Note: This is the abridged recap. For the full recap, complete with side notes and expanded judges comments, go to sytycd.ca
Hey folks,
It’s Top 20 Week! Which means its time for the actual dancing to start! Can I get a hip hip huzzah, people? So, I’m just going to warn you in advance, this recap may be a bit… odd. I currently have something roughly the size of a tissue stuffed completely up one of my nostrils, as part of a medical procedure. It’s uncomfortable and putting me on edge, so there may be more anger/grumpiness in this recap than usual. However, I am also on painkillers for it, which may make me a bit loopy. So, we’ll see. Either way, it should be entertaining. But enough about me and my nasal problems, let’s get to the dancin’!
Cat is wearing a white frock that seems to have a spiderweb spun by Liberace all over the front. In the opening everyone dances montage, Brandon, Evan, Janettte, Jason, Kupono, Kayla, Max, Melissa, Philip, and Tony are the ones who impress me the most. No one seems awful though. Jidging (Oh Cat Deeley, I forgot your adorable British pronunciations) tonight are Nigel (who earns a salute), Mary, and Shankers. Yay Shankers!
Jeanine and Philip- They have a NappyTabs routine about a couple that needs to bang before they go to sleep (I think). Ok, so Phil kind of destroys this. He’s, for lack of a better word, buck. Jeanine is doing her best to keep up, and does a pretty darn good job. The routine itself? Kind of meh for me. Shankers thinks the routine is Unreal, Mary was super impressed by Jeanine for being able to keep up, and Nigel thought Jeanine was fantastic as well and thinks she slipped through the editing net. Yeah, because editing doesn’t involve conscious decisions to leave certain people out or anything like that.
Asuka and Vitolio- They’ve got a Tyce broadway routine which apparently features popping/locking. Tyce, since when is there popping on Broadway? The routine is better than normal Tyce, which puts it somewhere in the range of mediocre to good. Vitolio, however is really good. Like, he’s the only one I’m focusing on. But that may also be because Asuka seems really anemic. She’s low energy, her jumping looks weak, and, I dunno, it’s just meh. Routine and Asuka bad, Vitolio good. Shankers found the routine aritifical, Mary also felt the low energy and thought it was safe, and Nigel found their personality lacking.
Karla and Jonathan- They’ve got a Tony Meredith Cha Cha, and seem kind of into it (and each other) in the pre-package. It’s to “Poker Face” by Lady GaGa so I’m already predisposed to not like it. BUT, I think this is the best routine of the night so far, but I’m not sure if it’s gonna hold up over the two hours. They both seem good, and neither really outshines the other. They’re also a bit too smiley for me. But they nailed the sexiness, their partnering was great, they had chemistry, and it was fun to watch. Shankers thought it was really good, Mary liked the roughness of the cha cha, and Nigel thinks they’ll be remembered.
Randi and Evan- They’ve got a Tyce jazz. Tyce’s jazz is usually better than his broadway (e.g. the Adam and Eve routine last year), so I’m hopeful. It’s certainly one of the best Tyce routines I’ve ever seen. This time though, it’s not faint praise. I really like it. Evan is just banoodles. He’s captivating to watch. Randi definitely holds her own too. But it’s really good. I’m a definite fan. Shankers thinks they danced bigger than they are, Mary says this quashed any doubts she had about them, and Nigel thinks they’re a couple that’ll be talked about.
Paris and Tony- They’ve got another NappyTabs hip-hop. NappyTabs were really impressed with Paris, but needed to tell Tony to get meaner. It always seems to me that when NappyTabs do routines, they are 50% great, 50% not great. This is one of the great ones. Paris is crushing this. Tony I’m not as sold by. But I’d almost say I prefer this to the Phil/Jeanine one. Shankers found it hard to focus on their dancing, Mary thinks it wasn’t memorable, and Nigel thinks they were just doing steps, not dancing.
Caitlin and Jason- They’ve got a Bollywood routine by Nakul. Jason is worried about the precision of the movement. Their fingers are worried, and Nakul is worried that he’s throwing too much at them for week one. It’s good, but it’s mostly upper body movement it seems, and I would have lied to see a little bit more full body movement. They’re both really good, but Jason’s precision seems a bit better. But I’m impressed by how well they both handled the tough style. Shankers thought they, and Jason in particular, rocked. Mary scrams, and Nigel thought it was something beautiful to see.
Janette and Brandon- They’ve got a Louis van Amstel Foxtrot. Louis is new this season, and is stolen from Dancing with the Stars. I don’t really know about the technique for this, but I know that I REALLY enjoy watching it. They seem effortlessly graceful, they have personality, and Janette and Brandon each have moments where they shine. She’s maybe a little bit better, but they’re both really good. Shankers thought it was absolutely lovely, Mary thinks Janette was like Ginger Rogers tonight, and Nigel was shocked by Janette’s carriage. Mary also tells us that she can’t move her eyebrows anymore because of Botox, and it’s a genuinely great Mary Murphy moment.
Ashley and Kupono- They’ve got a Wade Robson routine about crash test dummies. And… I’m already sold on just the concept. Wade ain’t lookin too good though. It is, to semi-quote Mia Michaels beautifully, disastrously weird. Kupono is just fantastic and Ashley is pretty darn good too. Parts of it are overly distracting and I fear this may just be too out there for America, but I like it a bunch. It’s not my favorite Wade routine ever, and in fact its probably towards the bottom of my Wade list, but that still places it above the entire oeuvre of Tyce and most of NappyTabs. Shankers found their technique to be exquisite, Mary bought the routine 100%, and Nigel felt moved to another world by it.
Melissa and Ade- They’ve got a Mandy Moore contemporary about that moment when you first fall in love. Mandy is a choreographer who has only been getting better recently, so I’m excited. This is… absolutely beautiful. Probably my favorite so far. They both rock it. Graceful, strong, pretty, connected. Shankers found it to be special, Mary gives them a scream and found it totally believeable, and Nigel thinks America has a lot more to look forward to from them.
Kayla and Max- They’ve got a Louis van Amstel Samba. Kayla’s never done ballroom, but Max is ballroom, so he’s looking to help her out this week. To start, Kayla looks stunning. The dance itself is pretty hot. Again, I know nothing about ballroom technique, so I can’t really judge, but their footwork looks great, their connection is great, and they even seem to know how to play to the cameras. It’s quite good, and a good way to end the show. Shankers bursts with praise, Mary places them onto the Hot Tamale train, and Nigel found it sensational.
My Ranking of the Couples:
1)Melissa and Ade
2)Brandon and Janette
3)Evan and Randi
4)Kupono and Ashley
5)Kayla and Max
6)Caitlin and Jason
7)Karla and Jonathan
8)Paris and Tony
9)Philip and Jeanine
10)Asuka and Vitolio
Who Should Be Worried: Asuka and Vitolio and Paris and Tony both definitely need to be prepping solos. Philip and Jeanine will probably be buoyed by Phil’s popularity, so Karla and Jonathan should be worried as well.
Who I’d Send Home: For the guys, it’s definitely Tony. He’s just not on the same level as the others. For the girls, it should probably be Asuka.
Who I Think is Actually Going Home: Since the show always has that one dancer who they keep to try to teach, I have the feeling Tony’s gonna survive this week, which doesn’t bode well for Vitolio. Given the show’s love of Asuka, I’d say it’s a 50/50 shot between her and Paris.
What did you guys think? Pleased with season 5 so far?
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
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