S12.E02: Making the Team

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, sATL said:

ok. thanks. I guess I never noticed the switching.

They don't show it during the episodes, it totally gets edited out.

[StepKickClunk]

Just now, sATL said:

ok. thanks. I guess I never noticed the switching.

they dont really show them switching because they never show the entire 8 eight counts for any one particular group of 5 girls.  sometimes they will show another clip of the same group of girls later on and you'll be thinking "hmm the last time they showed that group of girls i couldve SWORN that girl was in the back row and now she's in the front!"  That's how i first realized they switched rows.  Which is good. that way the judges see each girl perform both in the front and in the back.  everyone gets a fair look.

[mmm]

I only realised them switching this ep , tho i think them doing the kickline twice is kinda pointless 

[MissKrisPcola]

Just started episode 2....

Jacie!! Neal!! Jacie just keeps getting prettier to me. Love her. Glad to see ol Neal back. He's a riot. 

Alexandria's segment made me like her even more. I like that they didn't give her a Cry me a river story line.. bonus points for that.

Dayton is still cute as a button. She'll get there with a little more time. Celinda is forgettable to me, she was last year too.

Whitney always looks like she's wearing a bad wig. It's distracting.

And on the first commercial break, holy shit, did anyone think Toby Keith ate Toby Keith?? He blew up like a balloon!! He was almost unrecognizable. 

ETA: Katelynn is long, lean and lovely. She caught my attention dancing this ep. If they would soften that hair color a smidge she could be a 50 yard line girl.

Phil is awesome. 

I really liked seeing the vets practicing at the end. I'm enjoying this season so far!

Edited August 11, 2017 by MissKrisPcola
Mom brain

[StepKickClunk]

11 hours ago, NMDD43 said:

I liked how Judy introduced Jennifer, Jacie, and Kinzie as the alumni veterans who were helping her teach the choreography. I don't recall her ever doing that before. Really love how much more the producers have included the vets so far, even little things like that. 

Ugh im just sooo over jennifer.  maybe im just a hater bc she got pro bowl over the 5 year vets.  but im sure she, along with Brennan, also rescues puppies from tornadoes.  :D

[twinkietwin94]

50 minutes ago, woodscommaelle said:

Correct me if I'm wrong but was Jenn marking it when they were teaching the routine?  Her dance looked so much different than Holly's....and not in a good way.

I think I remember hearing she had her appendix out, maybe this was after that and she was still recovering. I would imagine she would certainly be marking the dance more then so as not to hurt herself.

[Nancybeth]

I can't remember who mentioned this, but I kinda thought Alexandria came off a little entitled too -- I think it was all the talk about the four years + the extra year as dance leader on the Patriots, and the Pro Bowl and how close she is with Holly Arielle.  It  might have just been the way the package was cut together.  I liked her dancing! 

Overall I really enjoy the audition process being more drawn out this year, and the bit with the vets at the end.  It was fun to see Kashara and Yuko's friendship! 

I can't keep most of these girls straight yet.  I don't really start figuring out who's who until solos and even more so when they announce Training Camp.

Someone else mentioned the kicks -- it kills me that every year they let in a couple girls who have bad kicks.  I think the hope is always that the dancer just doesn't have enough experience with those types of kicks and that with enough practice and stretching they will improve.  It works out for them occasionally (who was the cute little blonde a few years back - Mackenzie Lee?).  But most of the time they get cut before making the team.

I also noticed Jay didn't have a lot to say during judging -- was he even there?  Maybe they've made a conscious decision to not include some of the more frank comments about body type? 

Edited August 11, 2017 by Nancybeth

[woodscommaelle]

I like Celinda.  Did she make it to finals?  She just seems like a very chill, laid-back girl.

[StepKickClunk]

1 minute ago, Nancybeth said:

Someone else mentioned the kicks -- it kills me that every year they let in a couple girls who have bad kicks.  I think the hope is always that the dancer just doesn't have enough experience with those types of kicks and that with enough practice and stretching they will improve.  It works out for them occasionally (who was the cute little blonde a few years back - Mackenzie Lee?).  But most of the time they get cut before making the team.

Agreed.  So tired of the kick drama too.  Taylor couple years ago broke my heart, I reeeeeeally liked her (dirt racing girl).  I have no idea where they draw the line with kicks at auditions.  With Mackenzie, she showed some potential and had her splits from the start in auditions, and was busting it and working with a vet Brittany and a physical therapist etc., to get her kicks up, and episode by episode you could see them improving greatly.  Kinda the same scenario with Lonnie Lindsey from years ago...  But with racing Taylor, OMG they were sooooo loooooow from the start.  That was never going to happen.  She only had slight improvement and I swear I wanted to shake that girl by the shoulders.  Why come back year after year and not improve at ALL on your kicks!  yeesh....she would have been great.

So this year with young Briana, gimme a break, if they let her through with those kicks, it will take an act of God to improve those in time for game.  I really don't see the crazy crazy appeal with her anyway.  She does remind me of like a young Paulina Poriskova or something, but she needs a makeover and she just ain't all that.  And talk about disinterested and aloof? 

[MissKrisPcola]

Did anyone else notice Mandy in the back during the Vet scenes at Valley Ranch? 

[WichitaStateShock]

The LSU girl, Katlynn?, looks like Cersten. I like her. Still love the Natsy but in a good way girl.

 

Don't like Whitney, nor uniboob Miranda. Dayton seemed soft in the middle and not powerful. It seems odd they let her through to finals. 

[Nancybeth]

I wonder if Brianna's disinterested and aloof might really just be a little shy and out of her element and overwhelmed.  Honestly, I think both she and Dayton need another year to mature a little -- both in their looks and their dancing -- and maybe tone up.  They look young compared to a lot of the other girls auditioning and it's not helping them stand out.

[WichitaStateShock]

4 minutes ago, Nancybeth said:

I wonder if Brianna's disinterested and aloof might really just be a little shy and out of her element and overwhelmed.  Honestly, I think both she and Dayton need another year to mature a little -- both in their looks and their dancing -- and maybe tone up.  They look young compared to a lot of the other girls auditioning and it's not helping them stand out.

Why would they let Brianna into finals with low kicks? They know that never works out.

[iloveit]

I enjoyed the end part with the veterans!!  I was wondering how they would fill this episode. I wish they showed even more! 

I couldn't tell if K & J were complimenting Jenna or telling her she needs to step it up. 

I like Alex from the Patriots. She must really want to get back to dancing if she bought a house in Boston and still wants to do this in Dallas.  A little weird to me but hey YOLO, if your boyfriend is cool with it and you know you only have a couple good dance years left, go for it. 

18 yo Briana and Dayton seem nervous. I could see them blossoming though if they make it. and becoming more poised/out-going.

None of the judges bother me so far.  They aren't riveting but I guess they don't want only K&J's perspective throughout the whole season. 

Kalyssa is cute but her screw up in the preview for next week is a major yikes, cmon.  But I also don't think that will prevent her from making training camp because she is so pretty and  a good dance.  Didn't they ask that question or a similar one a few years ago and a girl didn't know and still made camp?

I second the poster who asked can we please never see Kelsey's interview screw ups again?  I'm not a Kelsey super fan or anything like a lot of posters are but she moved past that last year.  To me, the question for this year is, how was her dance last year and has she improved?

[Nancybeth]

My favorite Kelsey moment was when she got the answer right last year, and the TV reporter was so excited for her.  "Yes, girlfriend!" 

[StepKickClunk]

Just now, Nancybeth said:

My favorite Kelsey moment was when she got the answer right last year, and the TV reporter was so excited for her.  "Yes, girlfriend!" 

YEP!

"I'm 50 yard line Kelsey and I just killed my panel interview!"

I wish they'd let her move on too, but her being a fan favorite, I have a feeling it won't be the last time they focus on that.

[bigskygirl]

UGH!!! Why do they need to bring up Kelsey and her interview mistakes? Are they trying to prove to all of us she is DCC material? Enough, we get it. Scenes like this make me dislike any of her scenes more and more. I am not a fan of hers mostly because of this crap (yes, I know it is not all her fault, but come on now.)

I was hoping they would call in the vets who were not bringing their A+ game aka weight gain and the dreaded Kelli use of the word potential.

Phil is so adorable. More Phil please. I like the way the vets were shown at the end even with the Kelsey scene.

[pineapplesalsa]

Kelsey is a good sport lol I'd be annoyed if they kept reminding me how bad I messed up. As for bringing in the dancer with low kicks - WHY!? I feel like they do this every year and I can only think of one cheerleader who got her kicks up in time. 

[mmm]

does anyone has a link to the preview of next week ? i can't find it !!

[Nancybeth]

If Kelli really did bring in all the vets, I imagine there were a few conversations that weren't that positive -- I wish we had seen those, but maybe they didn't want to spoil any vet cuts. 

[StepKickClunk]

6 minutes ago, iloveit said:

I enjoyed the end part with the veterans!!  I was wondering how they would fill this episode. I wish they showed even more! 

I couldn't tell if K & J were complimenting Jenna or telling her she needs to step it up. 

During finals, Holly went live on IG while the judges were deliberating and I was watching it.   A fan asked Holly if Jenna was retiring.  She called Jenna over and Jenna explained that she was originally going to retire, but then K & J pulled her into the office had a sort of a come to Jesus with her.  They told her that they felt she still had "so much more still to give and share and do".  They felt she wasn't truly done yet and should go another year and step up and lead.  And that's when she changed her mind and decided to stay.  I think the convo in the office was a follow up to that with all that about her being the "guiding light" etc.  With so many longer term vets retiring, I think K & J realized they were going to be left with only 4 year vets as seniors for the first time in forever (not that there's anything wrong with those girls, for example Erica is amazing).  

[bigskygirl]

No offense to Jenna, but I think the team would have survive without her coming back for another year. After Season 5, a lot of the veterans with three or more years experience retired, and the team survived. Season 6 had 17 rookies out of 34 girls on the team, and Season 7 had 19 rookies out of 39 girls on the team.

Spoiler

I wonder how Judy and Kelli are feeling now with all the Jenna rumors floating around about "asking her to be a guiding light" for the newer members of the squad. I wished they would have shown the conversations for the three vets who were cut, the weight/out of shape vets, and the other ones on the bubble. They did show Kelsey because I think she is still on the radar bubble of being possible cut.

[tinabee1967]

I kind of figured Cary was not going to advance. The only way she will have a shot at being a DCC is to get a nose job, and quite frankly, that is a bad reason to get one.

I thought Savannah with the strawberry blonde hair was gorgeous. I also really think Yuko is adorable and amazing. Good on Kashara for taking her under her wing!

Kelli indirectly let Whitney down in the most elegant and direct way possible, short of hitting her in the head with a 2x4. 

Solid Gold dancer Briana.....I do not know why she bugs me, but she does. And Jenna's smile seems manufactured and fake. She is clearly putting on a show for K&J. She did not win me over. Maybe at first and then I thought, "OK. No."

Edited August 11, 2017 by tinabee1967

[KatebytheSea]

Tossing my 2 cents into the ring:

I think Whitney deserved to be passed on to semis. Even if Kelli and Judy weren't convinced she'd improved in DCC style, she did enough to be a semi-finalist. I thought Whitney looked so much brighter and together this year than last year, so she deserved the chance. 

Even though Kelli didn't encourage Whitney to come back, Whitney did. So they needed to judge her on what they saw in front of them for prelims. At semis she was doing their style, so they could judge more fully whether she'd improved enough or not. It must be very difficult to give up on a long-held dream (Whitney) and very difficult to know when to cut off someone's dreams (K&J).

I like Neil McCoy and wish we could see all his comments. He's been performing on stages for decades, and that experience is valuable to a team who are also stage performers. Plus Neil has done several tours with them, so he knows what K&J are expecting. 

I haven't seen too much of Access Hollywood guy to love or hate him. He's experienced at seeing talent and style on the screen, so he brings that. My favorite comment from S12:E1 was his "What's happening here?" LOL  That cracks me up every time!

[StepKickClunk]

13 minutes ago, bigskygirl said:

No offense to Jenna, but I think the team would have survive without her coming back for another year. After Season 5, a lot of the veterans with three or more years experience retired, and the team survived. Season 6 had 17 rookies out of 34 girls on the team, and Season 7 had 19 rookies out of 39 girls on the team.

  Reveal hidden contents

I wonder how Judy and Kelli are feeling now with all the Jenna rumors floating around about "asking her to be a guiding light" for the newer members of the squad. I wished they would have shown the conversations for the three vets who were cut, the weight/out of shape vets, and the other ones on the bubble. They did show Kelsey because I think she is still on the radar bubble of being possible cut.

wow i didn't remember them having 19 rookies that year but maybe so.  but i do remember they still had some pretty tenured ladies like Sydney, Whitney, and Melissa K, I believe.  they would definitely survive without Jenna but I really thought when she first made it that she would be the girl to go 8 years.  guess i was wrong about that! 

[sATL]

TN Titan Briana:  Sorry boo-boo. I'm not buying your "explanation" for lack of high kick technique.  (1) too bad, too sad, that the Titans only do it at Christmas, which I wonder how does that really look/come off and (2) you knew what you were getting into by trying out for a team that kicks with each performance.  Yes, high school was a long, long time ago, but you wanted to try out and should be been doing your homework, maybe starting with the Christmas performance.

the comments "boring, looks tired, ok-showmanship, has potential"

I will keep trying to root for you in the finals... Please make an private appt with Ms. Kitty and/or former DCCs for extra tutoring sessions,

[bk10]

2 hours ago, veronicamers said:

Huh. I guess I thought she seemed a bit more mature/serious than some other candidates, but it didn't come across as entitled to me. She's obviously in a different stage of life having bought a house with her boyfriend, been a professional cheerleader for 4 years, and then working for the Patriots Cheerleaders (was she an assistant? trainer?). I really like her dance style and her poise.

I was wondering where she bought a house. If she bought one in the Northeast, what would be the point of trying out for the cowboys. Is she gonna leave the house to her boyfriend and move to Dallas? Maybe I'm too poor to imagine buying a house and then moving somewhere else right away to pay rent and a mortgage. 

[Nancybeth]

I definitely got the sense that Alexandria's house was in the Boston area, and that's where her boyfriend lives.  That is a lot to give up to be a DCC.

[EvergreenLove]

1 hour ago, bigskygirl said:

No offense to Jenna, but I think the team would have survive without her coming back for another year. After Season 5, a lot of the veterans with three or more years experience retired, and the team survived. Season 6 had 17 rookies out of 34 girls on the team, and Season 7 had 19 rookies out of 39 girls on the team.

  Reveal hidden contents

I wonder how Judy and Kelli are feeling now with all the Jenna rumors floating around about "asking her to be a guiding light" for the newer members of the squad. I wished they would have shown the conversations for the three vets who were cut, the weight/out of shape vets, and the other ones on the bubble. They did show Kelsey because I think she is still on the radar bubble of being possible cut.

Yes. Jenna is 100% replaceable, just like every other dancer on the team. Hell, just like anything in life. I thought Jenna was a doll in her rookie season, but I've liked her less and less with each passing year. Her meeting with K&J this year sealed my disdain for her forever. She seriously can't go away fast enough. #byefelicia

[ATLGirl]

3 hours ago, sATL said:

What happened to Jay the fitness guru voice in the process? He had no comments about anyone's figure or physical stamina ?

I was very surprised that Kelli did not mention Jay by name when the judges came out in Episode 1. She always has in the past. I thought maybe he had it written into his contract with CMT.?

[TwopLurker]

I really doubt that Kelli and Judy had to sit Jenn K, Jaci, or Jinelle down to ask them if they were ready to lead by example, by example, by example. I know Jenna's still quite young even though she's a six year vet but if she hasn't earned the guiding light vet title, then don't force it! There are 20 something other women the rookies can look up to. 

Do the football players have to pay to attend combines? :/

[DelilahBlue]

I love hearing from the judges during deliberations, but Anthony Ramos just needs to go away. I hate that they're showing him so much.

[parrotfeathers]

2 hours ago, beachespeaches said:

Kelsey is a good sport lol I'd be annoyed if they kept reminding me how bad I messed up. 

I'm afraid for Kelsey.  It sounded as if she was still a struggler with learning.  I sure hope she makes it back on the team.  She seems to be such a great ambassador for the team.

[EvergreenLove]

55 minutes ago, parrotfeathers said:

I'm afraid for Kelsey.  It sounded as if she was still a struggler with learning.  I sure hope she makes it back on the team.  She seems to be such a great ambassador for the team.

She definitely looked disheveled during her meeting in K&J's office. I'm used to her looking absolutely gorgeous all the time,  so it took me by surprise. I think she's feeling the pressure and is probably just as afraid as we are for her future on the team.

[twinkietwin94]

36 minutes ago, 123DCCWoooo said:

She definitely looked disheveled during her meeting in K&J's office. I'm used to her looking absolutely gorgeous all the time,  so it took me by surprise. I think she's feeling the pressure and is probably just as afraid as we are for her future on the team.

I think that's just a matter of them being called in during the technique class and we have no idea how long they'd been dancing a that point. There's also no guarantee that they show the office visits in the order they occur.

[tajalexander]

5 hours ago, Tys Mom said:

That's what I've heard in the past as well. Dance and kick line are both performed twice. 

 

5 hours ago, Rita J said:

I read on Melissa's (the one that just retired) IG somewhere that they do the routine twice.  Once in front row and once in back row.  Then they do the kickline twice. Once with right splits and once with left splits.  But not sure how accurate that is.

So I'm rewatching S11 E1 and around the 21:35 mark when the audition combo is being taught, Judy says they perform the routine 4 times as well. Does the kick line count as a routine that's performed twice? I guess I just always referred to it as "the kickline" lol 

[cvogue]

At the very end of the show when they're showing  the teaser for next week's episode, there is a glimpse of the kickline in a group of 4-5 on the field. The girl on the end turns the wrong way and it looks like it was Heather H. Did anyone else see that?? 

 

Looked at it again, single frame shot, and it is indeed Heather H. She's kicking with the wrong leg and turned the wrong way. I tried to take a screenshot but it didn't work. 

Edited August 11, 2017 by cvogue
Updated

[healthnut]

Did they have online voting this year? Usually they show the candidates filming it after semis. 

[EvergreenLove]

1 hour ago, twinkietwin94 said:

I think that's just a matter of them being called in during the technique class and we have no idea how long they'd been dancing a that point. There's also no guarantee that they show the office visits in the order they occur.

Good point. I'd look like crud if I'd been dancing all night as well! I'm surprised K&J don't make them do a fluff and puff for the cameras before getting called into the office. ?

11 minutes ago, healthnut said:

Did they have online voting this year? Usually they show the candidates filming it after semis. 

I don't think they did the fan vote.

[M1977G]

I'm surprised that the episode is locked on CMT. Is it available on iTunes yet? Sorry if this has been addressed. Been at a funeral and wake all day, not enough time to read the whole thread. 

[StepKickClunk]

5 minutes ago, Tdoc72 said:

Auditioning Lacey (not vet) reminds me of a girl that auditioned a few years back. She introduced herself as a waitress and sarcastically said 'I mean, who does that?'  Does anyone remember her name?

Not Lacey for sure. That girl was saying she "worked at Buffalo Wild Wings 40+ hours a week waitressing...  who does that".  She said she mentioned that in the intros to try to stand out.  It didn't work lol, I don't believe she even made it out of prelims.

[bigskygirl]

The episode is available on I-tunes. No on line vote or help select the Sideline Calendar photos this year.

[FutureDCC]

19 hours ago, MyFavShows said:

Wow - what a cool episode - loved how they did that segment w/ the returning vets and that they acknowledged the retirees.   I think we've been asking for these things so to me it's proof they look at this board at least a little ;).

Okay I am already sick of Kalyssa shaking her fake boobs every single time she's on screen - I swear one time she was just standing or sitting there (not even dancing) and she just decided to shake them.   Plus looks like she doesn't know who the First Lady is...she'll probably get through to TC cause she's so cute and has good kicks, but I'm sick of her already.

Shame about NJ girls kicks and I get what the judges meant about her seeming like she doesn't care anymore.  I guess we will see how far she gets.

Glad Lacy made it through - her story about her brother made me tear up - she just seems so genuine and nice.

I really liked the girl from Boston - Alexandria? - she seems really down to earth and smart, and really pretty.  Interesting how the Patriots make you retire after 4 years.   Wonder if any other squads do that?

That Miranda has a really pretty face, but omg her boob job is just awful - and it looks soooo painful.  She should wear something that doesn't have cleavage like Brennan's top.

Ugh about Christina making it through...but glad Celinda and Brennan made it.  Whitney didn't have a chance in hell once she messed up - seems like a lot of the judges held how many times she tried out against her too.

Please stop w/ Yuko already - we get it, you will keep her on the team no matter what - I don't really care how she's adjusting cause IMO she never should have made the team last year.

Re: Jenna, is what we know about her the Dak stuff, or did something else happen recently?  I thought that was over a long time ago and really wasn't a big deal, but maybe I need to check our the other treads.  I thought she looked really pretty during her talk in Kelli's office.

Raylee looked a little soft, but she always looked soft to me.   So did Selina, but she was thick before too.   I'm not a fan of Lacey's nose job either - she was pretty before w/ her natural nose.

Finally, can they please stop playing that humiliating interview footage of Kelsey - she has been on the team for a year.  Let her live it down. 

Oh, and I stlll can't stand Kelli Pickler - I literally start to get a headache when she's on my screen - wish CMT would stop w/ her, but I guess they aren't gonna :/.

Wait, back up. Vet Lacey got a nose job? I guess I hadn't noticed.

[Jazzmom]

Great episode!  Loved seeing the vets talking with K&J.  I thought they were kind to Kelsey & were just saying don't forget to brush up on NFL/current events. 

Briana does everything well except her kicks were not even meeting the 1/2 way mark, but she was called 1st into training camp? It is a make or break deal. 

Dayton has potential and her kicks were good.  She needs to tone and her age is the perfect time to learn this.   Go for the muscle and cardio, cardio, cardio.  If you gain muscle but look great, the rookie weight will not be an unrealistic number to keep.  And she needs to smile, smile, & smile!

The dance party was good! Great way to relieve stress for the TCC.  

Lauren should have been called 1st into camp, she was awesome!

Kashara & Yuko!  Finally!  That will make Yuko feel part of the team instead of staying at a retired vet's home.  

I did not recognize Tasha hanging out in the back.  Too many roots.

Jenna as a leader......well not sold on that!

[PrincessLeia]

.

Edited August 11, 2017 by PrincessLeia

[Jess14]

I really enjoyed this episode. I'm glad that they included the veteran section at the end. I've always liked Kashara, but the part with Yuko made me like her even more. I couldn't tell though - was Kelli saying that she asked Kashara to live with Yuko or that they just roomed together in the Bahamas? I thought the latter, but not sure.  If Jenna isn't yet the mother hen type, she's not going to be, and that's ok in a general sense IMO. Jenna is certainly a leading dancer on the team, but everyone doesn't have the personality to be a conventional leader. On another note, I like the light brown hair color on Jenna. I hope Cersten gets into med school. Anyone know what test they were talking about? I thought the MCAT, but I don't think that's not a pass/fail test. Kelsey....please stop talking about the bad interviews. It's played out at this point. If she didn't embarrass the team this year (which she apparently did not), then she's probably not some huge ambassador risk.

As for the new girls, I like Lacey. I'm not usually not moved by the stories, as I feel like the producers try too hard to find a sob story sometimes, but her story was really touching. I hope she makes it. 

Alexandra's story confused me slightly. Did she and her boyfriend buy a house in Boston or Dallas? She seems like the type of person who K&J would really like on the team however. She gives off the vibe of being a strong, mature dancer already. 

Brianna's kicks were too low. She had no business making it to finals, and her dancing wasn't that impressive either.

Dayton - either the producers don't like her and purposely only showed weak snippets of her dance, or her showmanship needs a lot of work. I like her personally from what I've seen and I think she's pretty, but dance-wise...I didn't see it in this episode. 

I knew Cersten, Erica, and Tess were dancers at LSU, but I didn't know Khalyn was. Do any of the Texas schools have 4 current DCCs on the squad? It seems like LSU is becoming a pipeline for the DCCs. I like Katelyn as well. Her look is harsh, but they should be able to fix that.

Whitney...I get the reasoning that if she hasn't improved, don't take her to finals, but on some level, there seemed to be a "how dare she keep coming back" sentiment that rubbed me the wrong way. 

[sATL]

20 hours ago, MyFavShows said:

Please stop w/ Yuko already - we get it, you will keep her on the team no matter what - I don't really care how she's adjusting cause IMO she never should have made the team last year.

 

I'm glad Yuko is adjusting to the team, the US and being away from home/family. But there has to be a back story with her re: last season. Yes, she can dance, but is what happened fair to the others? Not to be cruel, but I wonder did the special treatment rub off the wrong way to the other TCCs,- a reason maybe why it was slow for her to make friends.

She misses key rehearsals (which I thought was a BIG no-no) b/c of getting VISAs and couldn't dance in the 1st pre-season game. I don't know what is involved in getting a VISA - you can't get this done X-weeks ahead, like a passport?

[ilovetrashtv]

I think Shelly confirmed that she didn't actually miss any rehearsals. She flew home on a long weekend when there wasn't practice. Visas are tricky to get from my understanding, lots of hoops to jump through and it doesn't always go smoothly.

[missmansfield]

12 hours ago, ATLGirl said:

Loved the vet section! But why were Kelli and Judy both wearing black? Looked like they'd been to a funeral. Maybe it was to say goodbye to Judy's stool since they're moving to the Star? ;-)

 

Made me smile to see Yuko and her English has definitely improved. Kashara is a doll, I hope we get to see them cutting up together.

 

I've never been super rah rah about Kelsey but for Pete sake, quit bringing up her past panel interviews. She paid her dues. Let it go.

 

My fave newbie is Alexandria, the Patriots girl. She is the total package but nice as well. But If she makes the team, she may never see another Super Bowl (sorry Cowboys, just being honest. I'm in Atlanta so I know all about losing teams). 

I completely agree with everything you said!  Kelli and Judy did look like they were going to a funeral in all black.  They are DCC cheerleaders.  I like seeing them in bright cheery colors. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 8/11/2017 at 4:54 PM, sATL said:

I don't know what is involved in getting a VISA - you can't get this done X-weeks ahead, like a passport?

The short answer is no, you can't. 

The long answer is that this was discussed at great length last season. There isn't just one kind of visa that covers everything. You have to apply for a specific visa that pertains to your situation. Yuko most likely came to auditions on a tourist visa, which does not allow you to work. Once she made training camp, she then had to apply for a work visa. After that, she had to wait while the government reviewed her paperwork. Once they approved her new visa status, they notified her and she had to fly back to Japan to complete the process.

Getting a visa isn't like going to the DMV, standing in a line, and getting everything approved on the same day. It can be a long process and you are at the mercy of government bureaucracy. 

My department has a lot of post-docs and researchers from other countries so they (and HR) have to deal with work visas all the time. And no, you can't come here on a work visa before you actually have a job (so Yuko would not have been able to come to auditions on a work visa). She is probably on a special skills visa which is a specific type of work visa. 

ETA: For any of you who watch other dance shows, you may remember that Hok (from Quest Crew) was supposed to be a top twenty finalist on the second season of So You Think You Can Dance. He was here on a student visa (just like a tourist visa, a student visa does not allow you to work) so he was unable to participate and the show had to cut him from the top 20 (he was replaced by Benji Schwimmer who went on to win S2). The next year, he applied for a work visa so that he was legally allowed to be in the top twenty of S3.

Edited August 13, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo