S12.E13: Top 10 Perform + Elimination

[Tara Ariano]

The Top 10 dancers perform, but two contestants are eliminated.

[crowceilidh]

Comfort Fedoke ‏@ComfortFedoke  12h12 hours ago
I'm gonna be an ALL-STAR ON SYTYCD AGAIN TOP 10!!! Woooo! Who do you think I'm partnered with?

 

Alex Wong ‏@AlexdWong  13h13 hours ago
Excited to say that I will be performing on #SYTYCD @DANCEonFOX tomorrow 8/7c ;) Will you be tuning in?

 

I also assume Robert Roldan - who else?

[luvthepros]

Comfort Fedoke ‏@ComfortFedoke  12h12 hours ago

I'm gonna be an ALL-STAR ON SYTYCD AGAIN TOP 10!!! Woooo! Who do you think I'm partnered with?

 

Alex Wong ‏@AlexdWong  13h13 hours ago

Excited to say that I will be performing on #SYTYCD @DANCEonFOX tomorrow 8/7c ;) Will you be tuning in?

 

 

I'm waiting for an Alex and Jim pairing. It must happen before the end of the season.

[Andie1]

According to another site  it's Jaimie season 3

Joshua season 4  Comfort season 4,  Kayla season 5  Brandon season 6

Alex season 7, Robert season 7, Marko Season 9,  Jasmine Season 10, Jessica season 11, 

[Mason]

5 male / 5 female

7 stage / 3 street

 

4 male stage / 1 male street

3 female stage / 2 female street

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm waiting for an Alex and Jim pairing. It must happen before the end of the season.

Make it happen, producers! Just make sure they are each wearing a different color so Nigel can tell them apart.

[realdancemom]

Make it happen, producers! Just make sure they are each wearing a different color so Nigel can tell them apart.

LOL!!  But would also love an Alex/Jim pairing.

[Watt]

Not trying to live blog or anything but I cant help but be concerned with all the injuries. I know its kind of a thing, being strenuous but... Gah.

[Mya Stone]

Not trying to live blog or anything but I cant help but be concerned with all the injuries. I know its kind of a thing, being strenuous but... Gah.

I'm totally fine with you posting while the show is airing, as long as it's not just saying something like, "OMG." Or, "Did you see that?!" :)

[hula-la]

Comfort and Virgil's dance made my insides happy.

[Whimsy]

I'm watching delayed, so I'm a little behind but is Cat really 2 feet taller than Virgil?? What the heck!

I loved seeing Kayla (rare supporter here) again and I thought the routine by Comfort and Virgil was fun and adorable.

[rollacoaster]

Ummmmmm............

 

Alex Wong. Is so many shades of awesome.  Lord, have mercy. I NEED to have his babies.

 

That's all I got.  

[rollerblade]

That was kinda cruel of the korograher (tm Travis) to ask Hailey to dance in those heels. I was nervous for her in some of the moves, she almost flubbed the ending pose. Nice dress though, to highlight her magnificent legs.

[vibeology]

Who is still voting for Derek. Edson isn't a superstar but at least I can remember his dances. Derek is so boring. I just don't get it.

 

Loved Edson's piece this week, Gabby was amazing, Virgil was strong and Megz continues to totally surprise. I didn't love Neptune's number; I really wish there had been more dancing away from the table because I wanted to see Neptune do more.

 

If the show is going to do cross promotion, the way they handled it this week with the solo songs was really good. That being said, if you're going to dance to "Drip Drop" dance to the chorus. That has to be Empire's most iconic song! Just own it.

[kechara]

I thought that Jim's dance suffered from the lighting and the background. Too busy and distracting.

This week generally was a big improvement . I liked more than 2 routines. Not a fan of Derek. Nothing against him but he doesn't stand out to me at all.

Babi's makeup was kind of scary up close

[poppy-]

I literally could not remember who Edson was.  I guess he was the guy with the bod in the Bjork number?

Derek I remembered as "the guy who stayed even though he didn't dance that one week". It is totally Team Street this season.

 

Guess which ones will inspire votes:

Virgil- my mama loves me and I've been on Broadway!

Neptune- I am from broken home, I am from everywhere but not really anywhere, please vote for me so I can be with my daughter

Edson-I conquered sports *and* cheerleading and now have my own studio, watch me do a sexy dance!

Hailey- my family is the only thing I will talk about, sob divorce, but still a happy story!

Gabby- name drop name drop name drop

Jaja- the Czech Republic is cold. I didn't really want to move to the US but Phillip Cheeb made me [omitted winning ABCD]

Megz- ballroom baby is a ringer!

Jim- cutest cleft palate ever and wow that was a lot of wholesomeness

JJ- well, really at an unfair disadvantage because she seemed pretty ESL?

Derek- hmmmmmmm I forget?

 

All Stars:

Brandon-they made him dance like a girl and he out-girled Hailey

Joshua- is fiiiiiiiiiiine

Comfort- lovely atypical dance for her

Kayla- pulled 90% of the focus but that was the costume and choreography

Alex- love to watch him dance

Marko- was a great physical and dance match for Megz

I don't really remember the others.

[apollonia666]

I felt bad for JJ having to smile as she got offed right after having to sit through the cringeworthy Japanese stereotype shitshow of that ninja/geisha number.  Not that it's a first for this show, but that was particularly bad.  

[WhineandCheez]

EDSON'S SOLO HOLEY FRICK!!!! Such a shame he is gone. 

 

Kat's  dress reminded me of Valentines Day 1985. HORRID and wrong for the season, so very wrong.

 

Jessica and Kayla= too much long blonde hairography. Yeah, I'm really gonna look at Derek when Kayla's face+body+blonde hairography+Parisian hooker boots are waving in front of me.

 

Derek's solo was wonderful.  One continuous fluid work.

 

Megz didn't really dance just moved alot.  I wonder if it was dumbed down.

 

Virgil and his Mom are both cute enough to live in my front shirt pockets.

 

Someone needs to tell me if Hailee has a wart on the end of her nose?  WTH?

 

Alot of these "kids" are waaay older than I thought.  Jj and Megz circling 30?  Sheesh, everyone used to be 18 and from Utah on this show.

Edited August 18, 2015 by WhineandCheez

[Toaster Strudel]

That Bollywood was the best I've seen on the show; Alex was spinning like a top and leaping like a frog, and Jaja nailed the facial expressions like no other did before.  Bravo, princess!

[Watt]

Hailey annoyed me tonight. Enjoyed Vigil, Jaja and Megz. Im just whatever about tapper. I envy Jessica's gorgeous hair extensions.

Edited August 18, 2015 by Watt

[Andie1]

With the All Stars I really thought everyone upp'd their game.

 

Haillee and Brandon... Well,  I thought Brandon was completely out dancing Hailee from the get go. I thought mid-way he noticed her struggling a bit and slowed up some to match her. Her face is for broadway for sure, the Liza Gaga comment is spot on. Fun routine

 

Derek and Kayla... Kayla is a goddess. She was my fave in season 5 and there is nothing to change my mind. My heavens the difficulty in this routine, and Kayla was the star. Derek was there but he's not pulling it in for me at all. Kayla made that routine smolder all by herself.

 

Virgil and Comfort... I think Virgil is just so tiny, even with a smaller dancer like Comfort beside him.  I felt there were moments of great fun, the backwards crab that Nigel pointed out was neat, and I like the way Christopher Scott uses the old chestnut music, but it reminded me of Misty Blue routine and how much better that was when Jasmine and Twitch did it.  That routine had a real tangible connection that I didn't see with this one.

 

Megz and Marko   I thought the canned heat routine was a lot of fun and yes made me want to dance too... Just dance for dance sake, no backstory, I think Megz owned it and matched her partner pretty well. She has an ease about her that belies how difficult the routine is.  I don't know if it's enough to save her next week, but she is my favorite street dancer, thrilled she is in the top 8.

 

Neptune and Jasmine. I know it was full on hard hip hop, and Neptune was right there with Jasmine, but I just didn't like it as a routine. With Jasmine flailing and mugging so much I lost sight of Neptune at several key points in the dance. 

 

Alex and Jaja.  Well I guess pure Bollywood is out of the question, so let's have Alex Wong do jettes around the stage and throw in some tuting for Jaja... I thought the routine was fast and fun, but also a way to get votes by getting the dancers to do their own style in points.  It's a little unfair for those who didn't get their genre in any way shape or form this week.

 

Jim and Jessica.  This routine was a miss for me. I thought the connection was completely lost. Dee Caspary knew it and gave Jim a lot of solo work in this routine that should have had partnering.  I saw tentativeness, very little in the way of lifts or leveraging and a little sloppiness in transitions.  Jim could be in trouble. I hope not, he's a great dancer.

 

Gaby and Joshua  This was a very strong routine for Gaby. I was impressed by her ability to match Joshua on the side by side dancing.  It seemed like a better formulated routine than the monster one. Gaby has an upward trajectory going.  

 

Jaimie and Edson  This was Edson's best routine. The transitions were very smooth and the shapes created were quite lovely.  I think having Jaimie there as Travis' main female dancer helped the routine along in a way that just couldn't have been achieved with another all star.  With this kind of growth, its a shame to lose Edson over Derek.

Edited August 18, 2015 by Andie1

[mojoween]

I love Megz, I really do, but I felt like she looked clumsy tonight, in both her dance and her solo. I felt like I could see her anticipating her next move. I don't think she would survive out of the four of the street left anyways, which is sad.

If Edson wasn't gone tonight, he would be next week because Travis choreographed a forklift routine.

Oh was Gaby there? All I saw was Joshua.

[grumpypanda]

I knew whoever was in the bottom with Derek would go home. I'll never understand who the hell is voting for him but I've excepted that he will probably make the top four.

Anyway, I feel the exact opposite of Paula about Chris Scott's choice of music for his routines. I always feel like the music and dancing don't jive and tonight's dance was no exception. The dancing seemed happy and upbeat and the song was slow and relaxing. I guess it doesn't help that I'm mot a Motown fan.

Maybe I'm just a grumpy panda but I didn't really love any of the dances tonight. The best part of the show for me was seeing Brandon even though I didn't love the Broadway routine.

[rollerblade]

I wish they have paired the solo dance with their respective partner dance. ie: Watch Gabby video package, then her solo tap, followed by her partner dance with all star Joshua. The way they do it now felt so disconnect, like the solo dancer is an opening act to someone else.

[crowceilidh]

Okay - I'm loving this new version of the show - it's revitalizing my interest considerably.  Unfortunately, I can't imagine they want to appeal to 55 year old Canadian spinsters.

 

I thought Megz was awkward in both dances too.  I wanted her to have a heck of a lot more tension in her pocket - Marko was dancing down to her a bit.  He was much much better than her and I have never been a big Marko fan.

 

I guess Robert Roldan was JJ's partner - glad he already got a starring role as Jim at least.

 

I am dubious about Phoenix and Pharside <sp???> but I did love Gaby's number.  She absolutely killed it and I watched it again immediately so that I could see her clearly because Joshua was also so amazing.  

 

I've never liked Derek at all, but two things tonight 1) his solo was pretty awesome, particularly in the first section where he had a weird flow that suited the music entirely and unexpectedly and 2) he needs to wear kohl on his eyes all the time.  I was not impressed with his affect in the duet. 

 

Glad Edson is gone because I've never really been invested in him, but I would have been happier to see Derek go first.  Edson and Jaime were stunning.  He looked too much like a stripper in his solo for my tastes and I am NOT prudish.

 

JaJa did a good job.  I thought their playful quality together was nice.  Chris Scott seems to have also tried for a playful quality for Virgil and Comfort, but I didn't entirely buy Comfort in it and I am a solid Comfort fan.  It was more up his alley than hers for me.  I did like the quality he was going for, but someone more girlishly naive than Comfort might have suited that dance better.

 

I am also a huge Jasmine fan and I didn't like this routine for her.  Can't really say why --- I think costuming was a part of my problem.  

 

My perception with Jim and Jessica was that the disconnect came more from Jessica.

 

I really haven't got a favourite yet although I just tend to like JaJa perhaps because I love Anna Trebunskaya and that there is a younger krumping version of her makes me happy.

Edited August 18, 2015 by crowceilidh

[Blue Plastic]

This Derek guy needs to GO AWAY yesterday.  I'm probably still irrationally holding a grudge because Twitter voted him through and let two perfectly good female dancers (IMO) be dropped on a week that he'd been injured and not danced and we'd hardly seen him dance at all before that since it was early in the season.  But I just can't understand what was behind that "save" since he'd barely even done anything at that point.  And he's still getting voted through despite what IMO is a solid milquetoast quality in his presentation and his dancing.  His solo tonight annoyed me and his All-Star dance was crapola.  This is one of those times I wish we had a "vote against" option instead of "vote for!"

 

I thought Neptune's dance with Jasmine had the makings of something great but didn't quite hit the mark.  He was strong at the beginning and end but faded out in the middle.  I actually prefer the slower, mellower style that Virgil and Comfort performed but was a little surprised to see Comfort in that role.  Really liked Jaja's Bollywood.  Agree that Megz seemed a little off, especially in her partner dance.  I thought she seemed tentative.

 

And PLEASE somebody get the "Broadway" category off this show, oh please pretty please.  Hate it with the fire of a thousand suns.

 

Paula must have been the one assigned to give the choreographers their weekly butt kisses tonight.

[phoenix780]

Every dance needs to be shot like the Edson/Jaime one (except for group numbers...but even those maybe).  I thought that the dance itself was a little meh, not anything they haven't done before, but it was helped tremendously with the steady, focused camera and the lack of audience screams every time someone did something sort of neat.  It actually felt more mature and serious to me, for the first time in awhile I've felt like I was in the audience, like I saw the whole routine.  And unlike the routines before it didn't feel like it was at half speed.

 

Which is something odd I've felt a few times this season.  It all feels slow, sweeping cameras and flashing lights and all.  

 

Other random stuff...

 

I thought Neptune/Jasmine would've been better without the weird Frankenstein overlay.  Why not just a couple of fancy-pants upper crust-y types?  And what the heck was Nigel saying about Twitch becoming a star after dancing on a table with Jasmine?  Wasn't he a star before that?  

 

I liked the musical unity in the solos.  Hopefully next week it's skewed in Stage's favor.  I'm glad they staggered the solos and performances so nobody was totally done too early. 

 

Derek lost me with his "I started dancing because of the show" comment.  I don't like feeling old watching TV.  I also have a bias against those whose goal was to be on the show, not to be the thing the show is about.

 

This show needs less time or more content, though I have to admit I'm not sure where JJ's routine would have fit in (less talking from the judges?).  Names for the random audience members they show sometimes when it's not obvious how/if they relate to the contestant would also be nice.

 

Paula's necklace is probably what I'll remember most about this episode.

 

The Bollywood was really fun.  I hope I get to keep enjoying Jaja for a few more weeks.

 

For some reason I don't see ninjas and geishas as linked in any way beyond country of origin, so that was a little weird to watch.  And as with the Frankenstein routine I'm sitting here wondering what the hell the point of the costume was because it didn't add anything, imho, it was just...distracting.  I dunno, I'm all for mixing up cultures and whatnot, but...I feel like it should have more depth than what we were given.  Did I totally miss the qualities of the dance that were Japanese or Asian-inspired?

 

With all those words I forgot to ask- who was Jessica the All-Star?  I vaguely remember her but I can't place her at all.

Edited August 18, 2015 by phoenix780

[Rick Kitchen]

wtf did JLo mean when she said the winner will "get a chance" to perform in her Vegas show?

 

Hailey was awful. Totally out of sync with Brandon.

 

I have grown to love Comfort. She and Virgil were great. He could win this whole thing.  But I hated the abrupt ending.

 

Jim's solo was beautiful.

 

Alex and Jaja were amazing.  Alex can do no wrong, and Jaja kept up with him.

 

Why would people vote for Derek over Edson?

[Electruck]

I really haven't got a favourite yet although I just tend to like JaJa perhaps because I love Anna Trebunskaya and that there is a younger krumping version of her makes me happy.

Ha! Love it.

Twitch danced the Misty Blue table routine with Sasha, not Jasmine. He did a superheroes routine with Jasmine.

Bummed about the stage bootee. The booted one had a better showing this ep than the one who stayed, and for me, better showing the whole season.

Kayla! Joshua! Yay! Very happy to get to see them.

[allypenguin]

Jaimie is such a beautiful dancer. At least Edson got to go out on a good note. I can't really remember liking anything Derek's danced in, but I feel like he'll be gone next week.

 

Alex freaking Wong <3_<3 Loved the Bollywood. I always get nervous when he's the Bollywood all star though, I have trauma from season 7.

 

I still don't like Jessica. Zack and Lindsay Leuschner from SYTYCD Canada assisted Dee on that routine though!

 

Lovely as always to see Brandon, though when I heard he would be an all star I was convinced he'd be forklifting a disco haha. I felt that Hailee had good acting and charisma in the number but she bobbled a lot of her turns and jumps, maybe because of the heels? I dunno.

[Zuleikha]

So I'm actually offended by the ninja/geisha battle because it was drawing lazily on stereotypes and it's so overdone. Just on this show and from my memory, Sonya did a geisha routine and Wade did a ninja or ninja/geisha routine. Also, geishas don't fight, so it didn't make any sense. But damn, if Gaby didn't slay the choreography she was given! She blew me away. She better be in the finals because she has excelled at every single style she's been given.

 

Kayla/Derek's jazz was as burlesque jazz as the fish dance from last week, IMHO. Kayla did a better job, though. Derek was there. Why the heck is he still on the show?

 

I only watch the dances on the Fox YouTube channel, so I missed what happened with JJ. She got sidelined with an injury and then eliminated? That sucks that she didn't get to solo. I was looking forward to seeing her in her element again. I liked her a lot, so I'm sorry she got eliminated, but I really don't have anyone I'd rather see go in her place.

 

Eliminations get so rough at this point. I don't want to lose anyone except Derek. 

[Cuatro1234]

 

It's a little unfair for those who didn't get their genre in any way shape or form this week.

Actually I think that Jaja and Gaby were the only 2 who were pretty far out of their elements.  Although my friend and I did notice that a lot of the intricate "this-is-going-to-really-offend-someone-if-we-do-it-wrong" hand motions were not part of this Bollywood-inspired piece.  Yes, Bollywood-inspired.  Having said that, it was my second favorite of the night, largely due to Alex, of course.  Plus Jaja's tight crisp controlled style really suited this piece.

 

Gaby was great, but I think they were trying for an "Outta my Mind" moment, and that's not happening.

 

My favorite was Virgil and Comfort, and I kinda hate that song, even.  It was fun, had actual dancing, had lots of different movements, and they both were great.

 

My friend didn't recognize Kayla until she saw her hair whipping in her face.  Light bulb:  "Oh, that's Kayla!"

 

Hailee and Brandon was almost continuing the same visual as the Hailee and Virgil partnership--made me giggle.

 

I like Megz a lot, but....not tonight.  Even she didn't look happy after her solo. 

 

Although I'm sure Derek is a wonderful dancer, he suffers in the comparison to Ricky, IMO.

[chocolatine]

What was that necklace/collar hybrid Paula was wearing? And who thought it was a good idea to put such a piece on a teeny-tiny woman, whose shoulders are barely wider than her head?

 

Did anyone think Nigel's "compliments" to Megz were backhanded and condescending? To me it translated to "you're not sexy in the way I like women to be, but good job anyway."

 

I was completely unimpressed with Comfort during her own season, but she's really grown on me as an all-star. She really commits to every dance she's in.

 

Loved seeing Kayla, Brandon, Jaimie, AFW, and Joshua. Jessica can go away.

[blaase]

I didn't get geisha from Gabi's routine at all, I got Chun Li , ninja fighter from street fighter. I thought she nailed it. I think the makeup artist just got confused and  put a lot lot of white powder on her face.

Edited August 18, 2015 by blaase

[mojoween]

Besides Paula's weird Elizabethan ruff necklace, I was fascinated during the show wondering if the top of her dress was going to continue to migrate south. By the end I was convinced a nip-slip was coming. I can't believe she didn't try to hike that thing up.

[Watt]

I say keep Broadway. That one of the few ways dancers can work professionally. If they do it right it can be really cool. Not tonight though, and not Hailey.

[vibeology]

I wish they have paired the solo dance with their respective partner dance. ie: Watch Gabby video package, then her solo tap, followed by her partner dance with all star Joshua. The way they do it now felt so disconnect, like the solo dancer is an opening act to someone else.

 

The only problem with that is they'd either have to pre-tape the solos or they'd wind up with some very strange costume/makeup choices. Also it means if someone goes first its hours between them and the end of the show which isn't great for getting votes. By splitting it up everyone gets to dance in the back half of the show in some way.

 

My perception with Jim and Jessica was that the disconnect came more from Jessica.

 

I know she got far in the competition last year, but Jessica was not a good partner dancer. She was the black widow last season and saw 3(?) of her partners go home. She is not someone I'd be excited to dance with even though I acknowledge her movement is beautiful. 

 

Paula must have been the one assigned to give the choreographers their weekly butt kisses tonight.

 

Paula has basically been filling that role all season and I think for her its genuine. She's a choreographer so I think she really does get excited to see someone else bring their work to life successfully. She knows first hand what that's like.

 

I liked the musical unity in the solos.  Hopefully next week it's skewed in Stage's favor.  I'm glad they staggered the solos and performances so nobody was totally done too early. 

 

I didn't feel like the Empire songs skewed too much towards team Street. I watched Empire and there are so many stage options, but its more likely the kids all rushed to pick songs and picked the first thing they really liked. Most of the V. Bozeman songs would suit the stage dancers, Jussie's solo songs are good fits too, Jennifer Hudson, Courtney Love, etc.. Gabi was probably at the biggest disadvantage but any sort of assigned song selection is hard for her because after weeks of no solos she probably wanted the option at least of no music.

[Lindsey]

Every dance needs to be shot like the Edson/Jaime one (except for group numbers...but even those maybe).  I thought that the dance itself was a little meh, not anything they haven't done before, but it was helped tremendously with the steady, focused camera and the lack of audience screams every time someone did something sort of neat.  It actually felt more mature and serious to me, for the first time in awhile I've felt like I was in the audience, like I saw the whole routine.  And unlike the routines before it didn't feel like it was at half speed.

 

Which is something odd I've felt a few times this season.  It all feels slow, sweeping cameras and flashing lights and all.  

 

I've thought the direction this season has been really off, too. There have been so many mistakes this year, like cameras getting in each other's shots or lens flare obscuring the dancers.  The weirdly fast zoom in/out on Gabby's feet during her solo was another one that bugged me.

[berwoman]

As to the comment about Nigel's taste in women... has there ever been someone as androgynous or "not classically feminine" as Megz on the show?  She stands out for me not only for her talent, but because she isn't long haired, made up, and wearing skimpy dance outfits.  and for those killer abs....

 

 

What was that necklace/collar hybrid Paula was wearing? And who thought it was a good idea to put such a piece on a teeny-tiny woman, whose shoulders are barely wider than her head?

 

Did anyone think Nigel's "compliments" to Megz were backhanded and condescending? To me it translated to "you're not sexy in the way I like women to be, but good job anyway."

 

I was completely unimpressed with Comfort during her own season, but she's really grown on me as an all-star. She really commits to every dance she's in.

 

Loved seeing Kayla, Brandon, Jaimie, AFW, and Joshua. Jessica can go away.

[kechara]

I wonder if Megz was coming down with something. There were comments about staying healthy n

[Haleth]

Much better show, but who the heck keeps voting for Derek?  He is not that good.  His performance last night was nice, but he didn't connect with me.  It would have been much better with a more mature dancer.  I dunno.  I would have kept Edson over Derek.

 

Most of the numbers were highly enjoyable.  I think Virgil & Comfort's was my favorite of the season.  Hailey's was fun, as was Gaby's.  I should have had more fun with Neptune's (I have a huge girl crush on Jasmine) but despite all the arm flailing I didn't see much dance.  I think I like Megz's but there was trouble with the signal so I missed a lot.  Jim was surprisingly forgettable.  Jaja was again overpraised, but who can take their eyes off of Alex?  Edson's number was beautiful.

 

Twitch danced the Misty Blue table routine with Sasha, not Jasmine. He did a superheroes routine with Jasmine.

 

Thank you for saving me the time it would take to look this up.  When Nigel said Jasmine I said, no, it was Sasha.  

Edited August 18, 2015 by Haleth

[LadyMustang65]

We thoroughly enjoyed the show last night.  Not everything was great, but there was a lot to like.  Jaja/Alex was our favorite routine of the night by a small margin.  We thought Jaja was terrific, and it's Alex Wong.  What more do you need to say?  He's still got it big time.  They were closely followed by - in no particular order as we loved all these routines - Virgil/Comfort, Gaby/Joshua, and Megz/Marko.  We thought Jim did well, but it wasn't a favorite routine.  Same with  Neptune/Jasmine - I love Jasmine and wanted either her or Aaron to win their season, but something about the routine didn't quite get there.  Good but not great.  Didn't care for the opening number with Hailee.  And honestly don't remember Derek or Edson or their partners. 

 

I love getting to see Alex, Joshua, Comfort and Jasmine again.  Alex, Joshua and Jasmine were all favorites of mine during their seasons.  Comfort was not, but she has grown on me so much as an All Star that now I was very happy to see her back.  Brandon is always a pleasure, and it was nice to see Marco again.  Honestly, outside of Jasmine and Comfort, I don't even remember the female all stars from their seasons. 

 

Right now we're really torn.  We could live with any of the street dancers winning although Jaja is our favorite with Megz a close second.  On the street side, only Gaby and Jim really excite us.  And they're pretty much the only ones that have excited us from the very beginning while there were several more street dancers that we loved and lost.  Not sure how it's going to end up. 

 

Almost forgot to add - we are deeply concerned about the number of injuries on the show this season.  This is now the third week in a row where a dancer has been unable to perform all or part of the numbers.  I can't ever remember that many injuries before.  Most seasons, I think, we haven't had anyone miss a show because of an injury.  In seasons where we have had an injury, I don't remember more than one in a season.  Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but it does seem to us that this season has been really hard on the dancers.

Edited August 18, 2015 by LadyMustang65

[WhineandCheez]

With all those words I forgot to ask- who was Jessica the All-Star?  I vaguely remember her but I can't place her at all.

 

Came in 4th last year, auditioned with a black fedora and  did a stripper dance that made Uncle Nigel salivate..  I don't consider someone who came in 4th just a year ago an "All Star", do you?

Edited August 18, 2015 by WhineandCheez

[grumpypanda]

I rewatched most of the show this morning and surprisingly I'm feeling a little less grumpy.

Anyway, Kayla was almost unrecognizable. I like the less platinum blonde on her and she looked more curvy and sexy. She was definitely the star of that routine and Derek didn't do much dancing until the very end. It doesn't really matter though because Derek is going to be here till the end.

Marco was awesome in the jazz routine and wiped the floor with Megz. She seemed to keep looking at him for direction and she never really felt the groove of the dance. Marco and Jasmine would have killed it together.

Why was Jessica brought back as an all-star? The girl has zero chemistry with every partner and average technique. Where's Kathryn?

Jamie Goodwin was stunning in Travis' routine. The lighting was beautiful and the dancing great but I still didn't feel moved by the dance. Maybe I'm getting burned out by contemporary after all these years.

Neptune and Jasmine's dance should have been awesome but something felt off to me. I still hope he makes it until the end and maybe takes the whole thing. It would be great to see him do something else though like a sexy rumba.

What the hell was Jason talking about with Megz about staying healthy?

[Wootini]

That enormous necklace made Paula look like Jessica Lange in King Kong.

 

I love when the add in the All-Stars because it means we get so see old favorites like Alex and Comfort and… well, those girls who I didn't actually remember at all. ;) Of course, the problem with having the contestants perform with All-Stars is that they have to measure up. And some didn't quite do that. I like Hailee, but she was out-danced. 

 

Edson's solo made me pregnant, and I'm a man. So I was really sorry to see him go instead of Derek, who is just blah to me. Edson has some personality and heat. Unfortunately, Travis choreographed a terrible routine for him this week, so Edson would've gone home next week anyway. Not that it was a bad routine, necessarily, but it gave him nothing to do to show off. As someone said above, he was a forklift for Jaimie. Way to waste a terrific dancer, Travis. Next time, maybe showcase the contestant and not just the All-Star?

 

I also got annoyed when they ragged on Jim for not having a connection in the dance. He had more of a connection than Derek did during his, but they didn't rag on Derek that much. :P

 

I was impressed with how well Jaja did with the Bollywood, although I have to admit that it was hard to tear my eyes away from Alex. I still consider him the best winner of this show that never actually won. DAMN INJURIES!

 

Unfortunately, when I went to the app to vote, I didn't see Alex listed. ;)

Edited August 18, 2015 by Wootini

[Primetimer]

Another week, another injury. At this point Danny hopes one of the contestants is actually an undercover reporter working on an exposé of safety violations on this show.

Read the story

[kechara]

I was amused at Cat's comment to Alex about doing Bollywood.

[Mertseger]

Oh, what a difference a week (and nine All Stars) make, eh?

 

So I'm actually offended by the ninja/geisha battle because it was drawing lazily on stereotypes and it's so overdone. Just on this show and from my memory, Sonya did a geisha routine and Wade did a ninja or ninja/geisha routine. Also, geishas don't fight, so it didn't make any sense. But damn, if Gaby didn't slay the choreography she was given! She blew me away. She better be in the finals because she has excelled at every single style she's been given.

 

Gabby was costumed more in a wuxia (Chinese period action film) style rather than geisha. (No wuxia costume would show that much leg, but the hair definitely was Chinese.) That being said, it was truly a cultural hodge-podge. And I'm fine with that.

 

For me, Jaja is still the best soloist, but the emotional range she can portray seems very limited. She does ebullience well, and so shone in this week's routine. And she delivers a sort of mock, winking ferocity when she krumps, but I really wish Mia were around to break down her emotional pretense a bit.

 

As I watched Travis' routine for Jaimie and whomever she was paired with, I thought, "****. Well, there's next year's Emmy for Outstanding Choreography". (SYTYCD has won 13 Emmys to date compared to, say, AI's 8 and DWTS's 14. The fact that it's an award generating machine is the only hope I can see for future seasons now that AI is ending.) I can't complain that Edson was eliminated since I did not vote for him, but I certainly would have sent him some votes after that routine.

 

ETA: this episode should also be one of the one's submitted for Cat's nomination next year. Her happy dance with Virgil and the matching Ta-Dah pose with Hailee were amazing.

Edited August 18, 2015 by Mertseger

[luvthepros]

 

.....And PLEASE somebody get the "Broadway" category off this show, oh please pretty please.  Hate it with the fire of a thousand suns......

 

 

Broadway is second only to Int. Latin for the dance genres performed on this show that I really enjoy. Now that Ballroom is non existent on this show, Broadway is truly the only genre I look forward to on this show.

Edited August 18, 2015 by luvthepros

[shimarella]

Most of the show was fun last night. I only FFed through a few routines ( some of the contemporary and the Bollywood routine. I've posted before about how much I hate Nakul's work so I'll spare you), and I loved the conceit/cross-promo of Empire by having the kids do solos to the songs. Most of those were successful although I wish they'd had a bit longer. Some of the solos didnt feel "done" because the time limit was so short. 

 

I LOVED Megz and Markos dance. I am Team Megz so I'm glad she's Top 8. The dance looked deceptively easy but they were both killing it, and it was refreshing to see a dance for the pure joy of it. Kayla owned Derek in their duet. I hardly notice him at all. Virgil is such a joy to watch. Seriously. Gaby totally played her solo and her duet, although I was pretty put off by the Azn mishmash implied in the dance. If its supposed to be some martial arts battle then dont dress her like a half-baked geisha. If you're going to Wayang her, then commit to the costuming. As it was, even though there was some awesomely fierce chorey, I was taken out of the moment by the stereotypical bows etc.