? He's certainly not being allowed to continue to take up space on merit alone.

[ToxicUnicorn]

I can't believe Asaf is still on the show and Moises got booted.

The thing that irritates me most is that the judges PICKED Burim but Asaf was only slotted in because of an injury. So common sense would dictate that when you have a choice between the guy you put through and the guy you initially didn't, you would bounce the alternate.

Excellent points, although I'm glad this didn't happen to Benji.  (Was Benji ever in danger of going home?)  I can't remember if there were any other alternates.  I think so, just can't remember.

I hope Moises and Burim don't think too hard about last night's decision.  Not that Burim was going to go much further.  I'm surprised Adriana was saved.  I think she's a good dancer, but I haven't seen any kind of star quality.

 

Why is he still there? He's certainly not being allowed to continue to take up space on merit alone.

Maybe Nigel has decided to wade into the politics of the Middle East and Tyce is working on a piece about Israel vs. Hamas as we speak.  Hey, maybe all they need is an (Inter)National Dance Day.

Edited July 28, 2015 by ToxicUnicorn

[grumpypanda]

I officially hate the new format. I never thought I would say this but I miss the getting to know you segments. I feel like I don't knew anything about these dancers. Does Megz sleep with a pillow pet and hate mustard? Does Neptune collect angel figurines? Is Marissa afraid of clouds? Who hoards all the pickles in the house? I guess we'll never know.

I'm also noticing a lot of mistakes in the dances this season. It's obvious that a lot of the dancers aren't trained. The African jazz was a hot mess. The cartwheel thing that Gaby and Ariania did was slow and they messed up the last flip.

Anyway, I loved everything about Neptune and Kate's dance except for Kate's dress. For some reason I found the floral pattern really distracting. I also learned that SYTYCD ended racism which is cool.

The jazz trio was weird. I felt like I was watching a cheesy music video from 1992.

Everything else was kind of boring. This show is definitely on its last leg. I'm a sad panda now.

[TrueBlue]

I was just shaking my head when Nigel said how far we have come in ten years, as if SYTYCD somehow sparked a civil rights movement.

 

Nigel is so gross.  I felt really bad for Neptune; he looked so taken aback.  Also, Nigel pontificates about racism and then in practically the same breath calls the female dancer "baby".  Evidently he is A-OK with sexism.

[Primetimer]

Doesn't matter how good-looking you are: You still have to make an effort, have a good attitude, and dance well. ...Ha ha! I'm kidding. Asaf is sticking around.

Read the story

[Sarah D. Bunting]

MacEachern's a man of simple tastes -- like robot dancers from outer space. Check his Rankling of last night's ep right here: http://previously.tv/so-you-think-you-can-dance/you-had-me-at-robot-dancers-from-outer-space/

[ToxicUnicorn]

While JaJa was good in her piece, she wasn't as good as the judges claimed her to be.

I bet they know JaJa is a shoo-in for the final 4.  I certainly think so.  I'm thinking Megz will be the next most popular Street dancer.

 

The thing I didn't like about the robots staying in character so long afterwards was that it wasn't done for fun, to maintain the spirit of the characters.  Instead, it seemed like a way to extend their dance number and impress voters with their skills.  Hey, no one else gets that extra time ... cut it out.

 

Also, whoever was doing the over-animated telephone pantomime (Kate?) was annoying.  If it was Kate, though, I still like her dancing.

 

I'm so glad I missed Nigel's comments about interracial couples.  I don't need to think about that on my fluffy summer show.

[Andie1]

The thing that irritates me most is that the judges PICKED Burim but Asaf was only slotted in because of an injury. So common sense would dictate that when you have a choice between the guy you put through and the guy you initially didn't, you would bounce the alternate.

 

This is why I think Asaf has some friggen deal going behind the scenes. Somebody wants him there for a reason besides dance. Fox has hjacked this show for their own purposes so maybe he's got a modelling deal or Fox wants him for some shitty tv show because he's pretty and Israeli, what a combo!.  They cut him and now all of a sudden he "should" be there?  Bullshit. 

Edited July 28, 2015 by Andie1

[Kat From Jersey]

IA that Nigel's comment was unneccessary, but the rest of your assertion is just....no.  Race will continue to be an issue as long as it's an issue (whether you talk about it or not).  For instance, I thought from the beginning that the only reason Burim and Asshat made the top 20 was because they were white.  IMO, betters dancers were cut in order to keep them because the show felt they needed to have more than one white, male dancer to attract an audience.  Actually, better dancers are STILL being cut in order to keep Asshat around.  His dance ability is limited, his personality grates, and he can't learn choreography.  Why is he still there? He's certainly not being allowed to continue to take up space on merit alone.

 

This, so much.  *Every* reality show is scripted.  Every single one, to some degree, and some way more than others.  Even the competition shows.  So here we have Nigel and the producers plotting backstage as to what makes for the best TV.  What will generate the most talk on Twitter, etc.  Do viewer's votes even count?  Probably not, or at least not nearly as much as they say.

 

Asaf is being kept around for his pretty (although I think Burim was very good looking... those eyes!), and for the faux 'controversy'.  His redemption is generating buzz on this show that needs all the buzz it can get.  The fact that he's a hetero male, that the female viewers can ogle a bit, has a lot to do with his sticking around.

 

I only started watching during season 10, and when I see the amazing Jasmine Harper on every commercial break during the show, I still can't believe that Amy won over her.  Amy was great, no doubt, but Jasmine danced circles around her.

 

Anyway, I DVR this show so I can ff through the commercials and most of the critique, because Nigel just annoys me to no end.  I'm guessing this will be the last season.  Meh.

[mojoween]

And if Asaf had shown this incredible growth and was shining in everything they asked of him instead of whining and grumping and acting a fool, while I still prefer Burim, I could grudgingly feel they made the right call. But Asaf has not grown. He is static.

At least Burim tried very hard; I made a point to watch him during the Top 18 dance and he was doing all the same moves, even if it was in the back.

[innocuouspuff]

Having never seen "African jazz" anywhere but on this show (is it something Shawn Cheeseman made up?) is it always verging on racist like they do it on this show? I'm always uncomfortable watching it.

I didn't know much about it but google tells me it's meant to be a fusion style of Western technique and older native styles, kinda like Bollywood. And like Bollywood, the show can apparently only name the one choreographer. I don't object to the underlying idea of having it on the show but I think the costuming didn't help the optics on this one.

I understand that Asaf is a storyline for the show but just don't understand what's fun about a storyline that involves throwing him so heavily under the bus. And yeah, poor Jean-Marc didn't choreograph a cha-cha because it's a partner dance and he only had the one dancer.

In defense of Nigel's racism comment - ugh I know - my mum used to say the same thing when she watched earlier seasons with me. Like tWitch/Katee, etc. She wasn't offended and she didn't write letters, but she's an older lady who remembers when that stuff basically wasn't allowed. So I buy that Nigel heard feedback about it. Was the tone-deaf self-congratulatory attitude necessary? Not in the least, lol Nigel.

Edited July 28, 2015 by innocuouspuff

[Wootini]

What in the actual hell was that elimination? You have two b-boys, one who has been nothing but a problem, not picking up choreography, talking back to the choreographers and generally having a stank attitude… then you have the other one who is also struggling with choreography, but trying really hard and putting in the work with the right attitude. So who do you save? Oh, the pretty one, of course. :P

 

Honestly, neither of them were that great in their routines, but at least Burim seemed to be trying in the African Jazz. Asaf was so terrible in that cha cha that I felt bad for whatever street dancer missed out on that slot so they could have the pretty boy on the show. Because of the judges comments on each of them, when they kept Asaf, I could only assume that production had some kind of involvement in the decision. They want the pretty boy around as long as possible. Preferably without a shirt. On the plus side, having him fall into the bottom so quickly means that the audience isn't as distracted by his pretty as I'd feared, and are noticing how bad he is and aren't voting for him. So maybe we can get rid of him next week.

 

Because I realized this week that the reason I seem to like the group stage routine better than the group street routine is that while all the stage dancers are really good, there's still some dead weight on the street team that's pulling the group numbers down. Give it another couple weeks and Team Street should be a stronger unit. (And in the end when it's just Virgil, Neptune, Jaja and Megz? They should kick ass!) :D

 

The only routine I really liked was the robot dance. They were both terrific. I appreciated Jaja's effort in the contemporary piece, though. She had all the moves, even if they weren't technically as good as… Katie? I don't know. The generic pretty blonde girl whose name I can never remember. Oh, and this week Edson popped right out of the screen for me. I don't know if it's just because in the opening number and his routine he had an open shirt and I was hypnotized by his hips and abs, but he got my attention. Heck, I didn't even notice the two girls dancing with him during his routine! ;)

[mojoween]

Oh and if you had told me there was a Derek on this show before last night I wouldn't have believed you. I have no recollection of his presence before now.

[Toaster Strudel]

Finally, an inter-racial dance on TV!  Not a moment too soon, it's 2015 after all.  At first I was mildly scandalized, but as the dance went on, I thought, this is pretty good, they should do it again sometime!  But not too fast, we need time to digest and absorb this radical new concept.  I am going to check right now it this has made headlines in the Backwoods Picayune.

[Wootini]

An interracial dance?!? 

 

Next thing you'll tell me we'll have ballet dancers and hip-hop dancers performing together!

 

It's the end of the world! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!

[crowceilidh]

 

I don't think Nigel needed to talk about interracial couples.

It was quite jarring partially because I hadn't noticed at all and was therefore forced to, but I do remember speculation on that exact issue during S1 -- I think there were rumours about the ignorant savaging Nigel was getting because of this issue partially due to the fact that interracial coupling was happening so infrequently in S1.  And I always felt that Benji and Donyelle who I think were both supposed to be fodder were put together in reply to that -- and then they lasted forever and then interracial couples became common on the show....  Anyhow, despite Nigel's implication that his show made for this change in society, it IS massively amazing how much our society has changed in public tolerance of formerly non-tolerated characteristics of couples.  He is tone deaf to have said it at that juncture, but as an old git myself, it is pretty cool to live through such a sea change.

 

Also, props to the comment about Virgil and Hailey looking like a photocopy. 

[Mertseger]

I officially hate the new format. I never thought I would say this but I miss the getting to know you segments. I feel like I don't knew anything about these dancers. Does Megz sleep with a pillow pet and hate mustard? Does Neptune collect angel figurines? Is Marissa afraid of clouds? Who hoards all the pickles in the house? I guess we'll never know.

 

I'm going to put a stake in the ground at this point, and say that I mildly prefer the new format largely because without ballroom being one of the holy triumvirate we are no longer stuck with duets for every single competition dance (although the lack of getting to-know-you segments in favor of more rehearsal footage is a nice side benefit as well) . I'd like to see more quartets after the introduction episodes, and when the field gets smaller, I'm hoping we will get choreographed solos with an assigned choreographer. (The format has also finally killed the stupid count-down clock for the dance-for-your-life "self"-choreographed solos that the audience would shout at with Pavlovian fervor. Woohoo!)

 

That being said, I agree with whoever posted last week that the "two girls fighting over the affections of boy" story-line for trios was played out after the tenth time it was done on DWTS. There are only two non-clichéd ways at this point that a romantic narrative for a trio can end: the same-sex pair united or a happy polyamorous union. And I suspect we'd quickly get bored with those two outcomes as well.

 

I do think that they could make some format changes to increase the stakes for the team competition. Perhaps a accumulating point system with escalating values each week to enable come-backs. How about different points for specific genres? 5 points for the quickstep routine, 1 point for the inevitable clutch-at-the-sky contemporary duet - and I say that as a contemporary/contemporary-in-the-style-of-contemporary fanboi.  The audience would then rank the dances via a vote, and final points would be assigned accordingly. The team captains could then assign their dancers based on the available points for the coming week, and so would have some direct dance-managerial role in the competition. And then we could complain about their favoritism and stupid decisions. It would be fun. (Too bad the show couldn't assign points for different choreographers given the egos in the industry: you know that Tasty Oreo should be a 1-point choreographer.)

 

Back to the show.

 

How butch was Megz compared to Jim? Looking at the hands alone I suspect Jim has never punched anything in his life, and Megz has never not punched in a dance routine. She ruled that routine, but it was, of course, in her wheelhouse.

 

I was disappointed with both Jim and Jaja this week, and reduced my votes accordingly. They are great in related genres, but they aren't quite making the leap across genres. 

 

Neptune, on the other-hand, really shone this week with Kate in a way that I look for in this show.

 

I will defer to the ballroom experts, but I did feel that Asaf was really focussed on keeping Marissa safe during the lifts to the point that he entirely stopped "dancing" to do so (which is much better than the alternative).

 

I did like the fact that Virgil and Haley did not break character after the routine ended: they deserve some personality/popularity votes for that fact alone.

Edited July 28, 2015 by Mertseger

[mojoween]

I wonder what Nigel saw that made him even say that in the first frickin' place. I mean, yes, Kate is relatively translucent but I'm pretty sure Neptune knows he's black and Kate is white. And there have been a zillion interracial and also intersexual dances on this show.

So why bring it up? Was HE uncomfortable with how closely Neptune and Kate were dancing? Because mentioning it at that point made it worse. IMHO, etc. etc.

[Toaster Strudel]

I am a sucker for robot moves, Virgil and Hailee could have cyborged the rest of the night for me!

[Watt]

I miss the "couples" that we've had in the past where dancers danced with the same person for several weeks, I enjoyed watching them..really get to know each other and grow and trust. Like Fik-shun and Amy, (Fik-shun is who Virgil reminds me of).

Will we get top ten dancers paired with all stars this year? I forget.

[luvthepros]

I can't even with Asaf. Lol.

Who the hell is Paula fucking?

[phoenix780]

Confession: I've had moments where I realize it's an interracial pairing and I appreciate it.  I'm mixed-race, I've seen and heard stupid things from all kinds of people, and I sometimes have a moment of satisfaction knowing they would be pissed off if they watched.  Which they probably don't.  So I kind of get where Nigel is coming from, although I wouldn't credit the show with any kind of social change because I'm not convinced that's occurred (the reaction to the recent Cheerios commercial, for example, makes me question things).  If he gets fewer comments I'd say it's because the audience has dwindled, whittled down to those who won't give it up and those who understand and generally like what it offers.

 

I'd like to see more quartets after the introduction episodes, and when the field gets smaller, I'm hoping we will get choreographed solos with an assigned choreographer.

 

I'd love to see choreographed solos now.  If what the choreographers say plays a massive role in who gets to stay, which I'm assuming it must because of Asaf v. Burim this year and Jenna a few years ago, I'd love to see that play out on the show itself.  Meaning- let the choreographers pick a favorite and showcase them in a way that shows us why they'd be a favorite.  It's already a skewed playing field, might as well get some great dance out of that, right?  

 

With respect to Asaf, I can't see him having much of a redemption arc.  Maybe a redemption dance on the night he gets eliminated.  If he were to massively improve, though...that would kind of validate the season, wouldn't it?  The street dancer who comes on the show with no training!! and becomes a Star.  Fits with what we've seen of Nigel's ego.  

 

That's why I love this place.  Y'all help make things make sense.

[luvthepros]

......So if Team Stage has beaten Team Street the last two weeks, what does that mean exactly. That more people are voting for the stage dancers, so mathematically we don't even really have a true picture of the bottom six?

 

Bingo!

Whats his name that danced the tobot reminds me of that one other adorable short street dancer that won that one year. God I'm terrible with names Lol.

I guess what you are trying to say is Virgil reminds you of Fikshun.

[Blueeyedgirl]

Clearly, Asaf has some redemption arc/story they have planned for him.  I keep thinking that secretly he is a trained contemporary dancer and this "Oooh choreography is so hard" is an act -- and in a couple of weeks he will show us how much he has "improved"...

 

Because that is the best explanation.  I thought his "dance" this week looked like an early week of DWTS (a show I don't even watch!), when the "star" is sort of plodding and the pro is dancing around them. 

[luvthepros]

..... NIgel is annoying me. He'd never agree to it, but the show would be so much better without him on the panel.

You may get your wish.....

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6627289/so-you-think-you-can-dance-turns-10-nigel-lythgoe-looks-back-ponders-shows-end

[MrsMoltisanti]

https://twitter.com/dizzyfeet/with_replies

 

Nigel was having some fun last night on Twitter. You can read the conversation about his Asaf tweet.

 

I can't handle the Asaf deal.  I long for the old days with dancers gone by.  This show has jumped the shark.  Last night I felt there was not even a decent routine.  I am so disappointed in the show and I don't even know why I watch anymore.

Edited July 28, 2015 by MrsMoltisanti

[rollerblade]

This is why I hate the way they are doing eliminations this year, "our" voting is pretty well meaningless when they judges get to save people "we" may not have wanted to see continue so therefore didn't vote for them.

 

Judges Save is nothing new, we have that since S1. They just replaced the "dance for your life" segment with Twitter Save this year.

[mojoween]

Hey that's right! I know FOX needs to save money for Knock Knock Jokes or whatever that show was but I miss the solos. I would have liked to see Burim dance his own style by himself again.

I know they did the same thing last week, I'm slow heh. And I don't count what they did on the anniversary show as a solo.

[Prairie Fire]

I wonder what Nigel saw that made him even say that in the first frickin' place. I mean, yes, Kate is relatively translucent but I'm pretty sure Neptune knows he's black and Kate is white. And there have been a zillion interracial and also intersexual dances on this show.

So why bring it up? Was HE uncomfortable with how closely Neptune and Kate were dancing? Because mentioning it at that point made it worse. IMHO, etc. etc.

 

Nigel has a pattern of patting himself on the back for things the show has "done". In all fairness, the show has accomplished quite a few things, but there's a time and a place for that - during interviews and media coverage, not during post-performance judges' comments. Those comments should be about the dancers and what just happened, but Nigel uses it as his soapbox to go off about everything.

 

I felt embarrassed for Kate and Neptune. When they shook their heads, they weren't thinking "Racism is bad", they were thinking, "Nigel, don't do that and please don't pull us into it."

[ari333]

Nigel....  no words.

 

The extra robot thing was too much for me. Stop it.

I always like what they call African Dance.

What style was the opening? I liked it and loved the music too. 

Im convinced that Nigel et al want to keep Asaf around in case things get slow bc Asaf can always be counted on to say or do something absurd and buzz-worthy. Plus, I think Moises is hotter than Asaf. There. I said it..

NOt to derail the thread, but I hate twitter and do not get the point of it. Is it to tell people what one is doing every moment of every day, as if people care? "It is 7 PM I'm at Applebee's on X street eating a burger and here is a picture. I will be here til 11 PM having margaritas. Here is a picture. Go rob my house. My debit card is in the first drawer by the fireplace.Here's my pin number if you want to swing by the bank." BAH. Get off my lawn.Also, as mentioned, we the viewers/voters don't really get to choose. BAH again.

Edited July 28, 2015 by ari333

[luvthepros]

This is why I hate the way they are doing eliminations this year, "our" voting is pretty well meaningless when they judges get to save people "we" may not have wanted to see continue so therefore didn't vote for them.

It is nothing new that the judges choose who to eliminate from the bottom three vote getters. What is new this season is the Twitter vote to save two dancers. That gives the viewers more weight this season in who moves on. I really don't see your point.

[Mason]

I wonder what Nigel saw that made him even say that in the first frickin' place. I mean, yes, Kate is relatively translucent but I'm pretty sure Neptune knows he's black and Kate is white. And there have been a zillion interracial and also intersexual dances on this show.

So why bring it up? Was HE uncomfortable with how closely Neptune and Kate were dancing? Because mentioning it at that point made it worse. IMHO, etc. etc.

 

IIRC, Jason made a comment about their chemistry beyond the dance, and both looked startled. I believe it preceded Nigel's comment.

[crowceilidh]

The twitter vote is very clever:  One -- the audience get to save someone in jeopardy rather than the judges - awesome; Two -- you have to watch in real time (and therefore endure commercials) if you want to participate in the save; Three -- Nigel can mis-spell Burim (Burin) in his tweet and therefore all of the West Coast twitterers who have been waiting to save him will vote for the wrong name; Four -- the judges have both the voting stats on the bottom three AND the recent tweets to consult in order to decide who to cut.

 

Nigel is thinking of leaving the judging panel?  Can we get a rotating judge in there so we can see people like Christina, lil'C, Jesse, Adam and even Allstars?  If the show keeps going, that would be cool.

[OakGoblinFly]

https://twitter.com/dizzyfeet/with_replies

 

Nigel was having some fun last night on Twitter. You can read the conversation about his Asaf tweet.

 

I can't handle the Asaf deal.  I long for the old days with dancers gone by.  This show has jumped the shark.  Last night I felt there was not even a decent routine.  I am so disappointed in the show and I don't even know why I watch anymore.

 

 

Because Cat is awesome?

[LadyMustang65]

I know I'm in the minority here (probably a minority of one), but I like Asaf.  I have not loved everything he's done, but I said last week that I had gotten the feeling he had had an attitude change, and I think that was shown here tonight.  He didn't gripe or complain about the choreography; he just did the best he could with it and seemed to be working very hard.  No, he was not good overall, but I did think there were places where he was getting it, and while he was not as smooth in the lifts as others have been, neither did I ever feel as though his partner was in danger of being dropped.  And after the performance is over, he seems to take the comments in stride and has thanked his partners for working with him.  He seems like he's probably a nice guy who's in over his head.  Can he improve much more within the confines of the show and the fact that it's not really a 'teaching' place?  I don't know.  Probably not.  But I'm glad he got the chance, and I hope he can get better.  I admit to being surprised that he was saved over Burim, as I thought Burim did a better job in his African jazz routine than Asaf did in the cha cha, but I honestly think over all Asaf has more potential maybe than Burim.  I don't know.  We'll see. 

 

I'm still far more enamoured of the street team than the stage team.  I love Jaja, Megz, Yourelis, Virgil and Neptune especially.  On the street team I still like Gaby and Jim and at times Kate.  Hailee still bugs for some reason.  I don't tweet and generally hate bringing Twitter into a show, but if you're going to use it, then allowing the audience to save dancers is probably the best use of it I've seen. 

 

Nigel continues to be an ass.  Jason is better than I would have expected from the audition rounds.  Paula is surprising me in that I mostly enjoy what she has to say.

[MrsMoltisanti]

 

Because Cat is awesome?

 

Yeah, I guess I watch for that reason.

But really I still watch because I want to see Benji come running out of the audience yelling I am the one true dancer!  I am Benji dammit!

Watch me booty pop!  I got yer west coast swing!  I got yer lindy hop!  I got game, I got jive!

 

Okay, I am done now. 

[Rick Kitchen]

I kind of really loved the contemporary group dance. The choreography was pretty stellar.  Hope we see more of that. 

 

 

That was Travis, wasn't it?

[Wootini]

I know I'm in the minority here (probably a minority of one), but I like Asaf.  I have not loved everything he's done, but I said last week that I had gotten the feeling he had had an attitude change, and I think that was shown here tonight.  He didn't gripe or complain about the choreography; he just did the best he could with it and seemed to be working very hard.  

 

I noticed that his edit was a lot more favorable this week as well. I don't know if that meant he actually took to heart what everyone kept telling him or if the show simply edited it to make it look as though he had so their save would make more sense. I'd like to think he's growing and learning, but I'm too jaded by "reality" TV to truly believe it...

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Was Benji ever in danger of going home?

Nope. Neither Benji nor Donyelle were ever in the bottom 6/4.

I kind of really loved the contemporary group dance. The choreography was pretty stellar. Hope we see more of that.

That was Travis, wasn't it?

No, we finally had our first week without any Travis choreography. The Team Stage group number was choreographed by a blonde woman named Jaci Royal.

I miss the getting to know you segments. I feel like I don't knew anything about these dancers. Does Megz sleep with a pillow pet and hate mustard? Does Neptune collect angel figurines? Is Marissa afraid of clouds? Who hoards all the pickles in the house? I guess we'll never know.

I never liked those "you have ten seconds to name all your partner's weird habits!" beat the buzzer segments but I don't mind learning little tidbits about the dancers. The ironic thing is that because we are no longer getting all pairs, we should theoretically have more time for fluff segments. For example, during top 20 week normally we would have ten couple dances plus the group number for a total of eleven dances. Because the dancers were in groups of 2-4 people, we had seven dances plus the opening group number and two team dances which is a total of ten dances. That means there was an extra 3-8 minutes (90 seconds for the actual dance plus 2-3 minutes of rehearsal footage plus another 2-3 minutes for the judges to critique) that could have been spent on getting to know the dancers. They could have just added an extra minute to each intro package/rehearsal footage for each contestant to give us the usual random factoids about themselves or other dancers. Instead we just get more of Nigel pontificating and congratulating himself for bringing dance to the unwashed masses.

whoever was doing the over-animated telephone pantomime (Kate?) was annoying.

In previous seasons, I LOATHED that all the dancers had to hold up their fingers to show their phone number (TEMPO zero FIVE!) but then I saw an interview that said the producers reminded them to ham it up and hold up their fingers every week so I felt bad for the dancers. The one good thing about switching to all this supervoting stuff is that we (mostly) don't get that anymore but I also noticed Kate doing it during the twitter vote segment.

Maybe Nigel has decided to wade into the politics of the Middle East and Tyce is working on a piece about Israel vs. Hamas as we speak. Hey, maybe all they need is an (Inter)National Dance Day.

Ha! Tasty Oreo is working on his overwrought Peace in the Middle East choreography as we speak! Meanwhile Nigel is working on his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. Edited July 28, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[dcalley]

You may get your wish.....

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6627289/so-you-think-you-can-dance-turns-10-nigel-lythgoe-looks-back-ponders-shows-end

The relevant bit:

Billboard: What is the future of the show? Do you really think it’s going to come to an end?

Lythgoe: I think I am. I think it needs somebody younger in there now. I think I have done all I can for it. I will never leave it as an executive producer, but I think it might be nice to have younger people on the panel now. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for it.

My fingers are crossed, too. Your age isn't the problem, though. It's your personality.

[Anothermi]

MacEachern's a man of simple tastes -- like robot dancers from outer space. Check his Rankling of last night's ep right here: http://previously.tv/so-you-think-you-can-dance/you-had-me-at-robot-dancers-from-outer-space/

 

Another good, snark filled recap by Daniel. Thanks for bringing it once again.

 

Excellent points, although I'm glad this didn't happen to Benji.  (Was Benji ever in danger of going home?)  I can't remember if there were any other alternates.  I think so, just can't remember.

 

Two off the top of my head were Brandon Dumlao (S06) who promptly became the 1st male cut, and in S10 we got Aaron Turner who came in after Emilio Dosal ( who returned for S11) was injured. This was a success story as he made it to top 4.

[the eskimo]

 

So why bring it up? Was HE uncomfortable with how closely Neptune and Kate were dancing? Because mentioning it at that point made it worse. IMHO, etc. etc.

I hate to defend Nigel, but the theme of the dance was the husband going off to do a dangerous job, with the wife left concerned at home. Honestly, with the costuming being somewhat 50's-ish, and that storyline, I admit that my mind went there...the idea of an inter-racial couple in the 50's always concerned about what could happen when they leave the house.

 

For Nigel, it was probably more about the fact that his dance show cured racism (similar to the electric slide that cured racism in 90210), but I can see a slight connection to the theme of the dance.

[Anothermi]

I hate to defend Nigel, but the theme of the dance was the husband going off to do a dangerous job, with the wife left concerned at home. Honestly, with the costuming being somewhat 50's-ish, and that storyline, I admit that my mind went there...the idea of an inter-racial couple in the 50's always concerned about what could happen when they leave the house.

 

For Nigel, it was probably more about the fact that his dance show cured racism (similar to the electric slide that cured racism in 90210), but I can see a slight connection to the theme of the dance.

 

I agree that the "problem" is the way Nigel addresses an issue. He always comes off preachy, self-satisfied and pompous.... or rudely flippant. He rarely finds a good way to make a statement.

 

But the discussion reminded me that just last week in the Decade of Dance Special we saw/heard Wayne Brady's method of addressing the "elephant in the room" which is that while this show can make a black male and a white female, dancing together in a romantic or sexual manner, appear normal and acceptable (which it should be) there is still danger in attempting this "at home" - depending where home is.

 

Near the end of the last montage of special moments (just before the Alex/tWitch routine) they re-show the clip of Wayne Brady responding to Fik-shun and Amy's lovely contemporary dance in the 1st episode by saying:

"Whenever I want to show my serious side I take my clothes off and dance with a white girl too."

 

I remember both gasping at his daring and laughing at his wit when he said that. I don't recall any backlash for that comment either, but he was addressing that he was witnessing something that still isn't the norm and that was season 10  - just 2 years ago.

Edited July 28, 2015 by Anothermi