Critic Girl

If you missed the episode, try to catch it here!

My Top 3 Dances from the Top 14:

1) Kayla & Kupono- contemporary by Sonya- “Twilight” dance

2) Caitlin & Jason- jazz by Brian Friedman- alien impregnation dance

3) Karla & Vitolio- quickstep by Jean Marc Genereaux

My Couple Power Rankings, Top 12:

1. Janette & Brandon (never been in the bottom, and Brandon is SYTYCD’s golden child- plus, they haven’t pulled their own styles yet)
2. Melissa & Ade (technically brilliant, and have never made a mistake)
3. Kayla & Kupono (may have been in bottom 3 last week, but gave one of the best performances, plus Kayla is a judges’ pet and Kupono is improving)
4. Jeanine & Phillip (been rough lately, but Jeanine and Phillip showed why they should be there with their solos this week)
5. Caitlin & Jason (if you can live through the much ballyhooed alien impregnation dance, you can do anything)
6. Randi & Evan (Randi’s been dancing heavy, Evan hasn’t lived up to expectations- I see backlash in the future- plus, they haven’t even pulled a challenging dance yet!)

My Individual Power Rankings, Top 12:

1. Brandon
2. Melissa
3. Ade
4. Kayla
5. Kupono
6. Jeanine
7. Janette
8. Phillip
9. Jason
10. Caitlin
11. Randi
12. Evan

My favorite performance of the Top 18:

The move from the top 18 to the top 18 meant two painful and confusing cuts. Lost from the girls was Ashley, and from the guys, Max. Ashley seemed like a pretty good dancer, and I felt for her because she had tried out so many times, only to be cut from the top 18. Ouch. And it wasn’t even her fault she was in the bottom 3! Kupono, her partner, destroyed the routine, which wasn’t that great to begin with- I’m sorry, bu Shane Sparks is no Tabitha and Napoleon. Max getting cut made sense- he doesn’t fit the young, Zac Efron-cute, contemporary or hip-hop mold of male dancers. He just wasn’t right, and it’s a shame because I love the male Russian ballroom dancers. Pasha is my favorite SYTYCD contestant yet. But I digress, someone had to be cut.

Ashley’s solo was definitely the weakest, with just some posing by the stairs- always a deadly solo move. But I think Max’s ballroom “Footloose” routine had more substance that Kupono’s spiritedly quirky solo. Kupono should’ve left, but he was a more intriguing character, and after all, SYTYCD is a television show for America’s favorite dancer, not the best.

That leaves Kupono and Kayla as a couple, and I think they’re going to emerge as a power couple. Both are strong dancers, who have bright personalities and are attractive. Reminds me of Chelsie and Mark from last year, another girlie blond and quirky Hawaiian duo, who made it pretty far…

TOP 16 RANKINGS

1. Janette & Brandon- two smashing performances to date, and not exactly in the most entertaining genres
2. Karla & Jonathan- an amazing comeback from the first week with the best performance of week two
3. Jeanine & Phillip- they were dreadful this week, but Phillip is definitely the most beloved dancer this season
4. Melissa & Ade- two weeks of strong performances, but I fear they’re not compelling enough personality-wise
5. Randi & Evan- these two are cute and have chemistry, and I think they’ll bounce back quickly
6. Kayla & Kupono- a new partnership with huge potential
7. Caitlin & Jason- they are cute together, but I think they don’t have long-term potential…
8. Asuka & Vitolio- the waltz was okay, but not tear-worthy, and I think they’re in serious trouble

Mark, my favorite, was ousted before the finals. Urgh.

The season’s final dancers were revealed Thursday night, and I was deeply disappointed. I have no right to complain, though, because I didn’t vote. I was really pulling for Mark, and to a lesser extent, Chelsie. It’s just like last year, when my personal fave, Pasha, was sent packing right before the finals. Now I’m left with absolutely no one to root for next week. I mean, Katee is bland and she’s been receiving biased treatment from the judges and producers. Joshua’s okay, but he never has exactly grabbed my attention. I certainly didn’t expect Courtney to make it through. As for Twitch, I love him as a solo dancer, but not so much as a pairs dancer.

So, I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t think I’m going to watch So You Think You Can Dance next week. Seeing the popping battle looks like fun, and that is probably the only thing I’ll tune in for. Last year they had the dancers perform the greatest hits from the season, but I can’t think of a single truly memorable performance this year. Maybe because of the choreographers, maybe because of the dancers. There just hasn’t been a Wade Robson hummingbird or Mandy Moore table moment. I don’t even think the winner is going to be that surprising. Without a doubt, I think Joshua will win.

All I can do is wait for season 5 and hope it’s better. And I think I’m going to root for Courtney and Twitch, just because they’re the underdogs and I want to overthrow the system. Reality show anarchy!

Here’s the place I recommend to get footage of the results and performance shows.

Will was shockingly eliminated.

 

On Thursday evening, we were treated to the most shocking elimination on the show this year. This season has been marked by unremarkable performances, dull personalities, and weak choreography. It was a nice change to see something exciting and unexpected; the elimination of Will, as horrible as it sounds, breathed fresh air into the show. I had been growing more and more perturbed by the judges’ incessant fawning over Katee and Will, and I started caring more about the underdogs. This excessive heaps of praise plus the annoying “IV Real” thing that everyone talks about on the show were really starting to bug me. Cat and the others repetitively saying “for real,” making that arm gesture, and wearing “IV Real” T-shirts without actually mentioning what it means excludes the audience from their little in-joke. It hurts our feelings! Not really, but it would be nice if they stopped doing it. We get it, you’re part of season 4, and you can make clever little puns. Good for you. It was funny and intriguing the first time. Now it’s getting old. And I think that’s part of the reason that Will was eliminated; he was consistently praised to death, and he was one of the originators of the “IV Real” movement.

There are, of course, other reasons that could have played a part. He was reminiscent of last year’s Danny in that he was probably a little too talented and a little too arrogant for the show. The judges’ realized his talent and quickly began reaffirming his greatness at every opportunity, not thinking that the audience could deduce this independently. His early partnering with the unmemorable Jessica didn’t help. His James Brown solo on Wednesday night was gimmicky and as far as you can get from humble and honest, and I was shocked to see a standing ovation from the judges. Really?! His routines with Courtney were well choreographed, and they got the one better options of dances, yet they performed sloppily on their first routine. The second routine could have blown the world away, but the chemistry, emotion, and sharpness wasn’t there. This didn’t stop the judges, especially Nigel and Mary, from saying how absolutely amazing they were.

Anyway, Will, Twitch, Comfort, and Courtney ended up in the bottom. The choice of girls was expected, and Comfort finally went home, which was a shock to no one. She has routinely dragged down her partners into an abyss, yet she has always came back somehow. I was shocked, however, that Twitch ended up in the bottom. He’s not overpraised, so what gives? I was definitely glad to see him stay. Here’s hoping next week we get a better guest judge (the ever bitchy Mia Michaels or eloquent Lil’ C), some better choreography (Wade Robson, where are you?! Paging Shane Sparks! And please, I’m so sick of NapTab), and some pairing that looks less like evil manipulation from the producers (How about Courtney-Joshua, Twitch-Chelsie, Mark-Katee? Doesn’t that seem fair?).

I recommend this place for the most thorough footage of SYTYCD this week, including results footage. Tell me if Twitch’ reaction to being the bottom two wasn’t sad.

My Rankings of the Remaining Dancers:

1. Chelsie: She’s never been in the bottom, she creates magic with any partner she’s with, and she’s got a bubbly personality. I’m sure I’m not the only one dreaming of a reunion with Mark next week.
2. Katee: Arguably the most technically adept dancer left, she is so reminiscent of last year’s winner Sabra. However, Will’s elimination this week proves that the audience isn’t fond of fawning judges.
3. Twitch: Yes, he was in the bottom this week, but I think his fans have been jolted to vote for  him next week. He practically carried Kherington to the top 10 on his personality alone.
4. Joshua: His video package this week certainly helped his cause, but I wonder how he’s faring with the teenage girl demographic. They usually go for the shirtless hotties.
5. Mark: He’s in deep trouble. I expected him gone this week, even though he’s my favorite. He needs a miraculous week, and I think that will happen if he is paired with Katee or Chelsie. He’s a wild card though.
6. Courtney: No chance of moving beyond next week. The top two girls are pretty much sealed. Courtney just doesn’t have the oomph to attract more voters.