S14.E06: Academy Week #2

[Drogo]

"The Academy" callbacks continue.

[spanana]

So I guess stealing cut dancers is an allowed thing? Did they do that with the kids last year? I don't begrudge Jenna "saving" that guy, but awfully shitty for those already on her team and I'm not sure I agree with her picks to stay.  Though I guess those are the ways of the actual industry.  Also we all know that she isn't going to pick someone outside of ballroom or contemp as her final pick anyway.

Jensen Arnold is nowhere near as good as her sister.  She needs more maturity as a dancer.

Paul's team looked fairly bleak.

I'm not particularly enjoying this format, even if TPTB are pulling the all-stars strings.  At the very least one of the things I'd wish they do is be clear about the rules up front.

Edited July 25, 2017 by spanana

[Laurie4H]

Allisons tears were so fake, and Jenna taking her dancer was so staged.

[Mason]

54 minutes ago, spanana said:

I don't begrudge Jenna "saving" that guy, but awfully shitty for those already on her team 

And now they all know she originally told Kiki she didn't just want him on her team but as her partner... 

Unless every bloomin' one of them is faking, at least the contestants seem excited to be hand picked (as compared to the old way of simply progressing to the next round.) 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

I could formulate better opinions if I knew where the teams actually stood in terms of the final three dancers.

The only team I'm 100% sure on is Paul K. His team has Ramita the Indian classical fusion dancer who has to be there as fodder at this point, and two excellent female ballroom dancers in Kristina and Sydney (spelling?).

ETA-We do know who is left on Cyrus's team. Blue-haired Kaylee, Huwer "Havoc" Marche who survived dancing for his life, and a random contemporary guy (I think)

Jenna has Kiki and Kevin the hip hop guy she saved, plus one other guy, Fikshun has Inyoung "Dassy" Lee another hip hopper in Kyle Bennett Jr. and one more that I'm not sure about, Marko's got Koine Isakawa, a ballroom girl named Sofia or Sonia, and a random ginger guy, Robert has Taylor Sieve (who they heavily spotlighted in the contemporary round) and two other contemporary dancers named Jonathan Wade and Jennifer Florentino (spelling to both?) who got mini-cameo's right after Taylor. Jasmine has one hip hop dancer, Robert Greene along with two total rando male contemporary dancers (Chase Something Rather & Howard Johnson, I kid you not for those playing at home) and Gaby still has Lex Ishimoto (which, lets be honest is pretty much the only thing that matters for her team) Evan DiBennideto (spelling again?) who may or may not be a tapper, and a Nathalie who we've not been formally introduced to. Allison is going with Logan Hernandez, Zachary Downer and an Abby Griffin (who depending on your take on Cat's pronunciation is either a Ballet or a Belly dancing specialist).  Comfort has Mark Villaver the b-boy, and two others I'm completely in the dark on because I think she was the only All Star that we didn't get a screen capture of her 4 person team when it was completed...

Edited July 25, 2017 by PhD-Purgatory15

[spanana]

The dancers are probably more excited about being chosen by other dancers that they supposedly look up to as opposed to what normally takes place, so that makes sense. However in retrospect, I'm also finding it a huge time suck/waste.  For instance we spent a good part of tonight's show watching all the all stars find the last member of their team.  Then we had the team dance round and in many cases, even if we didn't see the dance, the all-star immediately eliminated the last person we had just watched them choose for their team.  What is the point? Where is the suspense in that?  The assumption is that the all stars chose the ones that they really wanted first and the final picks were fodder, so we spent a good part of tonight's show watching them choose the fodder and then eliminate them right after.

[Canada]

I felt bad for the male ballroom dancer that Paul picked.  In fact, I feel bad for anyone who ended up on a team with an All Star of the same gender as them.  Knowing how this show works, there's no way in hell that any All Star is going to pick a final partner of the same gender.  

This show really has made that final leap from finding the favourite dancer to finding the favourite personality.  Dance ability doesn't seem to count at all anymore.  I still can't believe they let that hip hop guy go through, after the way he murdered the contemporary routine.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

I'd agree with you Canada for every All Star minus Cyrus. I think every bone in his body is telling him to pick the guy who he had dance for his life tonight in "Havoc". However, I do think the show may over rule him and force him to choose Kaylee Millis and her blue-haired quirkyness that Sonya Tayeh dreamed up in a lab somewhere. If that happens, then yes I believe we'll end up with 10 cross-gender pairs...

Edited July 25, 2017 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Mystery Author]

I. Do. Not. Like. This. Format. There, I said it.

[Brynnjk]

I dislike this format so much.  I miss early SYTYCD so much.  And I am tired so tired of all these all-stars.  I miss the fun of the dancers discovering their partners and working together and may I repeat - I am so tired of these all-stars.  You had your moment in the sun.  Now all they do is suck attention away from those who are attempting to have their moment in the sun.   I miss the show that had me staying up late and voting the entire 2 hours.    I wouldn't stay up 10 extra minutes for this show.  

[Haleth]

While I appreciate the show trying to stay fresh by changing the format, I agree that this is not the way to go.  Yup, too much attention on the allstars and not enough dancing from the contestants.  Hopefully once the meat of the show is underway we'll be able to focus on the 10 contestants for real.

So the contestants are going to stay with their own allstar for the rest of the competition?  That doesn't seem fair to anyone who has an allstar who doesn't perform well in a particular genre.  Wouldn't it make sense for the contestants to rotate while the allstars stick to what they do best?

Edited July 25, 2017 by Haleth

[OhTheHumanity]

Well, there was a little more dancing this week, so that's good.  Still way, way too much focus on the All-Stars, though, and I say that as someone who LOVES seeing the dancers from previous seasons come back to partner this year's contestants...just not this early in the season and this prominently featured.  I'm disappointed that we didn't get to see more of the group dances, and also disappointed that we can feel the heavy hands of the producers on every aspect of the team choices.  Grateful SYTYCD is still on the air (I thought it was a goner after last season), but it's a pale imitation of what it once was. 

[Keekski]

I'll say it again. Allison is the fakest fakey who ever faked. It makes me sad that this is the way she comes across because I love Twitch so much. Even if he's not a genuine person, he fakes it well!

[spanana]

47 minutes ago, Keekski said:

I'll say it again. Allison is the fakest fakey who ever faked. It makes me sad that this is the way she comes across because I love Twitch so much. Even if he's not a genuine person, he fakes it well!

I'd argue most of the all-stars come off fake. Probably because in a sense most of them are trying to grab as much tv time as possible to book their next job. Lets not pretend that these guys are only looking for dancing jobs. They are hoping that exposure here will lead them to their big break.  Most of them are successful working dancers, but SYTYCD is really the only thing they've done (outside of maybe the DWTS people) that really hinges on them selling their personalities.  So got to sell that personality.  Sell that brand so they can hawk their lines of t-shirts and active wear.  Sell that brand so they can position themselves as a lifestyle guru.  The all stars are competing too, just in a different way.

[Quickbeam]

3 minutes ago, spanana said:

I'd argue most of the all-stars come off fake. Probably because in a sense most of them are trying to grab as much tv time as possible to book their next job. Lets not pretend that these guys are only looking for dancing jobs. They are hoping that exposure here will lead them to their big break.  Most of them are successful working dancers, but SYTYCD is really the only thing they've done (outside of maybe the DWTS people) that really hinges on them selling their personalities.  So got to sell that personality.  Sell that brand so they can hawk their lines of t-shirts and active wear.  Sell that brand so they can position themselves as a lifestyle guru.  The all stars are competing too, just in a different way.

Yes and I think this really takes away from the dancers in the competition. There is only so much screen time and way too much of it goes to the All Stars. 

[slaterain]

UGH!!! I really hate the whole teams concept - because then each dancer is now competing with a smaller group and if you have a powerhouse group they are screwed. And it is only up to the one all-star to decide who continues instead of being a consensus of all - too much favoritism allowed. Makes me really hate the whole team concept. Although it does seem to have made much stronger groups for the group choreo round - or at least more balanced but we barely got to see that - instead of it being a whole ep or even half an ep we barely got 10 mins of it. Then with all the cross-genre selections on teams - how will this work out to be balanced within the top 10? And did any tappers make it through? I feel like there were so many people not mentioned in this round that it almost seemed pointless. And here again we are seeing more individual judging then the dancing. ugh!!! 

I was mad when Allison let Kevin go because I thought he really held his own with his group but wasn't too surprised. And then Jenna saved him. Which I was happy about and wondered if there were a couple of saves allowed. But then when she said that she had to then dump 2 from her team - I think you could probably hear my eye roll! And you know Kiki no matter what he did would move forward. I really was sad that girl on her team didn't get more of a chance. Again burned by favoritism instead of getting the strongest top 10 and then pairing up.

I did laugh that people were no longer fighting over whose team the dancers would be on or at least they didn't show it as much. And them "allowing" Robert to snag some dancers. That could have been handled behind the scenes and been edited so much better to allow for more dancing. I wonder if they realized how bad that worked out after the hip hop round so then they changed it up and went in with ideas of who would get who - but then they did the judging immediately instead of after the whole choreo round?!? They seem to be fumbling around to figure out new ways to organize this and haven't fully determined a process yet. Which makes it all the more frustrating for the viewer! 

oh and I was so happy about some of the cuts:
 - the arrogant ballroom guy (who was crazy talented granted!) who basically wanted all the girls to just be his arm candy in the group round
 - the shallow ballroom girl (who pretended to cry when saying goodbye to her partner when he was cut and then proceeded to make it about her "oh look at me all crying" ugh!)
 - the one contemporary girl that I was annoyed went straight through to the academy during auditions instead of doing a choreo round then (Arielle I think).

glad to see the Indian dancer still there and I think she would have had a shot if it was the old format but she seems to be fodder. I almost wish they made each all-star pick outside of their genre to make for more interesting pairings and surprises! But then again - love seeing them elevate others in their own style. 

wow - that got long! sorry!!!

Edited July 25, 2017 by slaterain

[Laurie4H]

I had an 18 year old dancer who was trying to make if in LA once tell me that it's embarrassing to have SYTYCD on your resume.  Years ago it was great but now in the last couple years.  Not sure if that is true or she was just bitter she didn't get on the show but I if that is why they changed to format?  To make it more relevant? 

[Racj82]

Fox fucked this show up and they havent truly given a shit about the show since it failed in season 6 as a primetime show.

This is just not the show I fell in love with years ago. This is the show people should have been watching in droves. Not American idol. But, it's time has come and gone. Losing top 20, losing a results show, the fucking all stars, losing the old stage. None of it was for the positive. Almost time for me to let it go.

[LadyMustang65]

I still have no freaking idea of how this will work, and it's absolutely frustrating me.  Am hoping that if I just stick it out another week or two, we'll get to the actual competition, and it will become enjoyable.  This is just a hot mess so far.

[Brynnjk]

1 hour ago, Racj82 said:

Fox fucked this show up and they havent truly given a shit about the show since it failed in season 6 as a primetime show.

This is just not the show I fell in love with years ago. This is the show people should have been watching in droves. Not American idol. But, it's time has come and gone. Losing top 20, losing a results show, the fucking all stars, losing the old stage. None of it was for the positive. Almost time for me to let it go.

Oh how I miss the old stage.  We stopped having great dances once the stairs were gone.  (Imagine Ramalama without the stage)  Once the intimacy of that stage was gone.  I loved that stage.  I loved a Top 20. I loved the partners.  This show now?  It's just something to watch when I'm bored.  It's not everybody online frantically voting, loving amazing dancers, being blown away by choreography.  It's just all manipulation.  Nothing is real. I'm really sad about it.  I adored SYTYCD.  The first 5 years were magical.  

[healthnut]

Not enough dancing this week! If the show is only going to be one hour they've got to show us more dancing than that. Especially, the group round. Although in reality, I don't think any of these all-stars picked who was leaving based on the group round. 

Vasily was a mess in both the ballroom and the group round. I'm glad they let Jenzen go, she never impressed me. I was quite surprised Allison let go of Kevin after lobbying so hard to get him on her "team". I'm glad Jenna saved him, whether it was producer manipulation or not.  

At this point I think Dassy (Fikshun), Lex (Gaby), Kaylee (Cyrus), Logan (Allison), Keone (Marko), Taylor (Robert), Mark (Comfort), and Robert (Jasmine) are all locks. IMO, Sydney is the front runner for Paul over Christina, that just leaves Jenna as the wildcard.

Surely we will see more dancing next week since they won't be cramming three rounds of competition in 43 minutes.

[Tikichick]

3 hours ago, Laurie4H said:

I had an 18 year old dancer who was trying to make if in LA once tell me that it's embarrassing to have SYTYCD on your resume.  Years ago it was great but now in the last couple years.  Not sure if that is true or she was just bitter she didn't get on the show but I if that is why they changed to format?  To make it more relevant? 

That's absolutely untrue about the value on the resume.

[realdancemom]

Even though, Logan is the standout in Allison's team, I thought Kevin did a great job in the group round.  I would have let the girl go.

Agree that a ballroom guy would not stand a chance in Paul's team or a female in Jenna's team.  I think the other genres work better with the same sex but not ballroom.  I don't think TPTB would allow that to happen.  It's a good thing Vasily isn't that great.  Even during their audition, I thought Kristina was better. 

Havoc is the one that I previously mentioned was better than his partner.   But he's not versatile enough.  However, Cyrus can't really critique him on that when he was a mess in other styles during his season.

I think it's obvious based on what TPTB has shown us who the All-Stars are going to choose.  I'm not making guesses since I read the spoilers.  But even if I didn't, I would be able to tell.  The two that aren't as obvious is Sydney vs. Kristina in Paul's team and who Jenna is going to choose.

I also agree that Jensen isn't as good as Lindsay.  However, I will defend her a little that her partner hasn't been her partner all these years.  They started out as partners when they were younger but haven't been partners in a long time.  They mentioned that before their audition.  That's why they missed hand connections and their last pose in their auditions.  Since I live in Utah and my daughter has been in shows with her, I do know who her last partner in Utah was.  I think last week was a case of editing anyway.  Just like I think they tried to make Robert look bad with nobody wanting to choose him.  Other All-Stars were rejected too but they had to focus on Robert.  I'm also sure that there were dancers that chose Robert over a different All-Star.

I agree that I prefer the Top 20 format and small stage.  I don't mind the All Stars but like it better when they show up in the Top 10.  I'm just happy that the show is still on.  Even if they kept the same format, I think the show would lose viewers because it's been on for 13 years.  I'm hoping the live shows will show some outstanding dances.  There were great dances last year and that's with kids.  Although, some of those great dances were just the All Stars.  

[Tikichick]

2 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

Even though, Logan is the standout in Allison's team, I thought Kevin did a great job in the group round.  I would have let the girl go.

Agree that a ballroom guy would not stand a chance in Paul's team or a female in Jenna's team.  I think the other genres work better with the same sex but not ballroom.  I don't think TPTB would allow that to happen.  It's a good thing Vasily isn't that great.  Even during their audition, I thought Kristina was better. 

Havoc is the one that I previously mentioned was better than his partner.   But he's not versatile enough.  However, Cyrus can't really critique him on that when he was a mess in other styles during his season.

I think it's obvious based on what TPTB has shown us who the All-Stars are going to choose.  I'm not making guesses since I read the spoilers.  But even if I didn't, I would be able to tell.  The two that aren't as obvious is Sydney vs. Kristina in Paul's team and who Jenna is going to choose.

I also agree that Jensen isn't as good as Lindsay.  However, I will defend her a little that her partner hasn't been her partner all these years.  They started out as partners when they were younger but haven't been partners in a long time.  They mentioned that before their audition.  That's why they missed hand connections and their last pose in their auditions.  Since I live in Utah and my daughter has been in shows with her, I do know who her last partner in Utah was.  I think last week was a case of editing anyway.  Just like I think they tried to make Robert look bad with nobody wanting to choose him.  Other All-Stars were rejected too but they had to focus on Robert.  I'm also sure that there were dancers that chose Robert over a different All-Star.

I agree that I prefer the Top 20 format and small stage.  I don't mind the All Stars but like it better when they show up in the Top 10.  I'm just happy that the show is still on.  Even if they kept the same format, I think the show would lose viewers because it's been on for 13 years.  I'm hoping the live shows will show some outstanding dances.  There were great dances last year and that's with kids.  Although, some of those great dances were just the All Stars.  

Agreed.  I just can't get past the need to edit in such a way that makes it appear Robert was a hard sell to many of the dancers.

This episode in particular needed LOTS more dancing.  I can't believe we're rolling towards the end of July and this show isn't cooking by this point.  Are they trying to chase away their audience?

[pally]

It's pretty obvious the final 10 will be the dancer each All-star chose first which makes the rest of the charade a waste of time.  It would have been better to choose teams at the end of the Academy process.  

Quote

 I had an 18 year old dancer who was trying to make if in LA once tell me that it's embarrassing to have SYTYCD on your resume.  Years ago it was great but now in the last couple years.  Not sure if that is true or she was just bitter she didn't get on the show but I if that is why they changed to format?  To make it more relevant? 

2

sounds like sour grapes.  There have been far too many successful dancers with SYTYCD on their resumes to blow that off as embarrassing.  One of the things I've always liked about SYTYCD is that the people who make the show are very talented.  They may not shine across all genres of dance but they are generally outstanding in their own style.  Once outside the show they bring invaluable experience to any dance role.  They have learned to work with a wide range of top choreographers and to learn their choreography quickly.  They have learned different genres often outside their comfort level making them versatile They have learned to take television direction and how to conduct themselves on camera.  And they have learned to perform in incredibly stressful situations. 

[Lunula]

While I am glad to not have dancing children this season and it is once again palatable to watch, I am still not sure I'm 100% on board with the new format. I don't mind the show switching it up, as they have over the years, but I'm not sure how the whole team concept works if the end goal is for the all-star to choose his or her own partner from their own team. Knowing that SYTYCD does, on occasion, pair two men or two women as partners, are any all-stars going to actually choose a same-gender partner to dance with each week? I have a strong feeling this is why Robert had such issues in round 1 - since most of the dancers with more than one all-star interested chose a team led by someone of the opposite sex. 

I also continue to loathe the "dance for your life" BS. Either they were good enough or they were not - stop dragging it out and pretending that it matters. You've obviously made up your mind that you like this dancer, but he or she did not do well in that round, so you give them a second chance to "prove" they are good enough. Wouldn't all the dancers do better in their own style? I just hate it. Send them packing.

[Mason]

1 hour ago, realdancemom said:

I agree that I prefer the Top 20 format and small stage.  I don't mind the All Stars but like it better when they show up in the Top 10.  

How about a top 20, but with each All Star working with 2 people?

[cali1981]

4 hours ago, Racj82 said:

Fox fucked this show up and they havent truly given a shit about the show since it failed in season 6 as a primetime show.

This is just not the show I fell in love with years ago. This is the show people should have been watching in droves. Not American idol. But, it's time has come and gone. Losing top 20, losing a results show, the fucking all stars, losing the old stage. None of it was for the positive. Almost time for me to let it go.

Ah, the forgettable Season Six won by Russell Ferguson a "krumper" who they neglected to tell us studied at Boston Arts Academy and then majored in dance at Philadelphia's University of the Arts.  That season was so meh that there wasn't even a tour after it ended.   Seasons 7 -11 were excellent with a variety of great dancers in each of them. The wheels came off the wagon in Season 12 with its street vs. stage format and then, of course, there was the Season 13 kiddies fest.  I had high hopes for this season but the Academy/Teams format has not been properly explained and the hands of the TPTB in the selection process seem pretty obvious.  SYTYCD was on death's door after S12, made a colossal error in judgement with S13 and even, with yet another chance at survival, has not, so far,  sold the product very well.  The All-stars are great dancers (mostly) but they don't have the star power the carry this show.  Hopefully things will significantly improve once the live rounds start.

[Racj82]

44 minutes ago, cali1981 said:

Ah, the forgettable Season Six won by Russell Ferguson a "krumper" who they neglected to tell us studied at Boston Arts Academy and then majored in dance at Philadelphia's University of the Arts.  That season was so meh that there wasn't even a tour after it ended.   Seasons 7 -11 were excellent with a variety of great dancers in each of them. The wheels came off the wagon in Season 12 with its street vs. stage format and then, of course, there was the Season 13 kiddies fest.  I had high hopes for this season but the Academy/Teams format has not been properly explained and the hands of the TPTB in the selection process seem pretty obvious.  SYTYCD was on death's door after S12, made a colossal error in judgement with S13 and even, with yet another chance at survival, has not, so far,  sold the product very well.  The All-stars are great dancers (mostly) but they don't have the star power the carry this show.  Hopefully things will significantly improve once the live rounds start.

There is greatness for sure beyond season 6 but you could tell how much fox didn't care after that and hurt the show overall. At least I still have subpar video quality youtube clips to watch. 

I forgot to add that in the group where 2 had to go, I would have bet money that the 2 that got dropped were moving on based upon the skill and charisma in that piece. Shows what I know.

[saks10111]

1 hour ago, cali1981 said:

Ah, the forgettable Season Six won by Russell Ferguson a "krumper" who they neglected to tell us studied at Boston Arts Academy and then majored in dance at Philadelphia's University of the Arts.  That season was so meh that there wasn't even a tour after it ended.   Seasons 7 -11 were excellent with a variety of great dancers in each of them. The wheels came off the wagon in Season 12 with its street vs. stage format and then, of course, there was the Season 13 kiddies fest.  I had high hopes for this season but the Academy/Teams format has not been properly explained and the hands of the TPTB in the selection process seem pretty obvious.  SYTYCD was on death's door after S12, made a colossal error in judgement with S13 and even, with yet another chance at survival, has not, so far,  sold the product very well.  The All-stars are great dancers (mostly) but they don't have the star power the carry this show.  Hopefully things will significantly improve once the live rounds start.

Agreed on Russell and Season 6 in general, but let's not forget, Season 6 gave us Kathryn <3 (and Jakob, for that matter)

[realdancemom]

8 minutes ago, saks10111 said:

Agreed on Russell and Season 6 in general, but let's not forget, Season 6 gave us Kathryn <3 (and Jakob, for that matter)

It also gave us Ellenore.  Ryan was also from that season.  But TPTB don't care about him.  They ask him to come back when they need a ballroom All Star and then the judges don't even acknowledge him.

[healthnut]

The problems with bringing All-Stars back for "star power" is that the best rated seasons are 1-5, with a considerable drop off after that. At this point, most of the dancers from those seasons are too old to bring back. Paul, Jenna, Cyrus, etc are all good dancers but the ratings were so low in those seasons, having them back can't really entice many viewers to tune in. Ratings for this season have been pretty consistent until last night where it dropped from 0.9 to 0.7. Could be contributed to confusion/frustration about the format...or it could be a fluke...

[TVbitch]

Jesus God, this show. I don't think we got to see more than 2-3 seconds of continuous dancing at any point without a cut away so we can watch the all-stars sit in chairs and say extremely important things like "wow!" "yeah!" and "woah!" It's so very entertaining to see them sitting in their chairs, saying the same things over and over and occassionally glancing at either. Who doesn't love a good glance.  

[luvthepros]

11 hours ago, Haleth said:

.........So the contestants are going to stay with their own allstar for the rest of the competition?  That doesn't seem fair to anyone who has an allstar who doesn't perform well in a particular genre.  Wouldn't it make sense for the contestants to rotate while the allstars stick to what they do best?

Cyrus comes to mind. I'm actually having a difficult time processing anything Cyrus has to say to these contestants. He has skills in popping and locking but is very limited in other genres. I honestly don't think he belongs on this show as an All-Star.

[Canada]

20 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Jesus God, this show. I don't think we got to see more than 2-3 seconds of continuous dancing at any point without a cut away so we can watch the all-stars sit in chairs and say extremely important things like "wow!" "yeah!" and "woah!" It's so very entertaining to see them sitting in their chairs, saying the same things over and over and occassionally glancing at either. Who doesn't love a good glance.  

But sometimes the All Stars stand up, too, when they get really excited!!  That's what I want to see, rather than any dancing.  Who wants to watch dancing on this show???

[spanana]

I'll go so far as to say I don't want to see the all-stars on my screen unless they are on stage dancing.  I'd prefer the older format where they were brought in after some of the fodder from the Top 20 was whittled down, they danced with the new contestants and the all stars also switched up somewhat week to week.  Meaning you didn't necessarily get the same all-stars every week and when there were repeats, they weren't always dancing with the same contestants.  While I know there is still manipulation involved there, it seems much more fair.

The other problem with this all-stars system is that right now, since we aren't getting actual dancing from the newbies as yet, the newbies popularity is also going to live and die with their mentor.  If their mentor is popular, they might have a better chance of sticking around.  That also works in reverse.  People might not vote for a newbie if they don't like their mentor.  It's kind of running into one of the problems that DWTS tends to have where after awhile people are voting for their fave pros with little care to the celebs.  You cut a lot of that off at the knees if the all-stars don't have a regular person to mentor.  It also takes some of the focus of the all-stars and puts it on the new dancers, where it belongs.

[realdancemom]

3 hours ago, Mason said:

How about a top 20, but with each All Star working with 2 people?

That would be a little better since 20 people would have a chance to be on the Lives instead of 10.  But I still prefer the old way where the All Stars don't show up until the Top 10.  They only do their own style and they pair with different contestants.  spanana explains it well in the post above why there is a problem with the mentor thing.   I think SYTYCD is trying to follow the Voice since the latter is popular.

[alannaofdoom]

On the one hand, I appreciate the, uh... brisk pace of this episode. On the other hand - and maybe I'm alone in this - the overnight group choreo gauntlet is one of my favorite parts of the show every year, and I would've liked to get more than a cursory glance at it. I mean, hell, we only got to see 3 of those routines!?! Plus the whole team/mentor thing has not been adequately explained and it really feels like they're just making it up as they go along. Which would be fine, but then don't pretend that there are rules when it's all arbitrary gut decisions! Ugh, I am dissatisfied. 

[TVbitch]

Are people complaining on FB or Twitter or wherever it matters these days? I just wondered, cuz I'm not on social media. Maybe it will have some impact if the masses revolt.

It really has become So You Think You Can All-Star.  I didn't mind when they brought them in at the top 10 cuz that seemed fair enough and no one had to be teamed up with a perhaps inferior partner anymore. Plus it gave us all kinds of variety and great male/male and female/female routines. To have the same dancer with the same all-star all season will be way less exciting and could be very lop-sided. Not to mention, people will just vote for their favorite all-star. And, oh my god, the journeys ...we will have to hear every week about their fucking journeys as partners. Ugh. 

[Duke Silver]

¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Lots of "Make SYTYCD Great Again" sentiment I've seen here & elsewhere.  I get it.  Many fans feel comfortable w/ the original premise/set-up of the show.

I didn't like this week nearly as much as last, but I'm gonna ride it out & hope it hooks me again.

[Tikichick]

5 hours ago, Duke Silver said:

¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Lots of "Make SYTYCD Great Again" sentiment I've seen here & elsewhere.  I get it.  Many fans feel comfortable w/ the original premise/set-up of the show.

I didn't like this week nearly as much as last, but I'm gonna ride it out & hope it hooks me again.

I have been with this show since Season One, episode 2.  I've put up with nonsense since Season Six and hung in.  I stuck with it through whatever Season 12 was.  I put up with kiddie fest.

I rejoiced when I heard Mary was back and we were back to adult contestants, thinking my wishes had finally been granted.  I sucked it up through the strange vibe of the audition episodes, thinking it was just a time compression issue since the timing of the season was off.  Ah, the Academy weeks, things are finally gonna start to take shape and -- WTH is happening?  Here I sit like a sap, holding out hope for competition to hit the stage, thinking that will finally set things right again.  

Very close to losing hope.

[NorthstarATL]

On 7/25/2017 at 4:17 PM, Mason said:

How about a top 20, but with each All Star working with 2 people?

That would be so cool! Do you mean as in the two people would be the team, and the all-star kind of a mentor? Because that would give the all-star the exposure they crave, but also a two-person team who would be like the traditional teams that we used to get to vote for. That would be ideal IMO.

[Mason]

17 minutes ago, NorthstarATL said:

That would be so cool! Do you mean as in the two people would be the team, and the all-star kind of a mentor? Because that would give the all-star the exposure they crave, but also a two-person team who would be like the traditional teams that we used to get to vote for. That would be ideal IMO.

I figure there could be lots of combinations and permutations: dance with the all-star, dance with the other team member, dance with a member of another team. All of the above in your style or in other styles.

But, as someone said earlier, they don't seem to have the money to put on that big a show. Let's hope SYTYCD doesn't end up shortchanging performances the way World of Dance does (i.e. showing just a portion.)

[MVFrostsMyPie]

I hate this format. Maybe if they swapped out half the all stars for other all stars that I like more, it'd be more fun. I miss having new top 20 dancers. I want to look at more new dancers each week, not just the all-stars over and over again!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Videos from this week:

Spoiler

Havoc must dance for his life:

Cat talks with Jensen about her ballroom routine:

 

Dmitry & Jenya teach the dancers a cha cha routine:

 

Klassic and Havoc in the contemporary round:

 

Travis Wall teaches the contemporary routine:

Allison's group's routine:

 

Jenna's group's routine:

 

[RomanKat]

On 7/24/2017 at 9:02 PM, Mason said:

And now they all know she originally told Kiki she didn't just want him on her team but as her partner...  

It was Logan, not Kiki, whom Jenna told that to.  But Logan chose Allison.

On 7/25/2017 at 10:10 AM, Laurie4H said:

I had an 18 year old dancer who was trying to make if in LA once tell me that it's embarrassing to have SYTYCD on your resume.

Might depend on what type of career you're pursuing or transitioning into.  A "serious" artist / dance company career, maybe yes.  A commercial performing career, probably no.

On 7/25/2017 at 4:13 PM, Racj82 said:

I forgot to add that in the group where 2 had to go, I would have bet money that the 2 that got dropped were moving on based upon the skill and charisma in that piece. Shows what I know.

I think Kiki was the only ballroom dancer in Jenna's group(?)  If so, then he deserves some credit for holding his own in a contemporary routine.  However, if Jenna showed "family favoritism" anywhere, it was in making Kiki her only ballroom option, imho.  Not that there was much competition.  Jaryd looked too small to partner her, and didn't appear the male "type" the show prefers.  Vasiily self-destructed on Paul's team.  Allen could have made for interesting competition, however.  Less ballroom accomplished than Kiki, but possibly more cross-trained.  I like Kiki, BTW, but it would be nice to see more ballroom guys still in the running at this point.

On 7/25/2017 at 6:55 PM, realdancemom said:

I think SYTYCD is trying to follow the Voice since the latter is popular.

The team concept works better on The Voice because the judges pick their teams before they've seen the entire field.  With SYTYCD All-Stars choosing dancers after they've seen the entire field, they're bound to take the ones they really want with their first or second picks.  As others have pointed out, the latter rounds are really just filler / fodder.  FWIW, I enjoyed the first round of picks, but not the latter rounds.  I'd have preferred that the judges pass / cut dancers through the choreography rounds like they used to, and wait until the end to choose / campaign for their partners.

[Mason]

2 hours ago, RomanKat said:

It was Logan, not Kiki, whom Jenna told that to.  But Logan chose Allison.

Am I ever going to get this right??!! :-)

[scowl]

The problem I have with the All-Stars is that I'm a casual viewer so I don't remember hardly any of these dancing powerhouses from previous seasons. I kinda remember Cyrus and Comfort, but damned if I know anyone else or why the show is spending so much time on them like they're my relatives.