I can agree with all of those. I think the top two will be Jakob and Kathryn, even though I think Russell is more likable and Ellenore is more interesting.
- Jason Huebel
Totally agree. I was overall pleased with many of the dances tonight (which seems to be rare this season) and that one was particularly good.
- Rachel Lea Fox
The solos were good, too. Russell and Legacy shine in those moments.
- Jason Toney
Absolutely. I love Sonya and Ellenore in all their weirdness. :-) They were a perfect matchup of dancer and choreographer. Jakob danced it well, too.
- Jason Huebel
As for the Legacy and Russell, I'm still not all that impressed by Legacy. His solos are good, I'll grant you that. But most of his other dancing just doesn't ring true. I get this "notice me, me, me" vibe from him throughout the dance and then during judging. Love Russell, though. He seems like a nice guy, dances really well, seems to have concern for his partner's welfare and is accepting of the judge's criticism (as little as there has been this year).
- Jason Huebel
I thought Legacy's dad's interview and behavior in the audience was telling. There's a life he's trying to escape through dance.
- Jason Toney
Was it just me or did it seem like Legacy wasn't entire thrilled about his dad being there? Is that what you meant Jason?
- Jason Huebel
My favorite line of all the interviews in SYTYCD tonight (I won't say who): "Being able to step out on that stage and do what I love-- it's kind of like life being perfect."
"Do you have an official reason for leaving? There were so many rumors flying about. You know what, it was 5 years I was on the show, I was there from day one and I felt like I had all these opportunities in front of me that I was looking into, from my own show to another touring show to a clothing line to books and I didn't have time to dive into all these projects because I was focusing so much on "So You Think." I just thought I wasn't growing anymore, honestly. I felt like as an artist I was getting caught up in just grinding out duets and there's so much more to me than that. I felt like I needed to expand myself as an artist and a brand and a director/producer/creator, as opposed to just a choreographer. Do you think you might be back on the US one this season or probably not until next summer? I don't know. If I do it'll probably be towards the end of the season, but I don't know. It's all open for discussion."
- Rachel Lea Fox
from Bookmarklet
I didn't know she'd left. I can understand this though. It would be nice if they had a much wider array of choreographers (and guest choreographers) so that a given person might just create one or two dances in a season. They'd be able to put a lot more of their heart in to it.
- Kevin Fox
i remembered seeing her tweet that she was saying goodbye to sytycd....very close to when adam shankman was made permanent judge...not sure if it is related.
- Pokai
I didn't know she'd left either, but I like her choreography so I'll be happy if she comes back.
- Shannon Jiménez
Pokai, it might be. And btw, I HATE having Adam as a permanent judge. He is not a great judge, often doesn't know what he is talking about and I really miss the rotating judges and getting to hear a variety of opinions. :(
- Rachel Lea Fox
I don't hate Adam. I think he is wonderful as a person, but he tends to be too nice. I agree. Variety is better.....
- Pokai
I dunno. He was the least interesting of the guys, IMO. So I didn't have a problem with sending him home. And I /definitely/ agreed with the girl they sent home. She was kinda giving off the pouty Emo-girl vibe.
- Jason Huebel
I felt the same as you, Pokai. I felt like they were completely pandering when they kept Mollie. They want everyone to dance like they have some kind of dance Tourettes?
- Shannon Jiménez
On a more serious note, the dances have been good tonight so far (except for the aforementioned waltz). Even so, the judges seem to be giving everyone a pass on their mistakes. I've still got about half an hour left though.
- Shannon Jiménez
i agree...not with the legacy shirt thing, but the fact the dances were good tonight. the choreographers tice and sonya really did well. loved all their dances including the can can. I do feel that there is a conscious effort to have Nigel do the nasty criticisms....like American Idol.
- Pokai
*sigh* Another boring week. And is it me or are they really not trying very hard with the lighting and such for the performances? This has been such a mediocre season.
I wasn't really looking forward to that anyway, but I do miss when they seemed to critique instead of skirt around it.
- Amber, Random Time Lord
Well, you know the group of dancers are weak (relatively speaking) when the judges start coddling them. And I think they're doing exactly that this year. We all know they should be far more critical of these dancers than they're being. So obviously the dancers aren't up to par with some previous seasons.
- Jason Huebel
I actually don't think the dancers are weak but I think they've gone with so much trained talent and demanded that the dancers be able to work in multiple styles that the magic is lost a bit. Outside of Russell and Jakob (and Noelle, who I just happen to like) there aren't any dancers who seem capable of transcendental moments. And the lack of voting the first two weeks seemed even more problematic than I thought it would be. Wade Robson's group dances are still awesome though.
- Jason Toney
hahaha! us too, only much further back apparently :)
- Karen
Karen hopefully we will run into you! I think we know like 20 people going tonight. But I have no clue where anyone is. I just know we got lucky and are super close!!
- Rachel Lea Fox
from iPhone
Question: How well do you think that Nathan and Mollee did tonight? Not do you like them or not. Not did you enjoy it. How well do you think that they did?
I thought that they did better than last week, but that it was still messy. They were out of sync several times throughout and were not connected to the dance. They looked like they were thinking about it a lot. And they didn't look that they thought they did well while they were talking over to the judges either. I was so surprised when the judges didn't call them on ANYTHING!
- Rachel Lea Fox
I am actually pretty indifferent about it. The judges weren't as nitpicky as they should have been for anyone. I didn't see improvement in the dancing, unfortunately.
- Amber, Random Time Lord
I thought that in general a lot of the dances were good and one person was possibly great but the other wasn't. However in this one the review really bugged me. I didn't expect the horrible review they got last week. But I did expect some flaws to be pointed out. But Mary even said they were together... and yeah, about half the time, the other half they weren't. The audience even seemed underwhelmed to me when they were done and yet they got a very good review. I don't know, it just felt very strange.
- Rachel Lea Fox
Both of us thought that they didn't do very well (though better than last week). I thought the judges were going to be a lot harder on them, but maybe they were worried about more people calling to support them in response to negative feedback?
- Shannon Jiménez
they did better than last week, but the choreography this week didn't challenge them, so I believe judges didn't have anything particularly bad they could say. i do believe the judges are worried about the backlash vote, but they did hint that nathan and mollee should look at the other AMAZING dances from this week....
- Pokai
So I actually sat down to watch the show, live even, and the choreographers are getting lazy. I don't want to see the remix of the routine you put out 2 seasons ago. Especially since the latest ones are so close together.
Yeah, I thought she was fine in the Broadway and the judges were too harsh on her. Amazing how I've done a complete 180 on Legacy and Kathryn since Vegas.
- Rebecca Sun
I just started watching tonight's episode, but I have to say, I did not see what made the judges go all gaga over Karen and Kevin's hustle. It was good, but not THAT good.
So I'm totally bored with SYTYCD right now. Two weeks of Top 20 performances and we haven't been allowed to vote yet. So we'll be at the Top 16 before we get a chance to vote. Not that I'm particularly impressed by most of the dancers.
Russell is the only dancer I really care much for. He's a natural, considering he's had no formal training. And his enthusiasm is infectious. Other than him... meh.
- Jason Huebel
I don't know, I was pleasantly surprised by Legacy (who I thought was going to suck beyond belief) and I think cutie Mollee is showing she's not just all giggle. I agree that Russell is awesome, but I'm not discounting all the rest.
- Shannon Jiménez
@Shannon, Mollee is improving and maturing quickly. I'm still not sold on her, though. Legacy just annoys me because, well, he's named "Legacy". He did dance well, though.
- Jason Huebel
He annoys me because he is arrogant enough to insist that they call him Legacy and not his real name.
- Amber, Random Time Lord
Just getting a chance to see last night's show/elimination. WTF?! Russell had to dance for his life? If he got cut, I won't watch this season. Seriously. (I'm about to watch them dance for their lives now.)
Relieved to see that Russell was not cut. The other little dude who was brought in as a replacement the day before the show, then was cut got a really bad deal. Since he's been in the top 20, he isn't technically eligible for the show again. But it sounds like Nygel will do him right and get an exception for him.
- Jason Huebel
I think that was bull. She could have danced with the choreographer assistant and them not gotten that guys hopes up just to let him go the next day (literally).
- Amber, Random Time Lord
Can't argue Amber. I think they really did a HUGE disservice to that kid. They brought him in, he killed himself to be ready for the show the next day, then they cut him. And to matters worse, the judges cut him-- not the public. So he was basically just a sacrificial lamb so they wouldn't have to cut one of the other male dancers.
- Jason Huebel
tyce: "you have to say that I'm a star. i'm here. you are not getting rid of me. stand on your feet and be amazing everytime. if not, then you have to go home." [plus tyce's finger sashaying]
This whole season has been shrouded in meh. Even on the first show it was the top 17 and some wildcards. I don't understand why they just didn't have the one girl dance with the choreographer instead of bringing in the one dude like a tease (which might have screwed him out of being able to come back and he only had a day to get the dance down).
I think there's a lot of talent this season and have high hopes, but I seriously disagreed with the judges on singling out Russell instead of Kevin (who looked stiff during the whole chacha) and basically making Brandon fly across the country for nothing. Also, Legacy seriously lucked out getting hiphop for his first dance. I think he's going to be as one-note as Philip was.
- Shannon Jiménez
I think they just wanted to see Russell do a solo, but Kevin did look like utter crap up there. Plus I think they did that since the last few times someone was injured like that, there partner automatically had to do a solo anyway.
- Amber, Random Time Lord
Did anyone else know that Chelsie Hightower is now on Dancing with the Stars? She is still just as annoying, but good for her. ABC.com - Dancing With The Stars - Bios - http://abc.go.com/shows...
"Chelsie Hightower Celebrity Partner: Louie Vito Style: Latin and Ballroom Nationality: American Did You Know? Performed with singer Jewel in concert BACKGROUND: We're all pretty impressed that Chelsie has accomplished so much at such a young age. Do you realize that ever since she began competing at a high-level in ballroom, Chelsie has been in the finals and ranked as one of the top three couples in the country?! Not bad. Not bad at all. In 2006, Chelsie was a finalist on TV's So You Think You Can Dance where one judge said, "You move so well, you could make a mannequin look good." That's good news for some of the guys around here who look quite wooden whenever they try to bust a move. Chelsie has been helping other learn to dance since she was 15. She moved to North Carolina to teach and would fly to New York on weekends for lessons. She has been teaching at Center Stage in Utah where she's helped many students win national titles. She also teaches abroad. As busy as you are, Chelsie, we're so glad you found some time to do a little Dancing With The Stars!"
- Rachel Lea Fox
from Bookmarklet
This is her second or third season on DWTS. She's not all that annoying anymore, IMO. But she's not my favorite pro dancer.
- Jason Huebel
Oh I don't know, I only saw one episode with here and she was throwing herself on her partner and giggling and acting all cute and flirty and fake and I found that very annoying.
- Rachel Lea Fox
Well, she's the youngest pro on the show, so I give her some slack in that regard. She's a kid, really.
- Jason Huebel
Jason, I think that is the problem. She is too young. She doesn't have the maturity to be on tv in a show not for teenagers.
- Rachel Lea Fox
I love the crumper and that he is also trained in other styles!! I am excited to see if the makes the show. However I think Tyce is moody, inconsistent and annoying, but that is me.
- Rachel Lea Fox
That guy was not only the best crumper I think I've seen, but the fact that he's trained in many other styles bodes well -- I hope he can carry it all the way.
- Paul Wilcox
I really liked the crumper as well. I also thought Tyce was a complete asshole-- especially with the hip-hop guy who came back after two years who he gave all sorts of crap for not dancing contemporary. WTF? Hip-hop is his style! Vegas is where people show how flexible they are, style-wise, not in the audition. And did anyone else not see what made them send the guy in the plaid pants...
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- Shannon Jiménez
Don't get why the plaid guy went thru either. The hip hop guy was kind of mediocre.
- Amber, Random Time Lord
I agree Shannon. and it was very inconsistent and hypocritical. He didn't give the break dancer or the crumper any lip for not showing the other styles they were trained in. It was just that the poor hip hopper came at the end of one of his sugar lows (guessing) where he was getting on everyone's case for anything and so he got on his case too. It was stupid! The crumper studied ballet,...
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- Rachel Lea Fox
I thought the plaid guy was good, but I expected him to go to choreography.
- Rachel Lea Fox
Agreed. The plaid guy was alright, but didn't seem to have strong training, just a really interesting solo. The hip hop guy was decent, but Tyce just went nuts on him for no good reason. I think that's why Nigel stared Tyce down and said that he should at least go to choreo. Personally, I think the ice cream girl didn't even need to go to choreo, but I'm happy she still made it to Vegas.
- Keith Bourgoin
Re: plaid guy, I think I've noticed a trend where the first dancer is either awful or gets sent to Vegas. I'm guessing they want to start the show with either a happy story or something horrific, which may help keep casual channel-flipping viewers watching the show. Since plaid guy wasn't terrible (maybe the Assistant Producer who pulled him out of the line for interviews and to go first guessed he'd totally suck?) so he got a Vegas ticket. I bet he'll get cut there.
- Paul Wilcox
Tyce seems to think that being an asshole is the way to seem more important. He's a pretty shallow, self-important person.
- Kevin Fox
I <3 you guys. Tyce is rude, annoying and self-absorbed. As for the krumper, I think he's one of my favorite dancers. I always love an underdog with no training but obvious natural talent. Just like Joshua from a couple seasons ago.
- Jason Huebel
Can someone please tell Lil C to STFU? Honestly, does he even understanding the crap the spews from his mouth? I'm embarrassed for him when he goes off on his verbal tangents.
lil c, mia michaels, tyce will not be sitting on judges panel, because adam shankman is now resident judge. however, paula abdul will probably pop in.
- Pokai
from Bookmarklet
Tyce really kind of annoys me, to be honest. I love his choreography, but I really don't like him. I like everything about Adam Shankman, though. He's awesome.
- Jason Huebel
And I couldn't care less about Paula Abdul. We already have Mary, who is the entertainment from the judges. And we have Lil C, who comes up with these convoluted explanations of what he thought of a dancer. So we don't need any more entertainment or useless commentary from the judges at this point.
- Jason Huebel
+1 Jill, "spaz" is a great word for her.
- Jason Huebel
Someone needs to teach Adam Shankman how to whisper if he must comment while the person is dancing. Also, why do they have to cut to the judges' reactions so much, rather than just showing the dancer? It's jarring and I want to see the dancing, not the judges. /vent