Going into this first performance show of the season, I’m not as enthusiastic about this group as I was last season. So I’m hoping this top 20 are better than I’m expecting. Cat is perched high on the balcony and looks all shiny and welcomes us to the show. In everyone’s little intro, the standouts are Comfort, Mark, Katee, Thayne, Twitch, and Will are the standouts, at least in my opinion. Cat avoids using the word “jidges” and welcomes Nigel, Mary, and Dan Karaty. Dan, who missed Vegas, thinks its up for grabs. Mary says Vegas week is insane. Nigel thinks its too early to name a frontrunner, but calls Cat one. Nigel wants Cat’s legs. We get a video package of the dancers auditions highlights.
Rayven and Jamie- Rayven is the oldest competitor at 28, and has sacrificed things. Jamie is a prodigy of the Schwimmer family and wishes his girlfriend made the top 20 too. Their video package doesn’t make me like them much. Their hip-hop routine, choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha, doesn’t do that much either. The 2nd half of the routine is much better than the first, but overall, it wasn’t particularly inspiring. That may have been just bad choreography. Nigel is worried if it will be memorable but likes it. Mary is more shrill than normal and loves them both. Dan thinks it wasn’t quite there and was wondering where the funk was.
Susie and Marquis- When I first saw that Susie made the top 20, I immediately thought “Well, there’s some cannon fodder.” I still kind of stand by that comment about her. Susie wants to be inspirational. Marquis’ mom didn’t want him to dance. They’re smooth waltzing, courtesy of Hunter Johnson. They’re having a lot of problems in the package. They look nice and graceful and the extensions are really good, but something seems technically weak about it. Marquis also seems to have some problems with fluidity. Nigel calls it a difficult routine and says that they carried on well despite a flub. Mary says they pulled it off. Dan found it romantic and smooth, he loved it.
Kourtni L. and Matt- I loved Kourtni in Milwaukee and Matt was pretty impressive in his audition. They’ve got a Jazz routine by Mandy Moore. Mandy is hit or miss, but I’ve got faith in these dancers. I liked it. At times they seemed a little sloppy, and Matt smiled entirely to much for the concept of the routine. But I liked it. Nigel tells Matt he dances like he has a stick up his ass, and he wants more personality. He also tells Kourtni she looks “unique”. Mary thought they did a great job and calls them both Sexy but denies them access to the Hot Tamale train. Dan loved the choreography and the dancers but called the performance so-so.
Chelsea and Thayne- I don’t really know anything about Chelsea, but she seems decent. Thayne was really good in his Salt Lake audition. They’ve got a Tony Meredith cha-cha. This could be good. And it is. They’re sexy and fun to watch. Thayne could maybe be a little more masculine, but this is far and away the best so far. Nigel thought it was very good and thinks Chelsea is sexy. Mary puts them on the hot tamale train and thought Chelsea was on fire and Thayne partnered well. Dan starts with “Damn, girl” and continues the sexy streak for Chelsea. This could definitely be a pair to watch this season.
Chelsie and Mark- Chelsie was one of the many dancers with a hard luck story. I really like Mark, his quality of movement is interesting. They’ve got a Mia Michaels contemporary that she describes as “Tim Burton’s wedding” and I’m super pumped. Mia disses Mark though, which worries me. Why is Mia Michaels’ choreography always so amazingly splendiferous? Not to complain, I just wonder how much awesome she can create. I like the piece, but it probably could have been danced better. Nigel thinks this season is gonna be really good and he really liked them. Mary calls Mark wild, crazy, and unique and she loved them both and she takes off an imaginary hat. Dan thinks it was amazing. This could be another couple to watch.
Kherington and Twitch- This is a pair I’m looking forward to. Both of these guys are one of my two favorites for their respective genders. Twitch is awesome and he really wants it this year. If I had to pick a frontrunner, it’s him. Kherington is a senior in high school, and that makes me really ashamed of what I’ve done so far. They’ve got a Tyce broadway routine. I’m still not sold on Tyce, he’s hit or miss, with more misses. It’s fun and I really enjoy it, but they seem, at times, to be a little weak in some of their moves. That’s more Twitch. They’re both safe though, no doubt about it. Nigel calls the pair of them great. Mary thinks it was so hot it’s gonna set off the sprinklers. Mary seems to be threatening a scream, but she doesn’t, thankfully. Dan loved them both. And another power couple is born.
Comfort and Chris- I heart Comfort, so I’m hoping this pair works out. Chris is kind of unknown for me, so who knows. They’ve got a Tony Meredith jive and I hope it’s as fun as Anya and Danny’s jive from the first episode of last season. They seem confident, maybe even a little over confident. It’s a lot of fun and there’s a lot of personality, but the footwork seems a little slow at times. Overall, though, it’s probably one of the better ones of the night. Comfort is a little bewildered by her outfit. Nigel calls Comfort smoldering and thinks Chris was pretty good too. But he thinks the dancing was kind of weak. Also, apparently, Comfort dislocated her shoulder earlier this week. Nice comeback. Mary says they were kicking it, and thought they did a respectable job. Dan says everything’s been said about Comfort and thinks Chris did a good job of keeping up, but thinks they need more chemistry.
Katee and Joshua- Katee kind of needs to knock it out of the park this week to make up for the somewhat negative portrayal she received in Vegas. I enjoyed Joshua in the pre-lims, so hopefully he’ll make up for any residual bad mojo for Katee. They’ve got a Napoleon and Tabitha hip-hop routine. I hope it’s better than the previous N & T hip hop. Despite the theme being bizarre for this style, I’m a big fan. Katee and Joshua both knock it out of the park, separately and together. I’d say it’s the best of the night so far. Nigel calls it really, really good and his favorite routine of the night. Mary didn’t expect this and calls it tremendous. Dan thinks they killed it, which may not be the best word choice for a military themed piece, and tells Katee that she held her own.
Jessica and Will- Jessica proves that she can spell Vegas correctly, and she wants to touch people. Will is a Debbie Allen prodigy and removed Debbie from the judging pool, which is mixed news for me. They’ve got a Hunter Johnson tango. They’re good, but not Great. Will is better than she is, but she’s got good extensions, too. She seems to keep Slipping. Nigel thought they coped really well with hard choreography and calls Will majestic. He calls Jessica on her wobblieness. Mary says that was the way she likes her tangoes and tells Will he owned it. Mary bewilderingly calls them the couple to beat. Dan says they played their parts well and calls them hot like fire.
Courtney and Gev- I like Courtney, but I still don’t understand why Gev got Brandon’s spot in the top 10. Hopefully, tonight he’ll show me why. They’ve got a Doriana Sanchez disco, which could be good, since both these dancers seem fun. They seem to be doing alright in the video package. Again, they’re good but not great. They’re having fun, but it’s nothing spectacular. Gev is better than I though he was going to be, but he’s still not as good as Brandon was. There seems to be real chemistry between these two though. Nigel loves Disco but he didn’t love this because it lacked a boogie feel. Mary liked Courtney more than Gev and thought they did a good job. Dan enjoyed it, but says it wasn’t the best disco he’s ever seen.
Overall, a decent start. Not as spectacular as I remember last year being, but no trainwrecks to speak of, so that’s good.
My Rankings For The Night
1) Katee and Joshua
2) Chelsea and Thayne
3) Kherington and Twitch
4) Chelsie and Mark
5) Comfort and Chris
6) Kourtni and Matt
7) Jessica and Will
8) Courtney and Gev
9) Susie and Marquis
10) Rayven and Jamie
In Trouble: Rayven and Jamie weren’t memorable, so I’m expecting to see them in the bottom. Susie and Marquis also weren’t very memorable, so they may end up down here too. Jessica’s slips may place them here too.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
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3 comments:
I don't understand why so many people are disliking Gev. I highly doubt (although editing and producer interference probably made it look that way) that the judges were torn between him & Brandon. There are six - SIX - contemporary dancers on the male side alone, and Brandon would've made it seven. Six, not counting the girls. Gev is the only breaker this go 'round, not to mention he's not a bad dancer either - he was probably a lock for the judges earlier, but just left until last for "shock value".
Good work, Nate.
If you'd like to check out where our opinions converge and conflict, please feel free to check out my SYTYCD posts on my blog, Multiple Personality (click on my name above).
anonymous is right -- Gev and Brandon weren't competing for the same spot. Brandon was already squeezed out long before they called him and Gev before them; Brandon was effectively cut the moment the judges cast their sixth contemporary boy, so if you want to hold a grudge for his exclusion, you've actually got a bigger menu among Thayne, Mark, Marquis, William, Chris, and Matt.
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