SYTYCD in the Media

[DEL901]

Apparently the live shows start airing June 15th, so they don’t have long to name a replacement.  

[realdancemom]

4 hours ago, Lovecat said:

I hope so, because otherwise there's going to be undue scrutiny of every single female contestant's interactions with him.  We know how people are; there's going to be a lot of "Is it her?  Is it her?  Oh, I bet it's that one..." I suppose it's naive to hope that the identity of the contestant isn't revealed, but if it is, I do hope that in this post-Me Too world she is treated with dignity and commended for doing the right thing.  HE's the one who did something wrong and got himself fired; SHE should not be put under a microscope as a result.  

Yes, the female contestant could just be friendly and could even be a little flirty when she's in front of the judges.  She's still not doing anything wrong.

I also didn't know that MM was married.  I guess when somebody said it was a minor infraction, they meant that sex wasn't involved.  To me, minor means that he gave extra tips to somebody that was in musical theater when he shouldn't have.  Not that he sent flirty messages.

[DEL901]

24 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

Yes, the female contestant could just be friendly and could even be a little flirty when she's in front of the judges.  She's still not doing anything wrong.

I also didn't know that MM was married.  I guess when somebody said it was a minor infraction, they meant that sex wasn't involved.  To me, minor means that he gave extra tips to somebody that was in musical theater when he shouldn't have.  Not that he sent flirty messages.

One of the articles said flirty texts with sexual innuendo.    And I also didn’t know he was married…with 2 kids.  

[realdancemom]

47 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

One of the articles said flirty texts with sexual innuendo.    And I also didn’t know he was married…with 2 kids.  

Just so wrong and not minor!!

[Koalagirl]

https://www.tmz.com/2022/06/02/matthew-morrison-sytycd-defend-text-message-contestant/

[DEL901]

He claims the message was about connecting over a choreographer they both like to try and get them a job on the show… but that isn’t how the message reads to me…

He claims he didn’t know he couldn’t contact a contestant.   And the words he used were so vague…seems to imply special help, …no wonder she reported him. She probably didn’t want to get kicked off the show. 

Edited June 2, 2022 by DEL901

[Pink ranger]

 But the message going around social media are claims that he was blatantly flirtly and engaging in sexual harassment. On face value that DM is clearly not either. It does break  no contact rules in a competition context but I think it wrong to #metoo him purely on the basis of the banal content of that message. 

[DEL901]

28 minutes ago, Pink ranger said:

 But the message going around social media are claims that he was blatantly flirtly and engaging in sexual harassment. On face value that DM is clearly not either. It does break  no contact rules in a competition context but I think it wrong to #metoo him purely on the basis of the banal content of that message. 

He asked a contestant for her phone number while the competition is in progress. I think that breaks the rules.  And he also typed that he would like To ”talk you through some things” which doesn’t match with his explanation that he wanted to talk to her about a choreographer.  The only “things” that she knew they had in common was the competition and she knew that she could get kicked out for fraternizing.  

[Pink ranger]

2 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

He asked a contestant for her phone number while the competition is in progress. I think that breaks the rules.  And he also typed that he would like To ”talk you through some things” which doesn’t match with his explanation that he wanted to talk to her about a choreographer.  The only “things” that she knew they had in common was the competition and she knew that she could get kicked out for fraternizing.  

None of that is sexual harassment, which is what People magazine claims is what he was fired for and went viral, and is a terrible thing for mainstream media  to put out there if not true. 

[DanaK]

11 minutes ago, Pink ranger said:

None of that is sexual harassment, which is what People magazine claims is what he was fired for and went viral, and is a terrible thing for mainstream media  to put out there if not true. 

He shared one message, but People Mag said there were several messages so he seems to be trying to make it look as innocent as possible, though US Mag said it was a minor infraction. Also, People didn’t say it was sexual harassment, just that the contact was inappropriate and made the contestant uncomfortable. That one message he shared certainly doesn’t make him look good

[DEL901]

31 minutes ago, Pink ranger said:

None of that is sexual harassment, which is what People magazine claims is what he was fired for and went viral, and is a terrible thing for mainstream media  to put out there if not true. 

I didn’t say it was.  I said the one message he shared was inappropriate as he asked a contestant for her number and that the message didn’t match up to the justification he provided.  

[LexieLily]

He DM'ed a female contestant after midnight, first of all. 

Quote

"The end," he continued. "I sent this because this dancer and I both share a mutual respect for a choreographer that I've known for over 20 years and I was trying to help her get a job as a choreographer on the show."

I've read this multiple times and I'm not sure whether MM is saying he wanted to get the female contestant a job as a choreographer on SYTYCD (which, what?) or he was telling her/bragging to her that he could get this female contestant's favorite choreographer a job on the show, to impress her, I guess? Neither of which sound on the up and up.

[Haleth]

It was just stupid of him to think he could contact a contestant for any reason.  Common sense tells you there should be zero communication between judges and contestants.  He did himself no favors by fighting back and releasing the message; it is obviously inappropriate.  He would have been better off admitting he making a mistake, apologizing for breaking a rule, and leaving it at that.

[Pink ranger]

About the fact that he sent the message after midnight- What time where they filming until that day? It’s very common for tv shows to film into the early morning hours. He could very well have sent the message on set between camera set ups. The timing doesn’t have to mean it was a booty call lol.

Also he responded because the media was claiming that he was “ flirting” in his texts. Even if you want  to ascribe ulterior motives, the message itself , the only message he claimed , was clean.

Edited June 4, 2022 by Pink ranger

[DEL901]

1) He sent the text after midnight.  This isn’t a regular tv show with 12 hour shooting days, so it is unlikely done while the6 were filming.  Odd, but not in and off itself damming good   

2). How did he know how to contact her?  Did he search her out on social media?

3). The first thing he typed was a request for her p phone number. 

4)  Then se said he wanted to “walk her through something “.   His explanation was 5hat he wanted to talk to her about getting the show to hire a choreographer they both admire, but a) no where in the message did he mention the choreographer b) “walk her through something” … if I were her, I’d interpret it as being about my own dancing which would be an inappropriate offer  c) why on earth would he think a contestant an input into hiring decisions?

5)  Anyone judging any sort of competition knows better than to have contact with a competitor until it is over.

6) Add in their ages…he is 43, and she can be no older than 30 as per the rules but as we have seen, more likely in her early 20s, his 2 kids with the wife, his odd relationship with JoJo who was 18 when things were filmed….  Based on the preponderance of evidence (much of it circumstantial), I don’t believe his explanation.    And even if it was 100% innocent, he deserved to be fired for being a dumbass.     

[Pink ranger]

Morrison admitted in his official statement with US that he broke production protocol which is why he is leaving the show. He also apologised to all involved.

https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/matthew-morrison-exits-so-you-think-you-can-dance/

People magazines article headline a few days later was

” Matthew Morrison fired from SYTYCD for “flirty” messages that made a contestant “uncomfortable”

https://people.com/tv/matthew-morrison-fired-from-sytycd-flirty-messages-with-contestant-source/?amp=true

If the message that he read out on instagram was truly the only message he sent as claimed then he wasn’t being flirty and people was defamatory.

I don’t think that he made that video to argue that he shouldn’t be fired since he already admitted wrong doing to US. He wanted to clear his name as being a sexual predator which People clearly asserted in their headline.  His wife’s social media was being spammed with messages to divorce him and his is a bad influence on their kids, that’s vile and he deserves the right to defend him self from it.

[Fostersmom]

On 6/4/2022 at 7:27 AM, Haleth said:

It was just stupid of him to think he could contact a contestant for any reason.  Common sense tells you there should be zero communication between judges and contestants.  He did himself no favors by fighting back and releasing the message; it is obviously inappropriate.  He would have been better off admitting he making a mistake, apologizing for breaking a rule, and leaving it at that.

His explanation is even more convoluted. He has known a choreographer for 20 years, knows a contestant admires said choreographer, wants to get choreographer a job on the show, so he wants to talk to the contestant dancer about it. What? That makes NO sense at all. I also take issue with the fact he reads one message that has NOTHING to do with his explanation and  acts like the contestant staying anonymous is somehow NOT okay. 

[Pink ranger]

He was probably referring to the people magazines “source” being anonymous, not the contestant since he respected her privacy too. He could have just said the name of the her out loud  or shown the screenshot of the message with her name on it.

Also couple of dance show alumni that he has worked with “ liked” his post including Cat Deeley. They understand how those shows work so believe his explanation.

Edited June 5, 2022 by Pink ranger

[PBnJay]

On 6/4/2022 at 10:28 AM, DEL901 said:

 And even if it was 100% innocent, he deserved to be fired for being a dumbass.

This completely sums up my thoughts about it. No more needs to be said.

[Picture It. Sicily]

5 hours ago, Pink ranger said:

He was probably referring to the people magazines “source” being anonymous, not the contestant since he respected her privacy too. He could have just said the name of the her out loud  or shown the screenshot of the message with her name on it.

Also couple of dance show alumni that he has worked with “ liked” his post including Cat Deeley. They understand how those shows work so believe his explanation.

Sorry, but his explanation stinks to high heaven.

[realdancemom]

20 hours ago, PBnJay said:

This completely sums up my thoughts about it. No more needs to be said.

That quote made me laugh and I agree.

[Darian]

I'm never been especially moved by other people liking someone's defense, because, hell, there were people, some women, who worked with Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby who staunchly defended them. 

He was inappropriate. He is having to face consequences, but he'll be fine. Now, maybe this is from dealing with healthcare insurers and my corrupt mayor and his minions, but when they want to move a conversation from text or email to phone calls, it's because they don't want a paper trail. And I'm 60, so I come from a time when people talked on the phone (I just prefer texting and email now). Feels hinky to me. 

[displayname]

Why isn't there any news yet about his replacement?

[DEL901]

39 minutes ago, displayname said:

Why isn't there any news yet about his replacement?

They have to have some by next weeks show.   Im guessing the announcement will come soon after tonight’s episode airs.  They won’t  announce before because this last episode will have MM and they won’t want distractions. 

[peachmangosteen]

I feel like it'll just be Nigel. He's still involved with the show as EP, right? If so, he'd be easy for them to get back on such short notice.

Do we know how many episodes of live shows there are this season?

[WildFlower87]

[DEL901]

Seriously?   What does she bring to the table?

[hiisa]

I mean....I adore Leah. I think she's a hoot and a half but ...does she dance? They couldn't have found a choreographer who used to work for the show or another winner like tWitch?  As much as I love Leah if given a solid 5 hours to think up things about her I'm not sure dance would ever find it's way on the list. I hope this doesn't effect People Puzzler. I freaking love that show. 

[Haleth]

That is disappointing. You’d think they’d tap (heh, pun) someone who, you know, dances.

[DEL901]

2 hours ago, hiisa said:

I mean....I adore Leah. I think she's a hoot and a half but ...does she dance? They couldn't have found a choreographer who used to work for the show or another winner like tWitch?  As much as I love Leah if given a solid 5 hours to think up things about her I'm not sure dance would ever find it's way on the list. I hope this doesn't effect People Puzzler. I freaking love that show. 

In this People article, she says she’s a great “admirer of dancers”.   Yeah, she’s got qualifications.

https://people.com/tv/leah-remini-replaces-matthew-morrison-so-you-think-you-can-dance-judge/

[nx74defiant]

Leah Remini? Her only dance experience is being on "Dancing with the Stars"

JoJo Siwa is young, but she has been involved with dancing almost her entire life.

[hiisa]

36 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

In this People article, she says she’s a great “admirer of dancers”.   Yeah, she’s got qualifications.

Im a great admirer of dancers as well! That doesn't mean diddly squat!  What does that even mean?! In my it means I can point at someone that we know is a great dancers and say hey! That's a great dancer! I can also point at someone who is it a great dancer and say I can't do that! You must be a great dancer! 

[Darian]

I mean, I admire the hell out of Leah Remini for her work related to Scientology (I name check her cheerily on the rare occasion someone in the organization tries to hand me a pamphlet), but we're now going to have even LESS knowledge of technique? I was never going to have a career as a dancer (well, maybe I could have been in some local productions) but I studied dance, and I used to love pointing out something technical to my husband that later, a judge who knew dance would echo and I'd feel all "eeee, I still know some stuff" but now there will be little of that. I mean, tWitch will never disappoint with the areas he knows, and JoJo does have some cred but the dancer and dance fan in me used to love this show. I better shut down the dancer brain if I can watch the rest of whatever this is now. 

[LexieLily]

There wasn't any (other) SYTYCD alum that they could've found? Really?

[DEL901]

I wasn’t impressed by MM as the third judge, but at least he’s been on Broadway and judged another dance show in England….although I didn’t like him, in the last episode, correcting tWitch in what to look for in a top 12 contestant.    

LR is a good actress and human being, but other than one season of DWTS……seriously? I get it is short notice, but there have been 12+ previous seasons…surely someone…

[Melonie77]

What a disappointment in the choice of replacement judge. Wasn't there anyone available from the dance world? And why couldn't Nigel or Mary come back?

[MsTree]

Was Maddie Zeigler too busy?  Even Twitch's wife, Allison, would have been a better choice having dance experience.

[realdancemom]

Same sentiment as everyone else. People questioned MM's experience but at least he did musicals on Broadway.  Leah did a season on DWTS.  I wouldn't put her in the bottom tier of people who couldn't dance at all but she would be in my low/medium level of ranking.

I see Leah more as a funny host to use in an emergency like when she did that on DWTS.  Plus JoJo's personality is already big and Leah is also that way.  Poor Twitch won't get much of a chance to talk.  He already had to sit through MM and JoJo's shenanigans.

They should have just asked Nigel.  Mandy Moore was there and she was a judge on DWTS Jr.  Or they have so many alumni to choose from.  This choice doesn't make sense at all.  I'm sure Leah cost more than getting an alumni.

[luvthepros]

12 hours ago, Melonie77 said:

What a disappointment in the choice of replacement judge. Wasn't there anyone available from the dance world? And why couldn't Nigel or Mary come back?

Agree. I made my comments about this new judge in the "Judges" thread on this forum. In a nutshell........I'm NOT happy.

[DanaK]

This blogger is claiming the season finale will be on July 20. I have little info to refute that, other than the Futon Critic saying September

[peachmangosteen]

Didn't Cat say next week would be Dancing Through the Decades? So that schedule is already wrong since it has next week as a repeat.

Still, July 20th would make sense for a finale based on how many are left.

[DanaK]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Didn't Cat say next week would be Dancing Through the Decades? So that schedule is already wrong since it has next week as a repeat.

Still, July 20th would make sense for a finale based on how many are left.

The Futon Critic also says July 6 is a repeat so who knows

[displayname]

On 6/30/2022 at 4:26 AM, DanaK said:

This blogger is claiming the season finale will be on July 20. I have little info to refute that, other than the Futon Critic saying September

How does the Futon Critic believe that they will drag it out to September?

[DanaK]

1 hour ago, displayname said:

How does the Futon Critic believe that they will drag it out to September?

It could just be placeholders until they get official information on when the season ends

[Pink ranger]

The finals have usually featured 4 contestants. At this stage of the competition there is 8. If the pre- taped shows continue to eliminate 2 a week then, taking into account that they are skipping this week, after July 20th there will be 4 remaining. I am going to make an educated guess and predict that there will be a live finale on July 27. That will either be a single episode or the results will be announced on August 3rd. 

[Mason]

10 hours ago, displayname said:

How does the Futon Critic believe that they will drag it out to September?

If you look at the summer/fall 2022 schedules, there are no premieres in August. FC might be speculating based on this. 

[DanaK]

This website is now saying the finale is August 10 and cited a journalist tweeting it. I’m sure someone will eventually get it right

[LexieLily]

Even the selection of All-Stars is meh.

[Mason]

12 hours ago, LexieLily said:

Even the selection of All-Stars is meh.

I won't go that far. I'm guessing they will be beyond sympathetic to what an after-thought this season has been for the contestants, so we might actually see some heartfelt partnerships.  

[luvthepros]

On 7/8/2022 at 2:14 AM, LexieLily said:

Even the selection of All-Stars is meh.

What am I missing? Who are the All-Stars?