S14.E02: Choreography Competition

[DragonFlyzz]

I’m still on Team Kat.  She definitely has to fix those kicks but she has a beautiful face and figure with a really vibrant personality. I can’t blame her that we see her every five minutes because that’s on the editors of the show not her.

 I’m also a big fan of Chandi’s. I think she’s absolutely adorable.

 I don’t think Malena’s performance in the semifinals merited her moving forward to the finals.  I’m not convinced Kristen should’ve advanced either.  If you’re coming back to re-audition after having made it to training camp you need to nail any issues you previously had.  

If you lacked power and punch (I’m looking at you Kristen) you need to come back and wow the judges and have all eyes on you (in a good way).  If you had memory issues (yes Malena I’m talking to you) you need to absolutely slay the choreography. I don’t think either of them proved that they had addressed the issues that got them cut.  I guess we’ll see how this plays out next week.

[Erinbridget]

I love Chandi, she’s stunning and she literally dances like a DCC already. 

[tinabee1967]

17 hours ago, pinkandsparkly13 said:

If there is a show next year, please put prelims and semi finals  into one episode again! I don't need a whole episode on prelims and one on semi finals. And find a way to make a two hour episode for final auditions. I think that's a lot of people's favorite anyway! We want to see more solos.

 

[DragonFlyzz]

17 hours ago, pinkandsparkly13 said:

If there is a show next year, please put prelims and semi finals  into one episode again! I don't need a whole episode on prelims and one on semi finals. And find a way to make a two hour episode for final auditions. I think that's a lot of people's favorite anyway! We want to see more solos.

Yes please.  Viewers have been asking for more solos for years.  I wish CMT would listen to us.

[Mardo2044]

1 hour ago, DragonFlyzz said:

I don’t think Malena’s performance in the semifinals merited her moving forward to the finals.  I’m not convinced Kristen should’ve advanced either.  If you’re coming back to re-audition after having made it to training camp you need to nail any issues you previously had.  

I agree. And Kristen looked soft not just in dance style but tone compared to last year.  I don't think I would have advanced both either.  The only thought is it seemed most had trouble with the combo this season. ?? 

[Mardo2044]

Well, Kat's kicks are tragic... not certain about that... I was so excited about her total package.  

Brit or something? who made finals I would be interested in seeing her dance.

One that pulled my attention was red dance outfit with white trim... I was like who is that?  I think it was Julia and I liked her from other episode.  Glad she made finals!

Meredith, I like her look I think she is a real stunner, and pretty dancer.  No one has to hear her voice on the field! I hope she does well, I always like a pretty face or two!

[MrsEVH]

1 minute ago, Mardo2044 said:

Well, Kat's kicks are tragic... not certain about that... I was so excited about her total package.  

Brit or something? who made finals I would be interested in seeing her dance.

One that pulled my attention was red dance outfit with white trim... I was like who is that?  I think it was Julia and I liked her from other episode.  Glad she made finals!

Meredith, I like her look I think she is a real stunner, and pretty dancer.  No one has to hear her voice on the field! I hope she does well, I always like a pretty face or two!

Bret whose a former San Francisco Gold Rush cheerleader.

[Mardo2044]

1 minute ago, MrsEVH said:

Bret whose a former San Francisco Gold Rush cheerleader.

Thanks! I liked what they showed of Bret but I think it was just maybe a conversation.  Maybe I can go back and look for the outfit to see her dance!

[Mardo2044]

No one has said anything about Ashley... in the pink?  I thought she was cute.  It is interesting which ones they highlight and don't.  It will be good to see them at finals and what they bring.

[MrsEVH]

9 minutes ago, Mardo2044 said:

No one has said anything about Ashley... in the pink?  I thought she was cute.  It is interesting which ones they highlight and don't.  It will be good to see them at finals and what they bring.

Her kicks were low.

[Omeletsmom]

16 hours ago, 123DCCWoooo said:

Definitely a boring episode, with overall boring candidates.  I'm going to repeat the same observation (because it happens EVERY. FRIGGIN. YEAR.)...PLEASE stop with the sob stories, CMT.  This is a pretty privileged bunch - just own it.

Seems like Yoshiko has quite the business of sending DCC plenty of candidates from Japan.  Being an animal lover, Yuko's comment about her cat was disheartening more than it was funny.

Unpopular opinion - I cringed through the entire veteran segment.  It felt like it was just another way for TPTB to showcase KaShara, even if they went through all the retiring ladies.

I think the cat thing has to do with strict animal importation regulations in Japan.  While one can take pets into Japan, it is a long and involved process and she might have just felt that it was easier to rehome the cat here.

18 hours ago, ATLGirl said:

My husband is adopted so I asked him about the Chandi issue and her being bullied. He pointed out that Chandi is a different race than her Mom and I hadn’t picked up on that initially. 

At the same time, I am really sick of the sob stories. They’re starting to sound more contrived every season. Amanda’s was the least believable to me. 

I just watched and she never said she was bullied for being adopted, just that she was bullied. I don't think the two were necessarily connected.

[go4luca]

1 hour ago, Mardo2044 said:

No one has said anything about Ashley... in the pink?

A bit bottom heavy and way too much bleach for me.

[lkxydhfinl ghsdv]

2 minutes ago, go4luca said:

A bit bottom heavy and way too much bleach for me.

....and makeup!

[Jerrydoo]

That new theme song is just plain stupid.

[go4luca]

21 minutes ago, Jerrydoo said:

That new theme song is just plain stupid.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner. ☝️

[DragonFlyzz]

5 hours ago, Mardo2044 said:

I agree. And Kristen looked soft not just in dance style but tone compared to last year.  I don't think I would have advanced both either.  The only thought is it seemed most had trouble with the combo this season. ?? 

Judy mentioned that the piece was really fast and missing just half a beat would completely throw you off and you might not be able to recover.  

That being said some, like Chandi, nailed it.  Given the amount of time Kristen and Malena spent in training camp they should be held to a higher standard. If they re-audition they should be standouts or they shouldn’t get another shot.  Since the number of spots in training camp is limited give some newbies a chance.

Edited August 11, 2019 by DragonFlyzz

[Christineelgene]

48 minutes ago, DragonFlyzz said:

Judy mentioned that the piece was really fast and missing just half a beat would completely throw you off and you might not be able to recover.  

That being said some, like Chandi, nailed it.  Given the amount of time Kristen and Malena spent in training camp they should be held to a higher standard. If they re-audition they should be standouts or they shouldn’t get another shot.  Since the number of spots in training camp is limited give some newbies a chance.

What little i saw of Kelcey, she also nailed it.  I wish they had shown more of her.  Hopefully next week.

[Dnst1973]

After a second viewing, I noticed a lot more.

Kristen, Malena and Gina flubbed the choreography. I don’t think they should have advanced. Kelli said there should be growth with Malena. Kristen and Malena did not grow from what we were shown.

Stamina wow 😲- some of the girls looked like they’d cheered a whole game and that choreo and kick line was just the tip of the iceberg. Malena looked sweaty and exhausted as did many others.

Low kicks galore. Over all, I’ve seen a lot weak rookies. 

The back stories are getting more rehearsed and ridiculous. 

I’m incredibly disappointed 😞 so far. 

[CrazyMoon]

Anyone who was IN CAMP last season should come to auditions ready to set the dance floor on fire....Lily & Meredith were the only two who came close....

[scorpio1031]

22 minutes ago, Dnst1973 said:

Kristen, Malena and Gina flubbed the choreography. I don’t think they should have advanced. Kelli said there should be growth with Malena. Kristen and Malena did not grow from what we were shown

K&J have also said in the past, that if a girl messes up, they also take her recovery into account.  Do they stand there and look lost or do they smile and fake it.

[MrsEVH]

47 minutes ago, scorpio1031 said:

K&J have also said in the past, that if a girl messes up, they also take her recovery into account.  Do they stand there and look lost or do they smile and fake it.

I remember in season 4 Grace Sells fell doing the kickline but got up and kept going.

[NoChtngWhenEtng]

I thought Yuko said she was getting married? I took that to mean she was just visiting Japan in July and would return to her American boyfriend and ... cat. But maybe her fiancé is in Japan? I don’t know.

[CrazyMoon]

23 minutes ago, NoChtngWhenEtng said:

I thought Yuko said she was getting married? I took that to mean she was just visiting Japan in July and would return to her American boyfriend and ... cat. But maybe her fiancé is in Japan? I don’t know.

Yuko & Ryo have a page on "The Knot" with the wedding info (October 2019 in Hawaii)...no clue where they plan to live.

[ATLGirl]

On 8/10/2019 at 6:52 PM, Jessied84 said:

Yes! Not saying her brother passing isn't sad. But he was 3 years old when he passed and in the quick picture they showed of them together, she looked maybe 2-3 years older than him making her around 5 or 6 when he died? So how much could she really remember him? I guess enough to garner some tears for her back story for a show but it's become really tiresome. 

I grew up with a good friend who had a sister one year older than she is. Her sister drowned at 6 years of age (so my friend was 5 when her sister died). Even when we were teenagers she admitted she remembered a few details about her sister but not much because she was so young when she died. 

Exactly. Yes, it's very sad her little brother died but they were both little kids. Is he really her inspiration for dancing? I'm sorry but I have a tough time buying that.

It does it make me wonder if the producers tell them to come up with anything remotely sob story-esque so they'll get spotlighted. I mean, there are those girls like Megan C. and Melissa who had great dance backgrounds and didn't have some tragedy in their lives. It's okay to feature those ladies, their stories are just as compelling without all the drama (contrived or genuine).

[KatebytheSea]

I liked Kat. My take on her kicks, was it looked to me like she got off, and that's when they showed the low kick. Guess we'll see how she does next week.

Right now, the girls are a bit of a blur, but I'm so glad Miranda made it to finals, and I hope she makes it to TC.

Malena baffles me a bit. I think her personality is cute, but I keep getting distracted by her makeup. I thought it was bad last year in TC, and didn't get why it wasn't fixed. This year it looks the same. 😞

Victoria doesn't bug me as much this year, but that could be because they haven't been shoving her down our throats as much (yet). I think she looks a lot better.

Wasn't 30 the largest group of Veterans to re-audition…? Wasn't S7 the largest group? It was more than 29, if I remember correctly. Help me, anyone!

Edited August 12, 2019 by KatebytheSea

[scorpio1031]

27 minutes ago, KatebytheSea said:

Right now, the girls are a bit of a blur, but I'm so glad Miranda made it to finals, and I hope she makes it to TC.

Amanda??

27 minutes ago, KatebytheSea said:

Wasn't 30 the largest group of Veterans to re-audition…? Wasn't S7 the largest group? It was more than 29, if I remember correctly. Help me, anyone!

30 in season 9, 32 in season 8

[KatebytheSea]

2 hours ago, scorpio1031 said:

30 in season 9, 32 in season 8

That's what I thought!

So Kelli saying this year had the highest number of returning veterans was wrong. Don't they fact check? Though I suppose after so many seasons, it's hard to keep track. Maybe she meant returning Vets who had a chance of staying on the squad...?

2 hours ago, scorpio1031 said:

Amanda??

Isn't the girl who tried out last year, with the intense eyes and dark hair named Miranda? She's a great technical dancer. Darn it, I'm going to have to watch the episode again to double check her name. 

🙂

[scorpio1031]

5 minutes ago, KatebytheSea said:

That's what I thought!

So Kelli saying this year had the highest number of returning veterans was wrong. Don't they fact check? Though I suppose after so many seasons, it's hard to keep track. Maybe she meant returning Vets who had a chance of staying on the squad...?

Isn't the girl who tried out last year, with the intense eyes and dark hair named Miranda? She's a great technical dancer. Darn it, I'm going to have to watch the episode again to double check her name. 

🙂

Oh, Meredith:)

Are we talking the same Kelli who said 400 are trying out, when it was about 150 or so😂

[KatebytheSea]

4 hours ago, ATLGirl said:

It does it make me wonder if the producers tell them to come up with anything remotely sob story-esque so they'll get spotlighted. I mean, there are those girls like Megan C. and Melissa who had great dance backgrounds and didn't have some tragedy in their lives. It's okay to feature those ladies, their stories are just as compelling without all the drama (contrived or genuine).

I don't mind highlighting hardships the girls have overcome. But I agree that it would be great to add stories about girls who just worked really hard to get to this point. Why not highlight a girl who says she worked in the studio 3 hours a day, 5 days a week on her dancing, and all that work has paid off and she's now a DCC finalist. 

I admit the dyslexia story had me scratching my head. But then, up to 15% of kids have dyslexia, so maybe the producers thought this would resonant with viewers.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Part of me laughs during the audition episodes when we see all these girls showing up to the stadium and then doing things like curling their hair and applying their eyelashes. When I was a dancer/performer, I always showed up to every audition and performance ready to go. I was in the outfit I was going to wear, my hair and makeup were already done, etc. so I could dance as soon as I arrived. Even when I was given a call time that was two hours before curtain, I still showed up ready to go. I can't imagine hauling an entire suitcase full of stuff with me and then doing my hair and makeup after arriving.

Oh, lord. As soon as Judy started teaching the choreography on the field, I could see people who should be cut. All she said was, "You're going to hold an 8 and a 4 and walk 5-6-7-8," and already there were people who were behind, stomping clumsily, etc. One thing the girls need to remember is that the entire process is an audition which means they should NOT let their frustration show on their faces, even when they're still learning the routine. If you can't hide it now, chances are you won't be able to hide it when you're performing live at a game.

Chandi stood out during the dance. She clearly knows how to perform and have everything that extra little pop.

Alexandra was an average dancer but the larger problem was that she would drop her face and then suddenly remember oh crap, I'm supposed to be smiling so she would go from blank faced to an abrupt smile. I don't care how passionate you are about dancing if you aren't good at it. I don't think there's anything particularly courageous about auditioning multiple times. Maybe you should accept that you aren't good enough to make the team. I know that sounds harsh, but when you've auditioned fro the past five years and not made the team, what makes you think that you're significantly better now that you're five years older?

No surprise that Malena had trouble with the choreography. This was an issue all last year during training camp. She had an entire year to work on it and it's still a problem. If I were Kelli and Judy, I would have cut her. It just made me shake my head when Kelli said, "If someone is chasing the choreography and they're looking around and they can't get back on then I know they're lost, I know they're overwhelmed, and I know they're underqualified." If that's the case, then why did they keep Malena so long last year? Oh, right, because Kelli thinks she's pretty. Once again they were making excuses for her. It just annoys me when they see girls like Malena and Meredith make mistakes during auditions and then they make excuses and let them go through.

Gina admitted that she made mistakes during her audition and that she struggles with memorizing dances. Uh, that's kind of a big part of the job. On top of that, she wasn't just forgetting the choreography. Her pirouette was on the wrong side, as was the helicopter move over the head after it. Melissa earned her place at the judges' table this year when she pointed out that Gina did not know how to place her arms during the kickline. Instead of having her hand on the shoulder of the girl next to her, she was grabbing her arm and, as Melissa said, she was twisting her arm/hand.

Poor Julia. It looked like her foot just slipped out from under her during the kickline. It sucks but shit happens. The important thing is that she kept going.

Amanda is pretty but there's something a bit juvenile about her dancing.

The fact that Kat's look was described by the judges as exotic tells you a lot about the DCC (or maybe just Dallas in general). She's a pretty girl, but exotic? No.

I was confused by Kat's kicks. At first glance, I thought one leg was low because she blanked out for a second and didn't have enough time to get her leg all the way up without getting behind, but it seems she has one leg with ridiculously low kicks which make me suspect an injury. While it's totally common to have one leg that's more flexible, there usually isn't THAT big of a disparity.

When Kristin is on, she looks good but she always lets it show in her face when she's made a mistake or lost her place in the choreography. Her sleepy eyes are a detriment to me.

No, Judy, I am not rooting for Victoria.

Part of me loves that we got to see the retiring vets' speeches because that was a genuine moment (as opposed to the many manufactured moments we see on the show). But part of me felt a little guilty watching as it's clearly very personal (both for the girls who are retiring and their teammates who are reacting to the news) and I felt a little voyeuristic watching what felt like a very private moment.

Yuko's "my cat is American" cracked me up!

[KatebytheSea]

1 minute ago, scorpio1031 said:

Oh, Meredith:)

Are we talking the same Kelli who said 400 are trying out, when it was about 150 or so😂

MEREDITH! That's her! Thanks for correcting me on that.

Ah, I don't mind Kelli inflating the number of those auditioning. She's responsible for recruiting candidates and selling the brand. That involves advertising and selling people on the desirability of your product. I get it.

Since the audition process has been televised, the total number of candidates have gone down, though I think the quality of those auditioning has gone up. Many of the lesser qualified think twice about being shown at a disadvantage on TV. lol

[KatebytheSea]

5 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Part of me loves that we got to see the retiring vets' speeches because that was a genuine moment (as opposed to the many manufactured moments we see on the show). But part of me felt a little guilty watching as it's clearly very personal (both for the girls who are retiring and their teammates who are reacting to the news) and I felt a little voyeuristic watching what felt like a very private moment.

Yuko's "my cat is American" cracked me up!

I think we only got to see a very abbreviate portion of the retiring Vet speeches. So most of their personal stuff remained personal, as it should be. But the producers probably know that viewers/fans like seeing more of the Vets during the show, so have included them more. 

Yuko! So hysterical! I wonder if her fiancé is Japanese, or if he's moving to Japan with her, as it appears her American cat is staying here.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

5 minutes ago, KatebytheSea said:

I wonder if her fiancé is Japanese, or if he's moving to Japan with her, as it appears her American cat is staying here.

He works for the Baltimore Orioles so I'm guessing all three of them are staying in the United States.

[ByTor]

2 hours ago, KatebytheSea said:

I don't mind Kelli inflating the number of those auditioning. She's responsible for recruiting candidates and selling the brand. That involves advertising and selling people on the desirability of your product. I get it.

She does, but I think there's a way to tell the truth and still sell the brand.  I'm no marketing pro, but I think maybe something along the lines of "140 (or whatever it really was) of the best dancers arrive to audition."  Sell it more as being exclusive.

[VintageJ]

5 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

The fact that Kat's look was described by the judges as exotic tells you a lot about the DCC (or maybe just Dallas in general). She's a pretty girl, but exotic? No.

LOL!  This all day!  I had the exact same reaction.  She’s just a very pretty light skinned girl.

[rafibomb]

6 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Part of me laughs during the audition episodes when we see all these girls showing up to the stadium and then doing things like curling their hair and applying their eyelashes. When I was a dancer/performer, I always showed up to every audition and performance ready to go. I was in the outfit I was going to wear, my hair and makeup were already done, etc. so I could dance as soon as I arrived. Even when I was given a call time that was two hours before curtain, I still showed up ready to go. I can't imagine hauling an entire suitcase full of stuff with me and then doing my hair and makeup after arriving.

Re: doing their hair, I'm guessing some of them actually need to redo it after waiting around for 2 hours, particularly during a Texas summer. My hair won't hold a style for long in that kind of heat and humidity.

But I'm also guessing some of it is just nerves- they need something to do while they're sitting around waiting, and you can only stretch for so long.

[Mardo2044]

9 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

One thing the girls need to remember is that the entire process is an audition which means they should NOT let their frustration show on their faces, even when they're still learning the routine. If you can't hide it now, chances are you won't be able to hide it when you're performing live at a game.

This is so true!  My daughter would win over girls who were technically stronger because she learned choreo quickly and always smiled no matter what happened.  In the end you are performing.  Like Kelli said last season "There goes Malena's face, I can't defend her anymore"  

[parrotfeathers]

1 minute ago, Mardo2044 said:

and always smiled no matter what happened.

This also holds true at dog obedience trials.  Dogs are incredibly perceptive in the ring.  You smile even though they may do something they weren't supposed to do. 

[blairwaldorf]

Kat looks like Beyoncé. 

I would not have taken Malena into finals. She may be pretty and nice and knowledgeable about football, but she can’t retain choreography and that’s not something you can fix.

I actually felt like the group of girls taken into finals was pretty weak overall. No one stood out as being exceptional all around. Maybe it’s just due to editing, but based on what we saw, I don’t see these girls giving the veterans any serious competition for their spots.

[Teriyaki Terror]

A lot of talent left in those chairs for Melina. 

[DCCfaninMA]

On 8/9/2019 at 10:41 PM, phylogeny said:

WOW!  My very first post!  Please forgive me if I do it wrong.  Ha.  First, thank you all for being here!  My family thinks I'm bat s**t crazy for being as obsessed with this show as I am, but look, here we all are!  I'm not alone! 

I agree on the new theme song, just not really liking it but what is more frustrating is that it's difficult to actually see the girls.  It was also fun to see some of the vets on those transition-moments (Meghan was one of them I believe).  Maybe it'll grow on me.

I also loved seeing a few words and hearing future plans from the retiring vets!  That was a win! 

Here's where I'm WAY in the minority;  I actually like VK.  I like her a lot.  Is she kinda all over the place?  Yup.  Is she the subject of favoritism?  Yup.  But (sadly) that is how the world works, imo.  The judges are human, they've known VK since she was a child so naturally they're going to have an affectionate response to her.  I do get it though, listening to Kelli talk about the integrity of the process one minute and then acting like slipping during free style was adorable.  But what I love VK's personality.  At least she is original, and not giving pageant-perfect, politically correct answers when they interview her. 

Really pulling for Malena too - sweet personality and is one of the few that seems she can actually talk football.  We'll see if the dance holds up. 

I also agree that it seems like the dance they taught this year was harder than previous years.  Either that or, like some have said, it's just not as talented of a crop.  They may be upping the game tho, the show has brought the talent level much higher.  I think of some of the girls who made it back in earlier seasons and they would never make it now.

One more unpopular opinion; I love Melissa R as a judge and mentor.  I find her genuine and there is nothing about her that says "mean girl" as someone had suggested earlier, just my imo.  I find she always tries to find the positive and the "sexy faces" comment in the first episode was a riot.  I'll never forget the year Maddi was trying out and crying on the first night, Melissa came right to her and supported her - on camera but spontaneous.  She really won me over that time.

Can't wait for solos!!

[CrazyMoon]

14 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

He works for the Baltimore Orioles so I'm guessing all three of them are staying in the United States.

Unless he's an Orioles scout for Japanese teams....

[ElectricBoogaloo]

24 minutes ago, CrazyMoon said:

Unless he's an Orioles scout for Japanese teams....

He’s been a strength and conditioning coach for the Orioles for several years so unless he just got a major promotion, he’s not a scout for Japanese teams. 

For the record, I’m not a DCC fan who stalks the girls and their significant others 24/7. I just googled the guy’s name and found this info which lines up with what other people said earlier in this thread (and I only googled him because so many people were worried about the cat!).

[sATL]

I wish as part of the "cry-and-bye" speeches from the Vets, they would have stated what they will be doing next.

Didn't need great personal details or company names- something like going to grad school, working in the journalism field, going home to momma, lay up under my man , going on an overseas mission trip, open my own business...just a little something for closure.

We get more details from women we first met last week (brother died, adopted,  dyslexia, translator needed for TH) than we got from dancers we've seen for years..

Edited August 12, 2019 by sATL

[sATL]

20 hours ago, CrazyMoon said:

Yuko & Ryo have a page on "The Knot" with the wedding info (October 2019 in Hawaii)...no clue where they plan to live.

Going back to the 1st episode - I guess we know who the majority of her brides maids are.

[CrazyMoon]

1 minute ago, sATL said:

Going back to the 1st episode - I guess we know who the majority of her brides maids are.

For sure!

[sATL]

On 8/10/2019 at 5:42 PM, tinabee1967 said:

Bret needs to change her makeup. It is muddy and awful. Amanda's makeup is also not good for her. The filler music is SO. AWFUL!!!!!! It is tough to listen to..

Marshall is gorgeous and fabulous as always.

None of this would be the same without Phil. 🙂

I am rooting for Katy and feel bad that Madi did not make it to finals. 😞

Phil seemed to hold back a little this year. His dance routine and the crowd had more energy last year. Maybe it was the song DJ EJ picked - last year "shut up and dance " really hit the spot.

Who was paul Howard?

[scorpio1031]

14 minutes ago, sATL said:

Who was paul Howard?

Worked on the tv crew for the show.

[sATL]

Re: the sob stories- maybe TPTB are trying to break a stereotype and/or show diversity.

I guess I prefer a mix. Good/run of the mill background stories and also show sad stories.

Seemed to be a lot of less than 4 yr vets retiring ...hmmm..

Edited August 12, 2019 by sATL

[EvergreenLove]

I prefer the focused side stories of the candidates rather than the sob stories.  A good example is how they focused on Ashton Torres in season 4 or the Trevino sisters in season 3 when Crystal tried out.  It was more focused on the girls and how they got to tryouts, which made them much more likable and easy to root for.  It's hard to get excited about a candidate that has nothing except "I was bullied by mean girls in the dance studio!"  Unfortunately, the current state of DCC auditions, the show, and the girls it attracts makes for a very privileged group.  So those endearing side stories of earlier seasons are gone forever, which is a shame.