Lists
First of all - already an injury? ALREADY?! It's only the first week! What the heck. This time it's Mitchell, who I barely remember, so it does not bode well for him. He will already be in the bottom tomorrow night, so he'll have to do something amazing to not get das boot right off the bat. Sorry Mitchell, sucks for you this time.
Joining Nigel and Mary on the judging panel tonight was Megan Mullally. Are they going to be doing this stunt judging every week? I mean, yes, Megan has a background in dance and theater, but I prefer when it's a choreographer type up there as the third judge. But she had some good comments, so it's fine.
Okay. Now onto the actual stuff this show is about, supposedly - the dancing. I love how they pretend they pull these routines out of a hat. Really? The ballroom dancer just happens to get ballroom? Broadway gets broadway? Hip hop gets hip hop? That is not random, that is giving everyone a fair shake on the first week of performances. Fair enough, but this was not drawn out of a hat. And the partners aren't either, for that matter. Jess was not going to get Iveta, who would tower over him. Down the line that could happen, but not for the original partners.
Anyway, I'm rambling. I'm going to go through the list of dances tonight in the order of my favorites. None of them straight up sucked, but most of them were mostly good but not great, in my humble little recapper opinion.
Melanie and Marko. Okay, first of all? This is like my dream partnership. I kid you not, these two are my two personal favorite contestants of this season so far. And paired together? Magical. On top of which, they got to dance a Travis Wall contemporary routine, which will probably forever be known as the statue routine. Though, as Nigel commented, it was not perfect, it showed they have room to grow, which is what this show is all about. And come on. That choreography was a work of art, I adored the concept. M&M for the win!
Iveta and Nick. What's this? A quickstep is one of my favorite routines of the night? But isn't it the most dreaded of routines to get? It is if you're not a world champion like Iveta. If Nick had been partnered with anyone else, I'm sure it would've been about a million times harder for him to do, but hey, he did it really well. Not that I know what a world class quickstep looks like, but I actually enjoyed this one, which never happens! Nick is also one of my favorites of the season, so I'm glad he knocked it out since I was weary upon finding out he'd be with Iveta, who bugs me in some way. I also used to tap when I was a kid, so maybe I'm biased to like Nick already. Whatever, you can't tell me that wasn't good.
Missy and Wadi. I really did not know much about these two going into their Sean Cheesman jazz number, but boy did they luck out on some really cool choreography. They were the sexy demons coming out of Pandora's Box, and it worked. In my notes I wrote how he had never partnered before and he was the best partner so far. That was about midway through the show, but he really was one of the best partners of the night. Plus, getting to see him do some of those crazy jumping off walls moves? Awesome.
Caitlynn. Caitlynn was originally supposed to dance with Mitchell, the injured dude, but since he was out, guess who filled in? None other than the lovely Robert from last season. And in a Sonya Tayeh jazz number, no less! Mary also hinted that he'd be one of the all stars coming on later this season, to which I say: yes! Anyway, back to the dance. I must admit that I prefer when Sonya goes totally wacky with her routines, but this more conventional one was still good. Though Caitlynn has not had much screentime before now, she did a good job of shining alongside Robert.
Ryan and Ricky. They get this spot more for the choreography by Chris Scott than they do for their performances. Because honestly, Ryan, it made no sense for you to be smiling so big the entire time. If you have to explain yourself later, something isn't coming across. That being said, while I appear to have some kind of something against Ryan and her weird limbs, I will say that she is a good dancer. I also find it hilarious how they're trying to make it look like Ricky could be in love with Ryan when he's so clearly gay. He might love her, but he's not in love with her. Am I being offensive? Hope not.
Jordan and Tadd. The best part of this African jazz routine by Sean Cheesman was that I would not have been able to tell that Tadd was a b-boy based on his performance. He straight up danced that thing, and danced it well. Jordan did fine too, but I'm going to be honest. She bugs me. She's the Mollee of this season for me. There's always one girl who grates on my nerves, and she unfortunately has won that role this time around. And I swear she said amplode instead of implode in the opening piece, which is not okay. That is not a word.
Sasha and Alexander. These two got the other Travis Wall contemporary of the night, and while I usually adore Travis' choreography, I think it's safe to say that the statue one just made this one look silly. Not that it was bad or anything, but I wanted to like it more than I did. Sasha definitely stood out waaaay more than Alexander in this routine, as all of the judges were quick to point out. I think Sasha has come into the top 20 with a fan base already in place, so they probably won't be in the bottom three this week, but I'm not sure how long she will be able to pull Alexander along with her unless he steps it up.
Clarice and Jess. What's funny about this couple is how much older she seems than him. I'm not sure there is even that big of an age difference, but he looks like a little boy next to her, and it makes the chemistry hard to see. Is it just me, or did she seem like she doesn't really like him? I could be crazy. Anyway, these two had a Tyce Diorio Broadway piece. I didn't hate it, which is always a step in the right direction when it comes to Tyce Broadway pieces. Because I usually hate them. If that wasn't clear. That being said, while Jess is a good dancer, there's something about his personality that just comes off as arrogant. Some of it has to do with that Broadway personality type, which I understand, but I don't know.
Miranda and Robert. Now listen, Robert has a great personality. As Nigel pointed out, he probably has the biggest personalty out of all of the contestants this season. But personality can only take a contestant so far, and this Latin jive dance from Jason Gilkison was clearly out of his wheelhouse. And not to diss Miranda, who was perfectly serviceable, but... she wasn't memorable. And when there are so many other memorable girls in this top 20, I'm not sure coasting on Robert's personality alone is enough. And also as Nigel mentioned, people will either love his woos or hate his woos. I'm on the fence myself.
Ashley and Chris. If any couple miffed it tonight, it was these two, dancing a Chris Scott hip hop routine. They were just not hitting it hard enough for me. Which is a shame, because I like Chris. The judges were being really nice to them, but I feel like it was just to give them some help this week since it was the first week. I don't think it was enough to keep them out of danger, since they aren't people who've been given a lot of screentime already. They were off on some of their moves that were supposed to be at the same time. I don't know, just not that great.
But who's going to be in the bottom three couples come tomorrow? I don't know! It will be the true testament of who America already likes. I think Ashley and Chris are in danger, and we already know Mitchell will be in the bottom. But who else will be joining them? Let me know who you think in the comments!
By the way, dance fans. Some friends and I are doing this fantasy league thing on HitFix where you rank the players every week and get points if you guess who's going home. If you want to join our league, here's the info:
Go HERE
Either sign up or use your facebook account to login.
Click join a league and enter in this information:
League Name: If Lil C and Sonya had a baby
Password: 1awesomekid
Should be fun!
Previous Episode -- Next Episode
- Sytycd: Season 8 Finale
Can you believe the season is already over? This summer has just flown by so incredibly quickly, it's crazy. But, yes, everything must come to an end eventually, and tonight was the crowning of season eight's America's Favorite Dancer. It...
- Sytycd S8: Top 12 Perform
First, an embarrassing confession: Travis Wall was in my dream last night. We were hanging out, and then when I went to leave, I ran into his car, which was just some really old Honda or something. Ah, unconscious, what does it all mean?! That maybe recapping...
- Sytycd S8: Top 14 Perform
Travis Wall is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only was he a great contestant, he's turned out to also be an amazing choreographer, AND a superb guest judge! That's right, Travis was one of the two guest judges tonight, the other of which was...
- Sytycd S8: Top 16 Results
Okay, first, I must give an ill-formed "we're not worthy" bow to the second guest couple on tonight's show. And also to the Axis Dance Company. I wish I was being more fastidious and listening to names and things, but, um. Whoops? If you know...
- Sytycd S8: Top 16 Perform
It's late, so I'm keeping this as short as possible tonight. For the top 16 performance show, we had two guest judges join Nigel and Mary - Lil C and Kristin Chenoweth. Now I know I've been kind of complaining about the stunt casting of judges...
Lists
SYTYCD S8: Top 20 Perform
First of all - already an injury? ALREADY?! It's only the first week! What the heck. This time it's Mitchell, who I barely remember, so it does not bode well for him. He will already be in the bottom tomorrow night, so he'll have to do something amazing to not get das boot right off the bat. Sorry Mitchell, sucks for you this time.
Joining Nigel and Mary on the judging panel tonight was Megan Mullally. Are they going to be doing this stunt judging every week? I mean, yes, Megan has a background in dance and theater, but I prefer when it's a choreographer type up there as the third judge. But she had some good comments, so it's fine.
Okay. Now onto the actual stuff this show is about, supposedly - the dancing. I love how they pretend they pull these routines out of a hat. Really? The ballroom dancer just happens to get ballroom? Broadway gets broadway? Hip hop gets hip hop? That is not random, that is giving everyone a fair shake on the first week of performances. Fair enough, but this was not drawn out of a hat. And the partners aren't either, for that matter. Jess was not going to get Iveta, who would tower over him. Down the line that could happen, but not for the original partners.Anyway, I'm rambling. I'm going to go through the list of dances tonight in the order of my favorites. None of them straight up sucked, but most of them were mostly good but not great, in my humble little recapper opinion.
Melanie and Marko. Okay, first of all? This is like my dream partnership. I kid you not, these two are my two personal favorite contestants of this season so far. And paired together? Magical. On top of which, they got to dance a Travis Wall contemporary routine, which will probably forever be known as the statue routine. Though, as Nigel commented, it was not perfect, it showed they have room to grow, which is what this show is all about. And come on. That choreography was a work of art, I adored the concept. M&M for the win!
Iveta and Nick. What's this? A quickstep is one of my favorite routines of the night? But isn't it the most dreaded of routines to get? It is if you're not a world champion like Iveta. If Nick had been partnered with anyone else, I'm sure it would've been about a million times harder for him to do, but hey, he did it really well. Not that I know what a world class quickstep looks like, but I actually enjoyed this one, which never happens! Nick is also one of my favorites of the season, so I'm glad he knocked it out since I was weary upon finding out he'd be with Iveta, who bugs me in some way. I also used to tap when I was a kid, so maybe I'm biased to like Nick already. Whatever, you can't tell me that wasn't good.
Missy and Wadi. I really did not know much about these two going into their Sean Cheesman jazz number, but boy did they luck out on some really cool choreography. They were the sexy demons coming out of Pandora's Box, and it worked. In my notes I wrote how he had never partnered before and he was the best partner so far. That was about midway through the show, but he really was one of the best partners of the night. Plus, getting to see him do some of those crazy jumping off walls moves? Awesome.
Caitlynn. Caitlynn was originally supposed to dance with Mitchell, the injured dude, but since he was out, guess who filled in? None other than the lovely Robert from last season. And in a Sonya Tayeh jazz number, no less! Mary also hinted that he'd be one of the all stars coming on later this season, to which I say: yes! Anyway, back to the dance. I must admit that I prefer when Sonya goes totally wacky with her routines, but this more conventional one was still good. Though Caitlynn has not had much screentime before now, she did a good job of shining alongside Robert.
Ryan and Ricky. They get this spot more for the choreography by Chris Scott than they do for their performances. Because honestly, Ryan, it made no sense for you to be smiling so big the entire time. If you have to explain yourself later, something isn't coming across. That being said, while I appear to have some kind of something against Ryan and her weird limbs, I will say that she is a good dancer. I also find it hilarious how they're trying to make it look like Ricky could be in love with Ryan when he's so clearly gay. He might love her, but he's not in love with her. Am I being offensive? Hope not.
Jordan and Tadd. The best part of this African jazz routine by Sean Cheesman was that I would not have been able to tell that Tadd was a b-boy based on his performance. He straight up danced that thing, and danced it well. Jordan did fine too, but I'm going to be honest. She bugs me. She's the Mollee of this season for me. There's always one girl who grates on my nerves, and she unfortunately has won that role this time around. And I swear she said amplode instead of implode in the opening piece, which is not okay. That is not a word.
Sasha and Alexander. These two got the other Travis Wall contemporary of the night, and while I usually adore Travis' choreography, I think it's safe to say that the statue one just made this one look silly. Not that it was bad or anything, but I wanted to like it more than I did. Sasha definitely stood out waaaay more than Alexander in this routine, as all of the judges were quick to point out. I think Sasha has come into the top 20 with a fan base already in place, so they probably won't be in the bottom three this week, but I'm not sure how long she will be able to pull Alexander along with her unless he steps it up.
Clarice and Jess. What's funny about this couple is how much older she seems than him. I'm not sure there is even that big of an age difference, but he looks like a little boy next to her, and it makes the chemistry hard to see. Is it just me, or did she seem like she doesn't really like him? I could be crazy. Anyway, these two had a Tyce Diorio Broadway piece. I didn't hate it, which is always a step in the right direction when it comes to Tyce Broadway pieces. Because I usually hate them. If that wasn't clear. That being said, while Jess is a good dancer, there's something about his personality that just comes off as arrogant. Some of it has to do with that Broadway personality type, which I understand, but I don't know.
Miranda and Robert. Now listen, Robert has a great personality. As Nigel pointed out, he probably has the biggest personalty out of all of the contestants this season. But personality can only take a contestant so far, and this Latin jive dance from Jason Gilkison was clearly out of his wheelhouse. And not to diss Miranda, who was perfectly serviceable, but... she wasn't memorable. And when there are so many other memorable girls in this top 20, I'm not sure coasting on Robert's personality alone is enough. And also as Nigel mentioned, people will either love his woos or hate his woos. I'm on the fence myself.
Ashley and Chris. If any couple miffed it tonight, it was these two, dancing a Chris Scott hip hop routine. They were just not hitting it hard enough for me. Which is a shame, because I like Chris. The judges were being really nice to them, but I feel like it was just to give them some help this week since it was the first week. I don't think it was enough to keep them out of danger, since they aren't people who've been given a lot of screentime already. They were off on some of their moves that were supposed to be at the same time. I don't know, just not that great.
But who's going to be in the bottom three couples come tomorrow? I don't know! It will be the true testament of who America already likes. I think Ashley and Chris are in danger, and we already know Mitchell will be in the bottom. But who else will be joining them? Let me know who you think in the comments!
By the way, dance fans. Some friends and I are doing this fantasy league thing on HitFix where you rank the players every week and get points if you guess who's going home. If you want to join our league, here's the info:
Go HERE
Either sign up or use your facebook account to login.
Click join a league and enter in this information:
League Name: If Lil C and Sonya had a baby
Password: 1awesomekid
Should be fun!
Previous Episode -- Next Episode
- Sytycd: Season 8 Finale
Can you believe the season is already over? This summer has just flown by so incredibly quickly, it's crazy. But, yes, everything must come to an end eventually, and tonight was the crowning of season eight's America's Favorite Dancer. It...
- Sytycd S8: Top 12 Perform
First, an embarrassing confession: Travis Wall was in my dream last night. We were hanging out, and then when I went to leave, I ran into his car, which was just some really old Honda or something. Ah, unconscious, what does it all mean?! That maybe recapping...
- Sytycd S8: Top 14 Perform
Travis Wall is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only was he a great contestant, he's turned out to also be an amazing choreographer, AND a superb guest judge! That's right, Travis was one of the two guest judges tonight, the other of which was...
- Sytycd S8: Top 16 Results
Okay, first, I must give an ill-formed "we're not worthy" bow to the second guest couple on tonight's show. And also to the Axis Dance Company. I wish I was being more fastidious and listening to names and things, but, um. Whoops? If you know...
- Sytycd S8: Top 16 Perform
It's late, so I'm keeping this as short as possible tonight. For the top 16 performance show, we had two guest judges join Nigel and Mary - Lil C and Kristin Chenoweth. Now I know I've been kind of complaining about the stunt casting of judges...