S12.E15: Top 6 Perform + Elimination

[cali1981]

The Final Four was entirely predictable.  Jim was set up for an exit for weeks with qualified praise every week (great technically, but improve connection, blah, blah).  To his credit, his Samba with Anya was very good. He wasn't overwhelmed by her, pretty much kept up and was really into the sheer joy of the dance.  Megz had been getting subtle dings the last few weeks as well and you could see by her facial expressions after her first critique that she pretty much knew she was leaving.  She just had a look of resignation.  JaJa has grown as a dancer but I hope that she doesn't win because I don't want to hear more of Nigel's "It's for America's favorite, not best dancer".  I heard enough of that BS a few seasons back when, week after week, they had to justify Cyrus staying and far superior dancers exiting. JaJa might well win given the voting patterns and the judges massaging their critiques.  Virgil winning would be preferable since he is a more versatile and far better trained dancer than JaJa. I have a sneaking feeling that Hailee will be the first to go next week but as everyone knows, her career as a professional dancer is now a lock.  It was great to see Melanie back. She's going from her run in Finding Neverland right in the revival of Fiddler of the Roof, playing Chava, the daughter who runs off with a Russian soldier against her father's wishes. If the revival stays true to the original show, Chava has a major ballet number and some dramatic scenes so, Melanie, you go girl and become a major Broadway star.

[crowceilidh]

I'm sad to see Jim go, but didn't Hailey bottom out last week?  Probably her little girl fans saved her.

 

I used to wear a tinfoil hat about all the manipulations viz. Jim's narrative being so negative.  Now I just think that they know what the voting numbers are and they craft their narrative around that.  If I'm right, Jim has never been high enough in the vote count to escape the negative narrative trajectory. That's why JaJa doesn't get criticism, her numbers are too high.  That kind of thing.

 

Boy, you guys make me really glad that I don't listen to the judges.  Nigel is an ass.

[ocelot]

Listening to Paula Rube Goldberg machine her way to reasonably on-point critiques all season has been exhausting. My scrunched up face count has to be in the hundreds.

 

Gaby totally got bused tonight to pave the way for a Jaja (or possibly Virgil) victory. She goes first and is paired w/ the most Meh of all the allstars (Marko), she gets two very similar jazz-looking pieces. And she gets paired w/ Jim (I know, I know, impecable technique) who simply isn't a strong partner (thank you Jason) when it comes to being stable and supportive on lifts and leaps. Even both of her choreographers were about as nondescript as you can get in the SYTYCD-universe, w/ Ray Leeper and Justin something rather...

 

Compare that to Virgil and Jaja who got to dance w/ each other in their preferred style as well as being given vaunted "emotional" pieces for the judges to completely or almost completely fawn over.

 

I wonder if Hailee would've had Alexia's hairstyle for the entire competition.....would we feel wildly different about her run on the show? What if we went ahead and gave Alexia the edgy, alternative hairstyle? Not that I totally hate Hailee...I just feel like for somebody to make the final 4, shouldn't you have at least couple of 9s or 10s on your resume? The only routine I'd give that high of a score to was the hip hop she did w/ Fikshun. She's had a lot of 6s, 7s or 8s, but ymmv of course.

Gaby has been given amazing routines all season, by far the best of all the contestants. She is not being bussed.

[Anothermi]

I am still not feeling the JaJa love.  She is cute.  I get that.  I feel nothing when I watch her dance.  Is it that the show is manipulating me to like her for the win and I feel that in some tunnel of my brain? 

Hee! TPTB are trying to manipulate you, but they don't always succeed (thank goodness). No need to wonder why you don't like Jaja - mileage varies, as the phrase goes. If we all liked the same thing we'd have nothing to talk about. :-) Her dancing is not for you. No explanation needed.

 

I also felt like Jason's comment about how quickly they have to throw these routines together and the lack of rehearsal time and time with the choreographer was his way of subtly apologizing for/explaining why these routines have been somewhat lackluster this season.

 

The 7 (or sometimes we've heard 5) hours with the choreographer has been all the contestants get since at least S02. How and where they practice/rehearse after that is up to them. So that doesn't really explain why this season's dances seem lackluster.

 

They often get feedback from each other - which may or may not help - but if they're having trouble learning the choreography they will spend more time on that during their time with the choreographers and miss out on the polishing notes. So it's true that it's not much time, but it's good training for getting future work (to be able to pick up a routine quickly). This show is like Boot Camp for a professional career.

 

My theory: one of the reasons the shows seem lackluster compared with earlier seasons is the been-there-done-that syndrome. We crave something new and sometimes 'something new' is too much to ask for. It's easier to say than to do, and we've seen a lot of dancing over the years. Creativity needs time. It can't be churned out at the pace asked of this show. Add to that the desire to make the danctestants look good even it they really aren't (in what they got to dance) and creativity has to take a back seat.

 

We can't even be surprised when someone manages to be half decent in a style way out of their wheel house - because we've seen lots of dancers do it... and we've learned that many of them have been cross trained. I think that's why I still have fondness for Ryan Conferido (S01). He was a B-boy, wasn't cross trained, but managed to make it through a Mary Murphy ballroom without looking silly. Totally impressed me at the time. (He did get a day of ballroom training before being selected for the Top 16 however. They all did that season, as well as contemporary and hip hop, during the equivalent of Vegas week.) When I compared someone like Jose Ruiz (S07) to Ryan I was disappointed because he wasn't a novelty to me anymore. It's a lot to expect these young people (or not-so-young this season) to all be exceptional and (especially) unique. But that's what we hope for and end up disappointed when being unique turns out to be a rare commodity.

 

I've altered my expectations and POV while watching this show over the years and have to remind myself that the experience IS new and challenging for the contestants - if not for me.

[St. Claire]

Until they showed his name on the screen, I thought Jaja's mentor was named Tie Dyes. I was trying to reconcile the hippy image with the hip hop one.

[shimarella]

Anothermi, well stated. Oh man, Ryan!!! He and Gev were my favorite pocket b-boys on the show because they really did push themselves out of their comfort zone and were amazing in their genre. 

 

I guess in thinking about it more, it is the literal-ness and non-innovative nature of the choreographies this year that are throughly boring me. Although the samba last night was a lot of fun to watch. The Stage vs Street notion gave us more awesome street dancers that we might not have seen otherwise, but the team concept also took away from us seeing relationships being built between the dancers as partners and friends. Those do matter to viewers. My favorite seasons for that were 2 & 3. 

 

Gaby is fierce. She's outlasted a lot of other dancers based on her drive and talent alone. I wouldn't be mad to see her win. At this point, Hailee has been the most generic and underwhelming for me. As far as "pocket hip-hop" dancers go, Virgil has been great in his style, has an infectious stage presence but hasn't consistently kept up technically in his non-hip-hop dances the way I hoped he would. But I like him just fine. 

 

I dont mind terribly that for whatever reasons the producers keep tweaking the show. Some things though I always wish they;d address better...but thats for another thread.

[happy turtles]

Maybe it's because I lost my grandfather to that horrible disease in March, but I found the dance very upsetting. Actually, I recall very little of the actual dance because I was so angry at the story. I've always disliked the obviously emotionally manipulative dances (Mia's dead father, the cancer dance, etc.), but this one hit too close to home, and the final shot of Jaja pushing Alex away because she didn't recognize him made me break down.

That final action made me choke up, as well, and I have no frame of reference for it, as you do. How terrifying to see that play out in real life. I can see where seeing it set to music as such would be heartbreaking. I really don't understand why all these dances must have such specific, and sometimes, tragic themes. Can't dance just be dance sometimes? In fact, one of the choreographers last night expressly stated that his routine did not have a theme, which got an enthusiastic hallelujah out of me!

[St. Claire]

I had a bit of a hard time watching the Alzheimer's dance because my father-in-law is currently in a facility; taking care of him became too much for my MIL and it breaks my heart to see the hollow man that used to be such a strong person in my husband's life. He lost touch with who I was quite some time ago, but when he didn't remember that he had three sons, the effect on my husband was pretty strong. I wish there was more dancing for the sake of dancing instead of angsty stories behind every move.

[realdancemom]

I'm also disappointed that Jim left before we got an Alex/Jim ballet duet.  I really didn't think he would make top 4 because the judges have been giving him lukewarm critiques.  They kept saying he needs more connection but then they give him Jessica as an all star.  His technique is far superior to hers and she wasn't going to help him with connection when she also had a chemistry problem with partners.  Last week, he gets a dance where he couldn't even look at his partner.  He also had to wear a skirt and dance hip-hop with it.  He had to get three hip-hops even though hip-hop and ballet are probably the furthest apart in style.

 

He did decent with the samba.  He was better at it than Hailee was with the salsa.  I'm not talking about the botched lift but the salsa movement itself.  Yorelis was the best one out of the group with that.  We don't even know if Gaby, Virgil, and Jaja can do ballroom.

 

So I'm not surprised with the results but I am disappointed because I really wanted to see the above mentioned duet.  As I mentioned last week, I'm mostly disappointed with this season because of the lack of different styles.  I don't want a Doriana disco but it would have been fun to see a disco with not so many lifts. 

[pamplemousse]

The sh*tty tradition of exceptional dancers (particularly male dancers) going out at top 6 is continued by Jim. Blake McGrath, Pasha Kovalev, Mark Kanemura, Ade Obayomi, Paul Karmiryan...(and I'd probably add Billy Bell and Cole Horibe to that group as well). Way to screw it up, again, Ameriker.

[realdancemom]

I will say that Jim has grown as a person.  I will say the same with Derek.  Both of them seem sweet but a little shy/reserved.  Jim cracked me up during the critique part of the samba.  I'm not sure if he would have done that at the beginning of the season.  Derek was also opening up as a performer.  Both of them were great technicians.  Their flexibility, jumps,etc. stood out in the group routines from the very beginning.  But they are not hams so of course they are not going to be like Hailee and Virgil when they performed.

 

It was sad to see Jim in tears at the end.

[allypenguin]

Anyone interested in the origins of krump (and why a little white girls might be a novelty), check out the documentary Rize (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rize_%28film%29). If I remember correctly, there is still some bad blood between Lil C and TightEyez (JaJa's mentor) over who created it.

Oooh thanks for this! When I saw "Creator of Krump" under TightEyez's name last night I went, "Huh? I thought the show said Lil C created krump." Very interesting!

[BensBritches]

Add me to the list of folks disappointed in Jim leaving.  I haven't felt a lack of connection with his partners the way the judges did, so I just don't get that critique.  Having read all these forums, I know others felt he lacked connection, so I guess I just missed it (or it's a YMMV situation).  Anyway, I thought he was a beautiful dancer and there was something in him, that notion that he was an abandoned baby with a disfigurement who finally felt beautiful through dance that touched me deep down. But I saw the writing on the wall with the judges being so "meh" with their critiques and always harping on what he lacked and that fall back "You're a great technician but..."

 

I have felt all along that this season was designed specifically to get either a female hip hop dancer or a tapper as the winner.  And sure enough I'd be shocked if the final didn't come down to JaJa and Gaby.  I quite like Virgil, but we've had our cute little hip hop boy already win (aka Fik Shun), and I don't believe Hailee (spelling?) has enough supporters to win.  Since a tapper/female hip hopper haven't won, Nigel has been itching all season to ensure this happens.  And to be honest, I have no issue with JaJa or Gabby winning, I just feel this whole season has been more manipulative than normal and it is leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

 

One other thing I wanted to add was how much I HATE when Nigel crowns someone "my favorite dancer of the season" or "maybe the best dancer we've ever had."  He doesn't need to say this, it serves no purpose.  I could not care less who his favorite dancer is, I am capable of forming my own opinion, thank you very much. Was it Gabby who Nigel said was perhaps the best dancer ever on the show last night?  So she's better than Alex Wong? Better than Allison? Better than Danny? Better than Chehon? I just can't.  Nigel makes me furious and just typing this is annoying me, so I'll stop!

[cali1981]

One other thing I wanted to add was how much I HATE when Nigel crowns someone "my favorite dancer of the season" or "maybe the best dancer we've ever had."  He doesn't need to say this, it serves no purpose.  I could not care less who his favorite dancer is, I am capable of forming my own opinion, thank you very much. Was it Gabby who Nigel said was perhaps the best dancer ever on the show last night?  So she's better than Alex Wong? Better than Allison? Better than Danny? Better than Chehon? I just can't.  Nigel makes me furious and just typing this is annoying me, so I'll stop!

Oh let's continue because Nigel is such an ass.  Gaby is better than Katee, Kayla, Jeannine, Katherine, Melanie, Shasha, Neil, Lacy, Will, Chelsea, Joshua, Travis ad nauseum.  Why she might be better than all of them combined!  Nigel pulls this crap every season with his current flavor of the month.  It really gets old and is insulting to the long list of brilliant dancers that have graced the show with their talent and drive and to the audience that has stayed loyal to SYTYCD season after season.  Maybe it's time for him to move to the background as a producer and bring in some more new blood. 

[realdancemom]

I fast forward through the judges' comments last night.  But I have seen Nigel's comments from previous weeks.  You can tell that Nigel wants either Gaby or Jaja to win.  He kept saying that Gaby was his favorite stage dancer and Jaja is his favorite street dancer.  That's BS if he said that Gaby is the best dancer on SYTYCD in the history of the show.  She wouldn't even make my top 10.  Like I mentioned last week, she lacks the It factor for me.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it: here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Thanks, Old White British Guy / It's the news the dance community was waiting for -- Nigel Lythgoe declares hip-hop a legitimate part of dance culture!

[calipiano81]

To be fair, Nigel said Gaby was ONE of the best dancers they've had across the series.

[cali1981]

To be fair, Nigel said Gaby was ONE of the best dancers they've had across the series.

Even that is a stretch.

[calipiano81]

Gaby has very good technique and is quite versatile (although I have no idea how well she would do in ballroom), but she doesn't quite display the level of commitment and expressiveness in her performances that I would like to see. Her hip hop with Joshua is the only routine I feel she really hit it on the mark for me.

[CelineA]

I was sad to see Jim go. I wonder about what kind of career he is after. He was already ensconced within a ballet company, which, like Alex, did not seem to be enough to satisfy him. I can't see him moving on to a commercial career, as many of these dancers do. Alex is versatile enough in other styles to take on varied projects. I just don't know about Jim. He seems a lovely person, though.

To be fair, Nigel said Gaby was ONE of the best dancers they've had across the series.

His exact quote: "You are, without question, ONE OF the best dancers of this season, and POSSIBLY, ONE OF the best dancers across all seasons."

He has said variations of this to multiple dancers, across all seasons and, yes, during this season as well.

 

After roundly criticizing the choreographer, his criticism of the Fever piece was equally aimed at Jim & Gaby, saying there was no chemistry and "your fever left me a little cold".  He has said similar negatives to other dancers this season, which all adds up to fairly balanced in my view. Obviously, there is a variance in mileage amongst our viewpoints.

[bafleyanne]

I love Gaby, but she's certainly no Melanie.

I liked her before this, but I think the Bollywood routine is what really cemented my Jaja love. It was so cute and flirty and sassy and a perfect expression of her personality.

[Rahul]

What can I say that has not already been said?

I thought Virgil's solo was terrible. He's short to begin with but that routine made it look like he had no neck.

Unlike many here, Jim's elimination did not surprise me. The writing was on the wall and it seemed production did everything in their power to give the poor chap hip hop numbers or something they figured he would not be able to pull off successfully week after week. I find Jim to be a near flawless ballet dancer, but he does lack versatility in movement because the stiff posturing of ballet is so ingrained in him. I actually made the same comment as Nigel did before the judges weighed in about Jim's samba duet with Anya to my viewing partner; there was no fluidity in his hips and all of the movement was coming from the shoulders instead. Kind of uncanny.

Jim is a great technician but he doesn't emote that well. I also find his personality flat and his voice grating, so no shocker that he's gone.

Same goes for Megz who has been floundering in recent weeks. I knew she was a goner after last week's clunky Paso Doble in which she seemed to be moving through molasses.

Most of this week's routines left me cold or unimpressed. The "Fever" Broadway number fell flat on absolutely every level.

Glad Paula called out the terrible music choice for the JaJa/Virgil duet. It was an annoying ten second loop that never ended. Paula has actually grown on me as a judge. I thought she made some pretty astute comments this episode. Nigel, on the other hand, completely lost me with his diatribe on hip hop being a legitimate dance style. Of course it is. Welcome to the new millennium. Honestly, that seemed like another rambling to justify this year's poorly received stage vs. street concept than anything else. I suspect it may have also be in preparation to serve the narrative for JaJa's win. Personally I would rather see Gabby take home the title and prize.

Edited September 2, 2015 by Rahul

[phoenix780]

Unlike many here, Jim's elimination did not surprise me. The writing was on the wall and it seemed production did everything in their power to give the poor chap hip hop numbers or something they figured he would not be able to pull off successfully week after week.

 

 

I'm not sure I understand why Jim getting hip hop routines is a sign that production didn't want to support him.  I always see those as the designated crowd pleasers, right up there with weepy contemporary in terms of being a gift given to the contestants lucky enough to receive it.  Certain forms of ballroom, Broadway- to me that's Under the Bus territory.  They're less familiar, can be more cheesy and/or old-fashioned, and there's no blatant emotional manipulation to compel people to praise it (though I suppose there could be...what would a samba about sadness look like?).

 

Random side thought- I wonder if Nigel dropped Broadway because DWtS exists.  I mean, he likes to feel all important about his work (and I think he should, just in different ways than he expresses) and how he's brought certain kinds of dance to the unwashed masses.  He couldn't pull that same trick with ballroom because DWtS totally blasts this little show out of the water in terms of pop culture relevance and ratings.  

 

But on topic- I guess I don't see hip hop as anything but a bonus, especially if their main critique to him was personality/connection.  It would give him a chance to look loose and have fun, resonate with the audience that way.  And it gives the judges their beloved contrast between technique and performance since, in the lore of this show, hip hop is about letting go of technique and getting into pockets and whatnot.

Edited September 2, 2015 by phoenix780

[raspberry7]

PS: Hey producers, if we don't get an Alex/Jim ballet duet in the season finale, I'm gonna be hella pissed. Just FYI.

 

From your mouth to God's ears! 

 

And the pseudo-slow mo was amazing (and great choreo!).

 

ETA slomo

Edited September 2, 2015 by raspberry7

[Anothermi]

I don't get time to see the show until a couple of days after it airs, but I always read what posters on this and other forums thought about what they saw. Maybe it's reading so much disappointment, maybe it's the rum and coke or maybe it's having analyzed why I think we (me) have often been disappointed recently (see up thread), but I really enjoyed this episode! Weird. I've got to think about this.

[Starla]

I have a confession to make, I actually cried during that blasted Alzheimers dance. I normally roll my eyes at these over-wrought dances of tragedy and despair, but I just went through this with my mom so it struck a nerve. I can now sort of see the point of these types of dances, it only resonates with a small group of people who can relate, but that is probably enough for the choreographers. I'm going to make a valiant effort not to be so cynical going forward.

 

It didn't hurt that it had my favorite dancer from this season, plus my favorite dancer from all seasons, plus one of my favorite songs, so good job Tessandra Chavez.

 

Out of 12 seasons, the only one I missed was Joshua's season 4. I would love to see that season, does anyone know if it is available online somewhere?

 

Am sorry to see Jim go.

Edited September 2, 2015 by Starla

[Mason]

Random side thought- I wonder if Nigel dropped Ballroom because DWtS exists.  .

 

Equally random side thought: the results finale of SYTYCD will air at the exact same time as the season premiere of DWtS.

[luvthepros]

I don't do any of the social media but I was wondering if anyone has seen if people are tweeting Nigel requesting a ballet duet with Jim and Alex. I would imagine that would be the best way to get the word to Nigel and Co. Maybe Facebook too?

[luvthepros]

Equally random side thought: the results finale of SYTYCD will air at the exact same time as the season premiere of DWtS.

This is the first time this has happened.....ever. This is certainly not a good thing for FOX. ABC will surely win the ratings. I'll watch SYTYCD live and watch DWTS on the DVR. This certainly was not good planning on the network's part.

Edited September 2, 2015 by luvthepros

[phoenix780]

That is poor planning.  Is the finale results only an hour, at least?  I can't imagine anyone sitting through two hours of filler and retreads of this season's routines (what will they even do?!), especially if the other dancing show is on...which makes me wonder if ABC is premiering early or the other networks will also be into fall at that point.

 

What a weird choice.

[realdancemom]

I'm also going to watch SYTYCD live and DVR DWTS.  So far, DWTS' celebs also don't interest me.  If we're not going to get an Alex/Jim ballet, I hope Gaby gets a tap duet with an All-Star.  But I haven't heard anything yet.  It seems like this season was mostly just contemporary, jazz, and hip-hop.

 

I also want to say that even though I was disappointed that Jim is not in the finale, Hailee was a good contestant too.  I like her in her duets and group numbers more than her solos.  That's because her solos look like competition solos.  I felt the same about Caitlynn from Season 8 (more versatile than Melanie) and Tiffany from Season 9.  They just need to experience other dance opportunities besides dance competitions.  Overall, this was a good batch of contestants and I can see a lot of them getting work.  I'll miss Jim's solos. 

[Rahul]

I'm not sure I understand why Jim getting hip hop routines is a sign that production didn't want to support him. I always see those as the designated crowd pleasers, right up there with weepy contemporary in terms of being a gift given to the contestants lucky enough to receive it. Certain forms of ballroom, Broadway- to me that's Under the Bus territory. They're less familiar, can be more cheesy and/or old-fashioned, and there's no blatant emotional manipulation to compel people to praise it (though I suppose there could be...what would a samba about sadness look like?)

You're right--hip hop routines with good choreo when performed well are crowd pleasers. However, the fact that hip hop has become much more pervasive this season with the new format coupled with Jim struggling to loosen up enough to do those numbers justice have made these routines lose their luster.

Cheon had a similar story a few seasons back (adopted, found his calling in ballet) but I found him to be more charismatic and versatile. Jim is best when in his element, as evidenced by his solos. I don't think Jim drawing hip hop week after week did him any favors.

(Edited because damn autocorrect keeps turning Cheon into Chronic)

Edited September 2, 2015 by Rahul

[rollacoaster]

Certain forms of ballroom, Broadway- to me that's Under the Bus territory.  They're less familiar, can be more cheesy and/or old-fashioned, and there's no blatant emotional manipulation to compel people to praise it (though I suppose there could be...what would a samba about sadness look like?).

 

 

I would love to see a Samba of Despair. Or a melancholy krump routine.  Or maybe even a joyful contemporary.  

[realdancemom]

You're right--hip hop routines with good choreo when performed well are crowd pleasers. However, the fact that hip hop has become much more pervasive this season with the new format coupled with Jim struggling to loosen up enough to do those numbers justice have made these routines lose their luster.

Cheon had a similar story a few seasons back (adopted, found his calling in ballet) but I found him to be more charismatic and versatile. Jim is best when in his element, as evidenced by his solos. I don't think Jim drawing hip hop week after week did him any favors.

 

I agree that Jim's body is so ingrained with ballet, that hip-hop did not suit him.  Even when people were praising his and Jaja's hip-hop routine, I mentioned that he needed to loosen up in his upper body.

 

However, I disagree about Chehon. I also didn't think he was versatile.  I think Jim handled the samba better than Chehon did the cha-cha or other Latin numbers that required hip action.  He also wasn't good with hip-hop.  I think he was like Cyrus.  Both of them were great soloists but not very versatile.  Chehon was lucky that there are more SYTYCD styles like contemporary and jazz that would suit a ballet dancer more than an animator.  I was rooting for Cole for the guys and Eliana for the girls that season.

 

I'm not going to say who was more charismatic because I usually like all the SYTYCD contestants even when they're shy like Derek and Danny.  It's usually the judges that make me upset when they give a beautiful dancer like Danny the arrogant edit just because he's not bubbly and outgoing.  I'm glad they didn't do that with Jim or Derek..   

Edited September 2, 2015 by realdancemom

[Pallida]

After reading the comments here, I've had to slowly watch this episode because I'm not especially looking forward to seeing Jim leaving.  I've also mostly fastforwarded through the rehearsal packages and judges commentary.

 

While I really enjoyed her solo, I thought Gaby's performance in the first jazz piece was terrible.  She danced it heavy and her angles were weird.  But, I liked Marko in it and I see that many here did not, so maybe I just view things differently?

 

I liked Christopher Scott's choreography, but it seemed better suited for a group pefromance.  I tend to far prefer his groups over his duets.  I adore Megz, but I understand she doesn't have the choreo versatility demanded by a competition like this.   

 

Anya, most likely unintentionally, can make immature male dancers look like boys rather than men.  I know nothing of samba technique, but Jim looked like a man dancing with Anya.  There were a few slow-mo points in the performance, but the leg over her head was the most pronounced.  Jim seems like such an amazingly sweet soul, but he can dance "masculine" and portray such strength.  I was looking at his facebook page and really enjoyed some photography of his leaps where the shadow looked just as beautiful as his body, and I wish they could have replicated that to some degree for his solo.

 

I remember a school rally about 20 years ago where a student performed a hiphop routine.  This particular person also trained in tap and seems to be quite well regarded in tap now.  I have been tired of the "street = hiphop" for years on this show, and perhaps Nigel is the biggest offender.

[buttercup1]

 

Out of 12 seasons, the only one I missed was Joshua's season 4. I would love to see that season, does anyone know if it is available online somewhere?

 

Am sorry to see Jim go.

 

I don't know how to watch the full shows, but when I want to catch up on missing SYTYCD seasons, I got to the appropriate Wikipedia page for each season. They list all the pairings and songs for each week. I can then look up the dances on youtube and watch them. Sometimes they include judges' critiques, and sometimes they don't. 

[Terrafamilia]

Jim, you're already an all-star to me.

[pamplemousse]

While I really enjoyed her solo, I thought Gaby's performance in the first jazz piece was terrible.  She danced it heavy and her angles were weird.  But, I liked Marko in it and I see that many here did not, so maybe I just view things differently?

 

I'm viewing things differently, too, then. I thought she was borderline bad in it. The awful costume did her no favors though. Marko was a lot better than her. He's actually really good, I thought he was all right in his season but not outstanding, but I think he's improved a lot. He (and Kayla) have really stood out to me this season. He was also very good in that jazz number with Megz.

 

I never felt this way more than I have this season -- the All-Stars IMO have been dancing the pants off the contestants. I'm pretty much just watching the All-Stars at this point, and I'm glad they've diversified more so I don't have to watch Kathryn McCormick (don't get me wrong, she's a good dancer) over and over again. It was so great to see Joshua, he was fantastic in that hip hop routine. Wouldn't mind seeing Katee Shean back again this season.

 

Gaby is a favorite to win, for sure, but I remain unconvinced as to her amazing technique and ability. She's well-rounded, but she doesn't wow me in anything. I don't even buy the amazing in other styles for a tap dancer storyline because it's pretty obvious to me that she's such a studio kid and has trained so much in other styles that she could've auditioned as a jazz or contemp dancer and probably done just fine. Also, she has this affect in the interview/pre-dance packages that kind of irks me and I can't really put my finger on why. She'll probably win though.

 

ETA: Also, I really did not like that opening group routine by Mandy Moore. I almost wanted to FF it. I miss good-old '80s Mandy of the zingy jazz routines like Sweet Dreams with Sabra/Neil or even the slightly cheesy powerballad contemporaries like Right Here Waiting (Melissa/Ade) and Alone (Jessica/Will). She even did one of my favorite group routines of all-time -- The Rose for top 6 in season 4. This group routine didn't seem Mandy Moore at all.

Edited September 3, 2015 by pamplemousse

[ToxicUnicorn]

Best. Samba. Ever.  Jim actually had chemistry with Anya, and most of all, you couldn't see him thinking.  He looked joyous - he embodied the spirit of a fast Latin ballroom (to me).  I loved it, and it's the first time I've ever watched a contestant while Anya was the All-Star.  Good reminder that Jim had that awful Medusa hip hop with Comfort last week.  I've been annoyed at the judges all season for giving Jim grief about his performance when I think he has grown a lot and, frankly, I've enjoyed him.  It's too bad Rochester is such a crap town (I can say this, having spent about 10 years there) and is not going to rally and vote for a hometown boy like all of Utah probably does when they have one of their own.  (Ok, I'm committing the cardinal sin of generalizing, but I'm a little pissed on Jim's behalf).

 

I think it should have been a final 4 of Jaja, Gaby, Hailee, and Jim, which is different from my opinion last week.  Jim has earned it.

 

I was very touched by Jaja's performance in the Alzheimer's dance.  She has won me over.  I'd be perfectly happy with her winning.  Tessandra Chavez' choreography was lovely and that was my favorite performance ever from Alex F. Wong.  (Although I still prefer Jim's dancing compared to Alex's.)

 

Yes, Nigel's endless speech about hip hop was so stupid, even I wanted him to shut up.  On the other hand, I think this has been the best judges' panel for SYTYCD.  Although I have disagreed with them about Jim, I think Paula and Jason have been the most constructive, most forthright, and most fair judges ever.  I loved the fact that they were still willing to offer comments or say they didn't love something this late in the game.  Usually, by now, we have empty (and often undeserved) rave reviews.

 

I also thought Gaby was terrible in her first number.  I'll have to collect my thoughts before I think about the rest. 

[ocelot]

Chehon is like one of the least versatile people that has ever been on the show...

[kechara]

I am not going to get too upset, although I thought that Jim should have made the final 4. Thinking back over the seasons, I don't have clear memories of dancetestants after season 4. I know who they are, most of them, and I remember some routines, but I don't necessarily even think about them unless someone mentions them in particular So I'll probably forget all these guys too by next year

[Blueeyedgirl]

I thought Jim did a wonderful job in the Samba...not perfect, his hips could be looser, but it was great. I suspected he was going home by the judges comments.

However, if you want to watch a ballet boy samba, check out Danny and Lacy's from season three. That's how it's done.

[realdancemom]

I thought Jim did a wonderful job in the Samba...not perfect, his hips could be looser, but it was great. I suspected he was going home by the judges comments.

However, if you want to watch a ballet boy samba, check out Danny and Lacy's from season three. That's how it's done.

Love Hip Hip Chin Chin.  Yes, Alex and Danny have been very versatile ballet guys.  I also think the judges were harsh with Jim's samba critiques.  I'll agree with Jason that it was the most loose and joyous that I've seen Jim.  He was smiling and having a good time.   I like Gaby's and Jim's Broadway more than the judges did too.  That had a lot of technique and I don't know what Nigel was talking about when he said nightclub vs. Broadway choreography.

[Woodrose]

Contemporary and hip-hop are my least favorite dance styles, so the overload of these two styles makes the show less enjoyable for me.  And the music choices are truly awful in so many of these dances.

 

It seems to be the cool, modern style to choreograph dances to very sparse music -- just a melody, with no discernible beat or harmony.  Or, just percussion, with no melody. Too often, the dance seems completely divorced from the music, especially the contemporary pieces set to moody, rhythm-free ballads.  

 

Give me some disco set to Donna Summers! Music to dance to-- A strong beat, a melody, harmony, even a counter-melody! 

 

I know I'm not their preferred demographic, so if the young people like hip hop and emo contemporary set to music without a beat or music with nothing but a beat, that's what the show will give us.  I'm just not enjoying it very much anymore. This show has shown me I'm an old woman who doesn't much like the music and dancing young people are into these days. 

 

And, in conclusion, Get off my lawn!

[SnarkyTart]

 

Jim, you're already an all-star to me.

 

Me too.  It was sad to see Jim get the Danny Tidwell treatment. 

Edited September 3, 2015 by SnarkyTart

[OakGoblinFly]

I love Gaby, but she's certainly no Melanie.

I liked her before this, but I think the Bollywood routine is what really cemented my Jaja love. It was so cute and flirty and sassy and a perfect expression of her personality.

 

 

Thank goodness .... I never liked Melanie's dancing; it leaves me cold - it appears labor and joyless.  I enjoy watching Gabby's routines because you can see how much dance joy radiates from her.

 

I think JaJa is a lovely person and I like how she commits and is willing to learn - I find her 'emoting' extremely distracting and her lack of technique really detracts from the quality of the movement.  That said,when she performs her animation hip hop she is completely captivating. 

[Carrots4]

Cat is pregnant isn't she? She sure looks like it

Well, it's official.

http://celebritybabies.people.com/2015/09/03/cat-deeley-pregnant-expecting-first-child-patrick-kielty/

[crowceilidh]

An interesting set of tweets on Jim's (and poss Megz') elim:

 

Stephen tWitch Boss ‏@official_tWitch  Aug 31
Not gonna lie..That was one of the toughest eliminations to witness this season @DANCEonFOX. Heart of champions are brought out every night

Alex Wong ‏@AlexdWong  Aug 31
Tonight's #SYTYCD elimination breaks my heart. I don't like it one bit.

TRAVIS WALL ‏@traviswall  Aug 31
.@JimNowakowski is one of the most exciting dancers to watch live. He has inspired so many with his story and talent. Heartbroken tonight

[calipiano81]

I think JaJa is a lovely person and I like how she commits and is willing to learn - I find her 'emoting' extremely distracting and her lack of technique really detracts from the quality of the movement. That said,when she performs her animation hip hop she is completely captivating.

Actually, I think JaJa has some of the better technique on Team Street (outside of Yorelis and Ariana), or at least displays enough convincing technique to impress me.

And for me, I think JaJa is a great actress and I find her performances dynamic and exciting.

[Zuleikha]

I loved Jim, and I'm sad to see him go. But I can't honestly say I think he deserved to be Final Four any more than Hailee. They're different dancers with different strengths and weaknesses. 

 

However, I do hope the top two are Jaja and Gaby. I don't know who I want to win, though.