Hey folks,
Well, it’s time to say goodbye to another two dancers. Like I said in my recap last night, I’m kind of clueless as to who’s gonna be packing their bags tonight. If I had to venture a guess, Kupono and Asuka are probably done for, which would make me 0 for 2 in Fantasy SYTYCD. What makes me wonder about this poor cousin theory is that I remember last season, at Top 18 week, there were still enough dancers that could clearly be cut without losing lots of potential (cough cough Susie “Cannon Fodder” Garcia cough cough). This week, it’s gonna be kind of tough to pick out anyone who is noticeably weaker than the rest. I can’t promise oodles of funny or wit tonight, since I’m in a little bit of a heinous mood, but I’m gonna try my darndest for you guys tonight. However, just like Mia Michaels, I like to cut (although what I like to cut is long lines, not dancers), so lets trudge forward, shall we?
Note: This is the abridged recap. For the full version, shake a tail feather over to sytycd.ca
Cat is in a completely white pantsuit. It’s… blah. Usually from Cat, I expect greatness or great-terribleness. This falls in that in between chasm of mediocrity. The top 18 is a Mia routine and everyone has what look like Maori tribal tattoos painted on to their faces. It’s… like jaw-droppingly fantastic. I can say in no uncertain words that this season is gonna have turn something incredible in order to knock this off the list of most memorable numbers. I’d go so far as to say that it’s maybe one of my favorite routines EVER by Mia Michaels. It’s just 150% full of win. I can’t even pick out outstanding individuals, because that routine was so good it made EVERYONE seem awesome. Ade, Jason, Brandon, Janette, and Jeanine may stand out just a smidge above the others, but everyone rocks it.
We immediately (seriously, it’s like 5 minutes into the broadcast right now) get results. Ade and Melissa, Jason and Caitlin, and Phil and Jeanine are brought out. Well, I think it’s pretty clear which couple’s in the bottom here. No surprise, Jason and Caitlin are sent straight to the bottom three, do not pass go, prepare your solo.
When we come back, the next three couples on stage are Brandon and Janette, Jonathan and Karla, and Kupono and Ashley. Again, no surprise when it turns out that Kupono and Ashley are the bottom three couple in this group. Jonathan and Karla maybe celebrate a bit too much right in Ashley and Kupono’s face for my liking. Lil’ C is shocked, yet in the middle about it, because he thought this week showed their vulnerability in a style outside their own.
Side Note: I just rewatched the Mia routine over the commercial. Yeah, I might even go so far as to say it challenges Ramalama Bang Bang from season 2 as my favorite group routine ever. I love it THAT much.
The final three couples are up on stage, but before that, we’re all given a treat of Evan’s brother Ryan auditioning in LA for season 6. And, shocker, he makes it to Vegas. Evan apparently didn’t know, or so he makes hand gestures. The final couple gracing the bottom three is… Kayla and Max? What the What? . Vitolio, just like Jonathan/Karla, over-congratulates himself in Kayla and Max’s face. In fairness, though, the look of Stank emanating from Kayla when she found out her bottom three berth was not pretty. Humbleness, Ms. Rodamski, along with that talent, that’s what we’ll love you for. Look at the all the winners/favorites. They were all pretty humble. Nigel says America must not have gotten Brian Friedman’s choreo.
Tonight’s “World of Dance” dancer is a true Indian/Bollywood dancer (Ok, completely not Bollywood, but more traditional Indian. Or maybe not), whose name goes by too fast for me to catch. It’s good, better than the anemic Argentine tango from last week, but it’s still not as good as I would expect from a “stars of dance” routine.
Also, I just realized, can I get a HALLELUJAH that the creepy, creepy, CREEPY Snuggle the Bear is no longer asking America to dance for him and then let him kill them while they sleep?
Going into the solos, I think Ashley and Max/Kupono are probably in trouble. Kayla, and I kinda think Jason, are guaranteed safety.
It’s Soloin’ Time:
Caitlin: It’s simple, but very pretty and I’m pretty sure I feel exactly what she wants me to feel, so I’d call it a definite success. Better than all three girl solos last week, for sure.
Jason: Jason’s also very good, and, as Shankers said, he is so SYTYCD. Also should be good enough to keep him around for another week. He’s got a bunch of great leaps.
Ashley: It’s… good. Certainly sultry. But I thought Caitlin was better. She spent a few seconds just standing against the banister. That’s not the best way to spend your time. I may actually get one right this week in FSYTYCD.
Kupono: It’s also good, but not fantastic. Jason was certainly better. Cat doesn’t want him to go because she wants to see more of his outfits. That’s not a great endorsement Cat. He also doesn’t know how to manage his time very well because he takes a few seconds to start and clearly ends a second early.
Kayla: I gotta say, it’s not the best solo ever. It looks like a lot of leaps with some dancing in between. But she’s definitely good enough to be kept around.
Max: Max is soloing to Footloose. So I’m already biased to like it. His footwork is also Phe-Nom-En-Ol. He should definitely stay around.
Tonight’s musical guest is Kristinia DeBarge. It’s your typical pop-strumpet pop song. Which is to say its mildly catchy, has a decent beat, but will utterly be forgettable. I do have to giver her credit though, she is actually kind of dancing, and her back-up dancers are by no means bad, unlike last week.
We’re back and it’s results time. The girls are up first. It was not unanimous on either gender tonight. They all agree that if it were up to them, they wouldn’t lose any of this 6. But they’re not gonna change the rules of the competition. They thought Caitlin had great quality of movement and control, she’s safe. They thought Ashley had Hollywood glamour but thought her solo had no substance. They know what a great dancer Kayla is, but they didn’t think she proved that with a crowded solo and she needs to pull it back. Ashley is going home tonight. We get her recap package. In all honesty, I’m probably not going to miss her, but she wasn’t the weakest girl in this pack. It does suck that she tried for four seasons only to get cut second though. Jeanine looks flabbergasted in the pit.
The boys are next. Jason is first, and they found his solo to be exceptionally strong and thinks it’s the best solo of the season. He’s immediately sent to the pit. They felt Kupono also lacked substance, but they liked that he is different and an intelligent dancer who can take on characters. They think Max is incredibly hard-working and know that he is restricted by his ballroom-ness in solos. And yet, Max is the one going home tonight. Sorry, but especially after the solos, that was the wrong decision judges. Again, I didn’t love him, but considering he was the best last night and his solo tonight was really good, I’d rank this as higher up on the SYTYCD injustice scale. It also begs the question who in the hell is going to cook for these people now? They need their strength, people!
Well, folks, what did you think? Was Max unfairly shafted? Did Ashley not seem to really care anymore, as my viewing partner thinks? Was that Mia Michaels routine not Banoodles to the Buck power? And do you feel, like I feel, that a Kayla/Kupono coupling sounds mildly disastrous?
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
So You Think You Can Dance 6/17- Top 18 Perform
Hey folks,
So, it’s top 18 night! Top 20 night was good, but I fear the “poor cousin” theory may actually prove true. I didn’t find any instant stars on top 20 night, like I did last year with Katee, Josh, and Mark among others. No one just jumped off the screen for me. However, I got high hopes for tonight. After looking at the style/choreographer spoilers for tonight, there’s at least one piece I’m super-mondo-mega excited for. I won’t say which one, but I’ll give you a hint: it’s not NOT Ade and Melissa doing a Sonja jazz. Was that too obvious? Whoops. However, the whole lineup looked like it could have plenty of banoodles moments. What’s that sound I hear? I think it’s the hot tamale train a-rolling down the tracks. Let’s hop on and ride it through top 18 night folks. All Aboard!
Note: This is the abridged recap. For my full ramblings, visit sytycd.ca
Cat looks like she came from some sort of Spanish themed toga party. It’s got weird frills. She still kinda pulls it off though. In our dancer intros, the standouts are Jeanine, Brandon, Evan, Kayla, Vitolio, Randi, Philip, and Janette. Phil’s flexibility scares me a little bit, not gonna lie. Cat lets us welcome the jidges, who consist of Nigel, Mary, and Lil’ C. Lil’ C is usually a pretty good judge, or at least provides us with some great turns of phrase. Then again, he did give off some stank while judging in Vegas. Cat makes a Mary Murphy botox joke, and Mary tries to convince us it was all a dream, and Cat says all her girlfriends love Mary more for it. Nigel tells the dancers not to show them what you can’t do, show them what you can do. I’m guessing that somewhere out there, Tony Bellisimo is saying “Ouch.”
Randi and Evan- They’ve got a Louis van Amstel jive. It’s FUN. Like, oodles and oodles and banoodles of fun. I see a long run on the show for them. Lil’ C sees a divinity in Evan and calls Randi a firecracker. Mary thinks it fell a little short, but was really good, Randi in particular. Nigel thinks Evan should have been better, but that they’re tremendous as a couple.
Melissa and Ade- They’ve got a Sonja Tayeh jazz routine. I have really high expectations going into it, and it meets them… mostly. I like it a lot. Maybe even a lot a lot. But it’s not Sonja’s best ever. It was like an 8.5 and I was hoping for a 9.5. Lil’ C thought it was buck and tells Ade that he is the competition. Cat chest bumps both dancers. Mary thought it was tough to find anything she didn’t like in it. Nigel though it allowed the dancers to show off their strength.
Caitlin and Jason- They’ve got a Shane Sparks hip-hop routine. Jason is much better, constantly drawing my focus, but it’s definitely a weaker effort this week. Lil’ C doesn’t love it, and didn’t see the choreography becoming a reality. Mary thought the chemistry didn’t work. Nigel thought they looked really good doing the routine.
Janette and Brandon- They’ve got a Doriana Sanchez disco routine. It’s fun, and is definitely one of the better disco routines the show has ever had. That being said, it’s still disco, so I’m not head over heels for it. Both dancers do very well though. Lil’ C thinks the primary objective of all obstacles is to induce labor so that progression can be born. Make of that what you will. He found it extremely, extremely amazing. Mary thinks they nailed it and gives them screams and a standing ovation. Nigel loves them and praises them all around.
Asuka and Vitolio- They’ve got a Louis van Amstel waltz. Louis wants Vitolio to dance with his pain on display. There’s one remarkable part where Vitolio swings Asuka in a circle, but I didn’t love the whole thing. I don’t see the pain coming through, but Asuka seems to be doing a pretty good job. Mary tears up and found Vitolio’s dancing to be very honest. Lil’ C thought his vulnerability balanced out the technical faults. Nigel thinks anyone who wasn’t touched by that routine is heartless. I have no problem being called Heartless. I’ll just pretend the Kanye song is about me.
Kayla and Max- They’ve got a Brian Friedman jazz routine. Welcome back Brian! . Um, this feels trashy and amazing. But I mean trashy in the best way possible. I love it. Utterly fantastic. Kayla, you miss, are banoodles. And Max, well, you’re doing a really good job of keeping up. Lil’ C thinks they picked up Brian’s vernacular. Mary keeps Kayla on the Hot Tamale train and deems Max a surprise. Nigel calls Kayla a front runner and thinks the pair of them are special.
Karla and Jonathan- They’ve got a Stacey Tookey contemporary. Stacy was a choreographer on SYTYCD Canada, but I’ve never seen any of her stuff. I like this alout. They’re both quite good, but Karla is probably slightly better. They give Cat her first chills of the season. Mary calls them the underdogs who have moved into the spotlight. Lil’ C thought it had the perfect balance of everything needed. Nigel thinks they recovered beautifully from last week.
Jeanine and Philip- They’ve got a Tony Meredith tango. Phil is stone faced throughout the routine, and as such is not really connecting with her. He feels a bit like he’s masquerading here to me. Jeanine, however, is fantastic. Mary applauds Phil for his attitude but kind of tears him apart on technique. Lil’ C thinks Jeanine was, as Mary called her, a hot mama. Nigel hopes that Phil’s fanbase can carry them through to next week. Way to not play favorites Nigel.
Ashley and Kupono- They’ve got a Shane Sparks hip-hop. I’m not feeling it all that much. It gets better as it goes on, but overall, it’s an eh. Mary thinks it wasn’t memorable. Lil C thinks Kupono dragged Ashley down. Nigel thought it stopped just when he was starting to enjoy it.
My Rankings for the Night:
1)Kayla and Max
2)Randi and Evan
3)Melissa and Ade
4)Karla and Jonathan
5)Janette and Brandon
6)Asuka and Vitolio
7)Jason and Caitlin
8)Jeanine and Philip
9)Ashley and Kupono
Who Should Be Worried: Ashley and Kupono faltered as predicted, and they should definitely be ready to dance for their lives tomorrow. Jason and Caitlin should be prepping too. Philip and Jeanine could well have the fan-base to keep them in, which leaves me stumped as to the final bottom 3 couple. Asuka and Vitolio are at risk if I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t feeling their waltz. Melissa and Ade could also even be at risk, as I could see that being a divisive routine. Or maybe the disco curse will bring down Brandon and Janette.
Who I’d Send Home: It’s a tough call this week. It’d probably be Kupono and Ashley. Or maybe Asuka.
Who Will Probably Go Home: In all honesty, I don’t know. But I think Kupono and Caitlin might be in trouble.
I’d say this was a pretty good top 18 week. I don’t feel as positive towards the poor cousin theory, so that’s something. What did you folks think?
So, it’s top 18 night! Top 20 night was good, but I fear the “poor cousin” theory may actually prove true. I didn’t find any instant stars on top 20 night, like I did last year with Katee, Josh, and Mark among others. No one just jumped off the screen for me. However, I got high hopes for tonight. After looking at the style/choreographer spoilers for tonight, there’s at least one piece I’m super-mondo-mega excited for. I won’t say which one, but I’ll give you a hint: it’s not NOT Ade and Melissa doing a Sonja jazz. Was that too obvious? Whoops. However, the whole lineup looked like it could have plenty of banoodles moments. What’s that sound I hear? I think it’s the hot tamale train a-rolling down the tracks. Let’s hop on and ride it through top 18 night folks. All Aboard!
Note: This is the abridged recap. For my full ramblings, visit sytycd.ca
Cat looks like she came from some sort of Spanish themed toga party. It’s got weird frills. She still kinda pulls it off though. In our dancer intros, the standouts are Jeanine, Brandon, Evan, Kayla, Vitolio, Randi, Philip, and Janette. Phil’s flexibility scares me a little bit, not gonna lie. Cat lets us welcome the jidges, who consist of Nigel, Mary, and Lil’ C. Lil’ C is usually a pretty good judge, or at least provides us with some great turns of phrase. Then again, he did give off some stank while judging in Vegas. Cat makes a Mary Murphy botox joke, and Mary tries to convince us it was all a dream, and Cat says all her girlfriends love Mary more for it. Nigel tells the dancers not to show them what you can’t do, show them what you can do. I’m guessing that somewhere out there, Tony Bellisimo is saying “Ouch.”
Randi and Evan- They’ve got a Louis van Amstel jive. It’s FUN. Like, oodles and oodles and banoodles of fun. I see a long run on the show for them. Lil’ C sees a divinity in Evan and calls Randi a firecracker. Mary thinks it fell a little short, but was really good, Randi in particular. Nigel thinks Evan should have been better, but that they’re tremendous as a couple.
Melissa and Ade- They’ve got a Sonja Tayeh jazz routine. I have really high expectations going into it, and it meets them… mostly. I like it a lot. Maybe even a lot a lot. But it’s not Sonja’s best ever. It was like an 8.5 and I was hoping for a 9.5. Lil’ C thought it was buck and tells Ade that he is the competition. Cat chest bumps both dancers. Mary thought it was tough to find anything she didn’t like in it. Nigel though it allowed the dancers to show off their strength.
Caitlin and Jason- They’ve got a Shane Sparks hip-hop routine. Jason is much better, constantly drawing my focus, but it’s definitely a weaker effort this week. Lil’ C doesn’t love it, and didn’t see the choreography becoming a reality. Mary thought the chemistry didn’t work. Nigel thought they looked really good doing the routine.
Janette and Brandon- They’ve got a Doriana Sanchez disco routine. It’s fun, and is definitely one of the better disco routines the show has ever had. That being said, it’s still disco, so I’m not head over heels for it. Both dancers do very well though. Lil’ C thinks the primary objective of all obstacles is to induce labor so that progression can be born. Make of that what you will. He found it extremely, extremely amazing. Mary thinks they nailed it and gives them screams and a standing ovation. Nigel loves them and praises them all around.
Asuka and Vitolio- They’ve got a Louis van Amstel waltz. Louis wants Vitolio to dance with his pain on display. There’s one remarkable part where Vitolio swings Asuka in a circle, but I didn’t love the whole thing. I don’t see the pain coming through, but Asuka seems to be doing a pretty good job. Mary tears up and found Vitolio’s dancing to be very honest. Lil’ C thought his vulnerability balanced out the technical faults. Nigel thinks anyone who wasn’t touched by that routine is heartless. I have no problem being called Heartless. I’ll just pretend the Kanye song is about me.
Kayla and Max- They’ve got a Brian Friedman jazz routine. Welcome back Brian! . Um, this feels trashy and amazing. But I mean trashy in the best way possible. I love it. Utterly fantastic. Kayla, you miss, are banoodles. And Max, well, you’re doing a really good job of keeping up. Lil’ C thinks they picked up Brian’s vernacular. Mary keeps Kayla on the Hot Tamale train and deems Max a surprise. Nigel calls Kayla a front runner and thinks the pair of them are special.
Karla and Jonathan- They’ve got a Stacey Tookey contemporary. Stacy was a choreographer on SYTYCD Canada, but I’ve never seen any of her stuff. I like this alout. They’re both quite good, but Karla is probably slightly better. They give Cat her first chills of the season. Mary calls them the underdogs who have moved into the spotlight. Lil’ C thought it had the perfect balance of everything needed. Nigel thinks they recovered beautifully from last week.
Jeanine and Philip- They’ve got a Tony Meredith tango. Phil is stone faced throughout the routine, and as such is not really connecting with her. He feels a bit like he’s masquerading here to me. Jeanine, however, is fantastic. Mary applauds Phil for his attitude but kind of tears him apart on technique. Lil’ C thinks Jeanine was, as Mary called her, a hot mama. Nigel hopes that Phil’s fanbase can carry them through to next week. Way to not play favorites Nigel.
Ashley and Kupono- They’ve got a Shane Sparks hip-hop. I’m not feeling it all that much. It gets better as it goes on, but overall, it’s an eh. Mary thinks it wasn’t memorable. Lil C thinks Kupono dragged Ashley down. Nigel thought it stopped just when he was starting to enjoy it.
My Rankings for the Night:
1)Kayla and Max
2)Randi and Evan
3)Melissa and Ade
4)Karla and Jonathan
5)Janette and Brandon
6)Asuka and Vitolio
7)Jason and Caitlin
8)Jeanine and Philip
9)Ashley and Kupono
Who Should Be Worried: Ashley and Kupono faltered as predicted, and they should definitely be ready to dance for their lives tomorrow. Jason and Caitlin should be prepping too. Philip and Jeanine could well have the fan-base to keep them in, which leaves me stumped as to the final bottom 3 couple. Asuka and Vitolio are at risk if I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t feeling their waltz. Melissa and Ade could also even be at risk, as I could see that being a divisive routine. Or maybe the disco curse will bring down Brandon and Janette.
Who I’d Send Home: It’s a tough call this week. It’d probably be Kupono and Ashley. Or maybe Asuka.
Who Will Probably Go Home: In all honesty, I don’t know. But I think Kupono and Caitlin might be in trouble.
I’d say this was a pretty good top 18 week. I don’t feel as positive towards the poor cousin theory, so that’s something. What did you folks think?
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