S15.E12: Top Six Perform

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

After the Top 6 compete for the nation's vote, 2 dancers must head home.

Original airdate: 8/27/18

 

Edited August 21, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Mason]

Poor Slavik was white as a ghost.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

What the what?

[LexieLily]

It's always been one boy and one girl. Wonder how much Gen's vote totals were behind Hannahlei/Jensen and ahead of Jay Jay/Darius.

[kechara]

Who went home?

[Dancelove]

I am glad I don't live in America.  It's just too racist.  

[rollacoaster]

12 minutes ago, kechara said:

Who went home?

Jay Jay and Darius. 

37 minutes ago, Mason said:

Poor Slavik was white as a ghost.

He realizes that a terrible, terrible mistake was made in the keeping of him. 

[Dancelove]

6 minutes ago, kechara said:

Who went home?

The two Black Guys.  Go figure. 

[GraceTX]

Did Slavik even acknowledge JaJa after their dance? It looked like he completely ignored her. 

Also, I'm not one to cry at dance. Music yes. Dance no but that Travis Wall routine by Darius had me all blubbery.  Beautifully danced and so powerful.

Edited August 28, 2018 by GraceTX
Add

[kechara]

2 guys? They never do that

[bioprof]

Just can’t understand the praise for Gennessy. Her second dance was leaden....so heavy...plodded through it. She seems like a lovely person, but can’t hold a candle to the rest ( well, she’s ahead of Slavic, for sure). Darius & JJ go home.....seriously?  Just....don’t.....get.....it......

[Coco88]

I’m done with this season.  And I hate Nigel.  That is all.

[hula-la]

Mr. Hula-la, after watching Darius, stated that it’s not fair that he’s on the show, as he’s clearly miles above the other male contestants. I agree with him. Darius—you were too good for this show and you will be missed. 

And, as my user name implies, I understand Tahitian dance. They weren’t horrible, but they weren’t great. I guess I should be happy to see Tahitian on tv, but not in this way. 

Edited August 28, 2018 by hula-la
Thought of my last sentence after I pressed submit

[vdw84]

Im shock that both darius and jayjay went home. They were both incredible. I was worried about Darius only because he didnt have the best dances last week not because of his dancing because he has been basically perfect when it comes to his dancing but the choreography was off for both dances and for both men to go home it just amazes me. All that shipping the damn judges have been doing with Genessy and Slavic paid off because that is what kept them in the running. I don't think the judges realize how much their influence has on the voting public, then again yes they do. They know exactly what to say and do to sway voters in the way they want.

Jay Jay and Darius were both the best male dancers this season if not the best dancers. It could have been race thing or even a sexuality thing. They are both black and gay, double minority which  means double trouble when it comes to voting. Sad but true. I keep saying im done with this show because of the bias each season with the judges and voting viewers but I love dance so much and have been a fan of the show since the beginning that its hard to say goodbye but I may just have to this time.

1 hour ago, Coco88 said:

I’m done with this season.  And I hate Nigel.  That is all.

I have never been a real fan of Nigel but between last season and this season, I think I officially am over him. I cant stand him.

[lavenderblue]

It's hard for me not to think the ridiculous propping for Slavik and Genessy -- probably prompted by voting patterns -- is one of the largest factors in dooming Darius and JayJay in a short (competition) season. Jensen and Hannahlei are valid picks for the final four, all things considered (both have done well enough in multiple styles, no major missteps). But there's no question Darius and JayJay are more skilled dancers than both Slavik and Genessy, who had two narrative advantages: a stupid showmance that they themselves didn't even push and the "underdog" story, which always has legs on this show. In a longer season, I feel like at least one of the men would have survived and pushed on and one of Slavik or Genessy would have been done in by a particularly weak routine or redundancy in dancer types remaining. Instead...we get this mess.

Edited August 28, 2018 by lavenderblue

[Brookside]

Loved the shade thrown by Cat (to the Emmy jidges) and Nigel (to Fox).

Edited August 28, 2018 by Brookside

[PhD-Purgatory15]

I feel like I'm remembering one other season where we got a final 4 that was imbalanced 3 to 1? Am I crazy?

Part of the frustration is just the juxtaposition of seeing amazing dances on the night, and then mentally reminding yourself that the actual results have nothing to do with those dances...but the episode before. 

Regardless of whether he deserved it or not, they absolutely ran the bus over Slavik tonight (to try and pave the way for a Jensen win that they've all but tried to preordain from day 1). Makes me wonder if he's been beating her by a significant margin through the last few weeks and they are trying like hell to flip it in her favor. That's as bad as any one dancer has gotten it in the semi-finals as I can remember.

Part of me does wonder, if they would've just gotten rid of Darius last week (when it would've been at least slightly justified)...whether that would've helped Jay Jay overcome Genessy's voting bloc. I think it might have.

Here's hoping Hannahlei ends up blindsiding Slavik and Jensen both, to me she's the most deserving, most versatile and the dancer left who's worst routines this season have still been mild to reasonable successes.

[TVbitch]

Um.. er.. uh.. wuh.. ...travesty. 

I fucking knew Nigel would allow Darius to shine this week ...when it didn't matter, cuz he made sure last week that Darius would be eliminated. I guess congrats to the judges for getting their bland Bieber through. Then they beat the shit out of him tonight so they didn't look too ridiculous for propping him and so the golden girl can win. I mean, really Nigel, you wait until it will do ZERO good to announce Darius is your favorite dancer this season. How can you look at your self in the mirror, Mr. Dizzyfeet? 

Oh, and did you know Slav is already good buddies with Fikshun? Shocker. 

Edited August 28, 2018 by TVbitch

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Group dances:

Top six (Mia Michaels)

Top three women (Luther Brown)

 

Top three men (Chris Scott)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Top six dancers

Jensen & Jay Jay - Tahitian (Tiana Liufa)

Genessy & Slavik - salsa (Jonathan Platero & Oksana Dmytrenko)

 

Hannahlei & Darius - Argentine Tango (Miriam Larici & Leonardo Barrionuevo)

[BeeBop88]

3 hours ago, Dancelove said:

I am glad I don't live in America.  It's just too racist.  

Two of the 4 dancers left are minorities, so how is that racist?  Slavic should be the guy going home, not Darius or JJ. Genessy should have been the girl dancer to go. In a perfect world, the four remaining should be Hannahlei, Jensen, Darius and JJ.

Edited August 28, 2018 by BeeBop88

[vdw84]

44 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Um.. er.. uh.. wuh.. ...travesty. 

I fucking knew Nigel would allow Darius to shine this week ...when it didn't matter, cuz he made sure last week that Darius would be eliminated. I guess congrats to the judges for getting their bland Bieber through. Then they beat the shit out of him tonight so they didn't look too ridiculous for propping him and so the golden girl can win. I mean, really Nigel, you wait until it will do ZERO good to announce Darius is your favorite dancer this season. How can you look at your self in the mirror, Mr. Dizzyfeet? 

Oh, and did you know Slav is already good buddies with Fikshun? Shocker. 

Nigel is lying. I don't believe for one second Darius was his favorite dancer, then if he was, then why do u choose to tell him when it doesnt even matter anymore. I just think he was trying to save face again. I cant take anything that man say seriously because I just do not trust him. The way he is so manipulative in swaying voters and stuff, I can never take him seriously.

That Travis Wall piece Darius did, was byfar the best dance of the season. I don't know if another dance will be able to top it. That dance alone should have won the whole damn thing for Darius.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

All star dances:

Genessy & Lex - contemporary (Mandy Korpinen & Elizabeth Petrin)

Jensen & Kiki - cha cha (Elvis Crespo)

Hannahlei & Marko - contemporary (Robert Roldan)

Slavik & Jaja - hip hop (Comfort Fedoke)

Darius & Taylor - contemporary (Travis Wall)

Jay Jay & Lauren - jazz (Mandy Moore)

[vdw84]

Im confused, so u mean to tell me they have been eliminated boy and girl in previous eliminations but tonight of all nights they decide to switch it up, nah, something is fishy about this. I bet it was Genessy going home for the girls but the show do not want to breakup the annoying showmance.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Not a fan of the opening number. 

I guess we'll be getting Arnold sister #3 stuffed down our throats in a couple years if SYTYCD is still around then. 

Kiki still doesn't impress me. 

The Taylor/Darius piece actually got me a little teary-eyed. It's been awhile since I got teary-eyed over a SYTYCD routine. And I even watched it more than once. That's saying a lot for me. Darius is such a strong dancer. There's no other male dancer in recent seasons that I can think of who could pull off the maturity and artistry that was required in that dance.

I felt like Jensen should have been able to shake her hips more in the Tahitian dance. Maybe I was just slightly unimpressed because I've seen actual Tahitian dancers perform and they make it look so impressive yet effortless. 

Slavik is so thoroughly unimpressive to me compared to any of the other dancers. Who's voting for him? Little teenyboppers who think Bieber's taken up dancing? 

I don't think I said unimpressed/impressed/impressive enough.

The camerawork this season is really annoying! I keep yelling at my TV to zoom out or zoom in, or stop focusing on one dancer for so long or pan more to the left or right or just you know, stop sucking.

Edited August 28, 2018 by MVFrostsMyPie

[vdw84]

2 hours ago, Brookside said:

Loved the shade thrown by Cat (to the Emmy jidges) and Nigel (to Fox).

I missed it what Did Cat say?

[Brookside]

When Darius (I think) leapfrogged (frogleapt?) over her head, she said something to the effect of "Maybe that'll get me an Emmy."

[crossover]

3 hours ago, BeeBop88 said:

Two of the 4 dancers left are minorities, so how is that racist? 

 

Racist against African Americans; not minority as a whole.  The voters normally supports the AA male hip hop dancer who's really versatile but that's about it.  They probably would support the AA female versatile hip hop dancer but there hasn't been any.  But, Jasmine and Sasha were probably helped because they were good at hip hop.  It wouldn't be so obvious except they are usually the best for the season or close. 

AAs should enter the contest to win but they need to be realistic.  I mean Brandon, S5, checked all the boxes.  But in the end, the viewers voted for Jeanine because of solos?  Brandon solos were just as good or better.  I think the voters expected Brandon to be good but were surprised by Jeanine.  For the tour, she had to have her routines with Brandon and get other routines reworked.  That's how unmemorable her performances were, except for Travis' first contemporary (which I really didn't prefer) and her hip hop that she performed with a hip hop specialist.  BTW, she was a minority (Hispanic).  But the voters couldn't bring themselves to reward Brandon, an AA male non-hip hop dancer, for his stellar performances.

I was surprised by the change.  Had I known, I would've picked JayJay instead of Genessy.  I felt neither JayJay nor Darius would win.  I just knew one would have to be in the F4 and that Darius would probably be the one to go (2 males, 2 females).

I knew the show was pushing Jensen but I didn't think they wanted her to win.  I just thought they wanted her and Slavik for viewership purposes.  Hannahlei has no stage presence so I'd be surprised if she wins.  Genessy's popularity is tied to Slavik.  This is the end so don't see her winning.  Slavik is the show's roadblock.  They've created a monster even worse than what they did with Kiki.  Will throwing him under the bus have time to affect the voters?  If they wanted a ballroom winner, why didn't they push Cole down our throats?

ETA:  We'll also see if there's enough time for Hannahlei.  They decided to push her really hard this time.

Edited August 28, 2018 by crossover

[jasonm240]

Jensen and Hannalie are the hot chicks, hence they made it to the finals, plus they have promoted that the whole time. Both can legit dance but have their downfalls. The guys are a mess this year. Slavik has been the most progressive dancer of the guys. Darius and JJ haven't progressed at all. They haven't done well in any style other than their own. This show has peaked and is no longer worth watching, plain and simple!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Tahitian is like tap in that you can't learn the style in a week and do it justice. While part of me feels like I should be glad that the show tried to branch out and do a new style (and give us a break from the endless flailing contemporary numbers), it's definitely not a style that can be mastered quickly. If you just watch Jensen, it's obvious that she was faking her way through some of it, particularly anything to do with her hips. My mom has been a Tahitian dancer for years though, so maybe it's just really obvious to my eyes.

On the plus side, I like that the show let some more SYTYCD alumni choreograph! Did the show realize, "Oh, shit, we haven't had the all stars do much this season! Maybe we can keep a few of them busy by having them choreograph some stuff for us this week?"

Edited August 28, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[vdw84]

1 hour ago, jasonm240 said:

Jensen and Hannalie are the hot chicks, hence they made it to the finals, plus they have promoted that the whole time. Both can legit dance but have their downfalls. The guys are a mess this year. Slavik has been the most progressive dancer of the guys. Darius and JJ haven't progressed at all. They haven't done well in any style other than their own. This show has peaked and is no longer worth watching, plain and simple!

Genessy looks better than both Jensen and Hannalie and this is coming from someone who isnt a fan of hers but Jensen and Hannalie look awful without makeup. In their rehearsals, they look a hotmess but genessy doesnt. What show have u been watching, Darious and JJ have executed every style given to them, so I have no idea where this they can only do their own style is coming from.

[crossover]

20 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Tahitian is like tap in that you can't learn the style in a week and do it justice. While part of me feels like I should be glad that the show tried to branch out and do a new style (and give us a break from the endless flailing contemporary numbers), it's definitely not a style that can be mastered quickly. If you just watch Jensen, it's obvious that she was faking her way through some of it, particularly anything to do with her hips. My mom has been a Tahitian dancer for years though, so maybe it's just really obvious to my eyes.

Yep, I think you were analyzing this with a seasoned Tahitian dancer in mind.  I thought they did great considering they don't do the style and had so many other dances to learn.  Just like  I don't  expect  nonSalsa dancers to perform a fast (by Salsa standards) routine, I didn't expect "the hips don't lie" in the Tahitian.  I was surprised that both did so well.

[displayname]

Can we please just crown LoFro again?

I have never had this much of problem with not watching the all star, I think. Marko and Hannahlei were the most well-matched, but that routine is as bland as I find Robert Roldan himself.

Whoops, forgot Taylor was there, too. Says it all, really.

Edited August 28, 2018 by displayname

[Kayce]

Well, after seeing JJ AND Darius sent home....I'm done with this season.  I'm not watching another episode.  I don't understand the Jensen love and I sure don't understand the Slavik love...Oh well...maybe next season.  

Edited August 28, 2018 by Kayce

[Haleth]

As usual I only saw the first hour but I am shocked to the core that Darius and JayJay were eliminated.  As others have said, Darius was far superior to anyone else on the show and I thought JayJay was terrific too.  I could have accepted his win.  But it seems like the show is pushing for Slavik as the underdog winner and I absolutely hate that.  I don't think I'll bother watching the rest.

Darius's Travis Wall dance was breathtaking.  I haven't been that moved by a routine in years.

Edited August 28, 2018 by Haleth

[LucidDreamer]

Like others, shocked that both Darius and JayJay were sent home.  I guess the blatant bus-chucking of Darius last week did him in. (He is a beautiful dancer and I hope some really good company scoops him up. JayJay needs to head to Broadway, where his jazz skills will be appreciated properly).

I like Hannalei and Genessy well enough, and yes, Jensen is adequate in whatever they throw at her. But she's NOT outstanding or memorable, yet I've had the feeling all season that she was the Chosen One. But with 3 girls in the final four to split the vote, it looks like Slavik might take it all. I don't dislike Slavik but he is definitely NOT on the same skill level as the two guys eliminated last night. And the judges were driving the granddaddy of all buses over him too, so while he might win, I still think the judges/producers are pushing for Jensen. 

Interesting that Nigel made a very pointed remark, saying this show was for "favorite dancer," not "best." Which it is, of course. But I think that was to hedge their bets because for some reason Slavik is running away with the votes. (Oh, what am I saying? Of course he is! He's young and white and "cute-ish." Blergh.)

[Whimsy]

8 hours ago, hula-la said:

And, as my user name implies, I understand Tahitian dance. They weren’t horrible, but they weren’t great. I guess I should be happy to see Tahitian on tv, but not in this way. 

 

5 hours ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

I felt like Jensen should have been able to shake her hips more in the Tahitian dance. Maybe I was just slightly unimpressed because I've seen actual Tahitian dancers perform and they make it look so impressive yet effortless. 

I was comparing that dance to the Luau we recently saw and this was.... not good.  I mean, I guess they did well enough for never having done but that doesn't mean it was good in any way. 

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Tahitian is like tap in that you can't learn the style in a week and do it justice. While part of me feels like I should be glad that the show tried to branch out and do a new style (and give us a break from the endless flailing contemporary numbers), it's definitely not a style that can be mastered quickly. If you just watch Jensen, it's obvious that she was faking her way through some of it, particularly anything to do with her hips. My mom has been a Tahitian dancer for years though, so maybe it's just really obvious to my eyes.

That's really cool!

[Keekski]

I thought Travis's routine was an amazing slap in the face to Nigel for being a complete asshole to Laganja Estranja, (Jay Jackson), earlier this season. 

[Tikichick]

8 hours ago, hula-la said:

Mr. Hula-la, after watching Darius, stated that it’s not fair that he’s on the show, as he’s clearly miles above the other male contestants. I agree with him. Darius—you were too good for this show and you will be missed. 

And, as my user name implies, I understand Tahitian dance. They weren’t horrible, but they weren’t great. I guess I should be happy to see Tahitian on tv, but not in this way. 

After the other couples had salsa and Argentine my daughter said, oh, I get it, they had to come up with something different for Jensen since they were passing out difficult ballroom.

[Tikichick]

5 hours ago, crossover said:

Racist against African Americans; not minority as a whole.  The voters normally supports the AA male hip hop dancer who's really versatile but that's about it.  They probably would support the AA female versatile hip hop dancer but there hasn't been any.  But, Jasmine and Sasha were probably helped because they were good at hip hop.  It wouldn't be so obvious except they are usually the best for the season or close. 

AAs should enter the contest to win but they need to be realistic.  I mean Brandon, S5, checked all the boxes.  But in the end, the viewers voted for Jeanine because of solos?  Brandon solos were just as good or better.  I think the voters expected Brandon to be good but were surprised by Jeanine.  For the tour, she had to have her routines with Brandon and get other routines reworked.  That's how unmemorable her performances were, except for Travis' first contemporary (which I really didn't prefer) and her hip hop that she performed with a hip hop specialist.  BTW, she was a minority (Hispanic).  But the voters couldn't bring themselves to reward Brandon, an AA male non-hip hop dancer, for his stellar performances.

I was surprised by the change.  Had I known, I would've picked JayJay instead of Genessy.  I felt neither JayJay nor Darius would win.  I just knew one would have to be in the F4 and that Darius would probably be the one to go (2 males, 2 females).

I knew the show was pushing Jensen but I didn't think they wanted her to win.  I just thought they wanted her and Slavik for viewership purposes.  Hannahlei has no stage presence so I'd be surprised if she wins.  Genessy's popularity is tied to Slavik.  This is the end so don't see her winning.  Slavik is the show's roadblock.  They've created a monster even worse than what they did with Kiki.  Will throwing him under the bus have time to affect the voters?  If they wanted a ballroom winner, why didn't they push Cole down our throats?

ETA:  We'll also see if there's enough time for Hannahlei.  They decided to push her really hard this time.

Racist against African Americans unless they are male hip hop dancers?  Wonder if Sabra Johnson, Joshua Allen feel that way?  Maybe Jasmine Harper, Will Wingfield or Danny Tidwell might weigh in?

This show has always been one of the most diverse.  Frankly the way they were handling things in audition and academy this year I felt like they were on a mission looking specifically to cast because of diversity as a primary goal, something I did not ever feel in the past seasons.

 

I honestly found myself watching through tears through a large portion of last night's show.  It seemed there was such writing on the wall that the feeling is the show will not be back.  They've never put hair and makeup folks on camera before, I believe they have to pay them extra simply for being seen.  Suddenly bringing back All Stars and allowing them a choreography shot (well deserved IMO).  Suddenly Mia was lured back?  The whole atmosphere and attitude surrounding Jay Jay leapfrogging over Cat with all of the people associate with the show seeming so extremely hyped.  I think I'm watching my last few moments with my long-term special summertime pal and I could not believe the emotions that bubbled up.  I get frustrated with the show, but I would miss it terribly.       

[LadyMustang65]

Did not see that coming.  I thought for sure Slavik was going home.  I don't ever remember having a finale where there were not 2 girls and 2 boys.  But my memory has been known to be faulty on occasion.  Does anyone else remember having a season like this?  In the end I have kind of mixed feelings about what happened.  On the one hand, I recognize that both Darius and JayJay are better dancers than Slavik and feel as though both deserved to be in the finale based on their dancing.  On the other hand, neither one ever really connected with either me or my husband.  It wasn't that we disliked them; we just tended to forget they were there if they weren't actually dancing.  I don't really know what it was, but it certainly wasn't because they were AA or gay.  Slavik has been growing on us over the season.  He's not the best dancer, but he seems to try really hard, and it's obvious he hasn't had the training the others have had.  So I could see people voting to reward his effort and willingness to throw himself into everything?  And honestly one of the most memorable scenes of the season for me anyway was when they showed Gennessy backstage overwhelmed and Slavik there for her calming her down and getting her ready to go out and perform.  I admit he got a lot of votes from me for that alone.  Definitely not the best dancer, but I could see him being people's favorite.  

Anyway, we are both still on the Hannahlei train.  She has been our favorite since the Academy, and nothing we have seen has changed that.  We love to watch her dance and just really like the way she moves.  Hoping for a win for her.

[Snow Fairy]

Season 12 had finale of 3 girls, one boy (Gaby, Jaja, Virgil and Hailee). Thanks wikipedia...

[Koalagirl]

Travis Wall himself looked emotionally shattered after Darius danced.  It was beyond beautifully done and should be counted as one of the show's iconic dances in the future.  I also feel like they're pushing for Jensen to win so that she can eventually join DWTS and have a sister against sister competition.

[displayname]

8 hours ago, crossover said:

AAs should enter the contest to win but they need to be realistic.  I mean Brandon, S5, checked all the boxes.  But in the end, the viewers voted for Jeanine because of solos?  Brandon solos were just as good or better.  I think the voters expected Brandon to be good but were surprised by Jeanine.  For the tour, she had to have her routines with Brandon and get other routines reworked.  That's how unmemorable her performances were, except for Travis' first contemporary (which I really didn't prefer) and her hip hop that she performed with a hip hop specialist.  BTW, she was a minority (Hispanic).  But the voters couldn't bring themselves to reward Brandon, an AA male non-hip hop dancer, for his stellar performances.

 

Just... what even.

Also, several believe that Jeanine won Season 5 due to her final solo, which was far better than the one Brandon put forward that night. There were SEVERAL who considered Jeanine the (far) better soloist in general. She had a killer final night, and the votes, believe it or not, were based on the final night's performances. Brandon might have had more momentum than Jeanine before that (or not), but Jeanine definitely had the better finals night.

I appreciate that the US still has issues with racism, but this makes absolutely no sense.

Edited August 28, 2018 by displayname

[crowceilidh]

Quote

Interesting that Nigel made a very pointed remark, saying this show was for "favorite dancer," not "best." Which it is, of course. But I think that was to hedge their bets because for some reason Slavik is running away with the votes.

I'm pretty sure that Nigel has made a point of saying this every single season except maybe s1 (although even then, maybe).  There's always someone running away with the votes who objectively is not perhaps deserving IIRC.

[vdw84]

19 minutes ago, Koalagirl said:

Travis Wall himself looked emotionally shattered after Darius danced.  It was beyond beautifully done and should be counted as one of the show's iconic dances in the future.  I also feel like they're pushing for Jensen to win so that she can eventually join DWTS and have a sister against sister competition.

Travis Wall was hurt over their elimination. He basically called out the judges for turning this show into something other than dance. I believe he commenting on the genessy and slavic showmance craze the judges were on. I mean I have never known the judges to go crazy shipping on sytycd until this season. I get that slavic and genessy have chemistry but they should have left it as that and stopped with the romance crap because its teenyboppers watch this show and will fall all over that. Someone like Darius and JayJay who clearly are not going to have a showmance with their partners have depend  on their talent alone which this season is hard when u have so much gushing from the judges on romance and couples.

[bourbon]

If I want to watch highly-skilled dancers excel in styles they're trained in, there are other shows I can watch. That's not why I watch this show. I want to see dancers grow, try new things, and exceed their and our expectations. Darius and Jay Jay (and countless other contempo dancers who've been eliminated before you might expect on this show) were technically brilliant but left me somewhat cold. Would I pay to see them in a production somewhere? Sure. Would I pay to see Slavic do Prokofiev? Probably not. But that's not why I watch this show.

Rooting for Slavic. I was sorry Darius and Jay Jay had to go on the same night. This show has always embraced people of color, but the optics of two AA men getting the boot on the same night was not good. 

[displayname]

16 minutes ago, vdw84 said:

I mean I have never known the judges to go crazy shipping on sytycd until this season.

The judges did last season, I think, with Taylor and Lex.

And shomances aside, I am fairly sure they still made Cat do the shipping crap with Kent And Lauren F, Jeanine and Jason, etc. These are definitely endorsed by the producers, so it's nothing new.

[Tikichick]

With the way last night played out I was fully expecting Slavik was leaving, as it seemed he was also.  It left a bad taste in my mouth for him to be the only one the entire evening receiving pointed critique.  That just looks bad to watch.  There was more than ample fodder for Mary to critique regarding the ballroom which she ignored, yet had no problem taking a few shots at Slavik in all of his numbers.  Thinking about it more I think Twitch was simply being true to himself and genuinely holding a line out to Slavik to provide him a direction to genuinely compete next week.  I can't be mad at Twitch for that -- although I'd have a hard time being mad at Twitch about anything tbh.  He is one of the brightest lights to come out of the show for me.

Slavik is by no means the best dancer.  Slavik would have no problem copping to that.  What has impressed me most is his work ethic and no excuses or complaints.  That goes a long way with me.  Do I think he deserves to win, no. 

I was crushed to see Jay Jay leave.  He was another with a fantastic attitude who simply exudes "it" the minute you see him and that sweet smile.  (In full disclosure, I know several people who know him and have danced with him as recently as weeks before auditions.  Apparently he is exactly what we saw, a kind and warm person.)  Lifts seemed to be his Achilles heel.

I was impressed with Darius at auditions and frustrated how they hid him from us during academy.  He frankly didn't live up to my hopes and I wasn't devastated to see him leave.  I honestly can't tell if he's a nice guy or not.  I never saw any indication he's anything less than a nice guy, but frankly as a viewer he didn't ever offer up any real insight into himself in his dance beyond wanting to be out under his own terms.  I understood that at audition where he impressed me.  I was expecting many, many more layers and honestly much more in his dancing. 

[LadyMustang65]

56 minutes ago, Snow Fairy said:

Season 12 had finale of 3 girls, one boy (Gaby, Jaja, Virgil and Hailee). Thanks wikipedia...

Wow.  That recently, and I already forgot it?  That surprises me because we really liked both Gaby and Jaja.  You'd think that would have stuck in my memory.  <lol>  Thanks for looking that up!