SYTYCD S7 Top 8 Performance Discussion
If you’re like me, you’re dying for tonight’s show. As I saw on Twitter earlier today, the Top 8 elimination is usually something of a shocker. Everybody’s got to dance their best tonight. I’ll probably be running late for the show, but I can’t wait anyway. What do you think? Who’s gonna kick it tonight and who’s gonna be in danger?
I had rehearsal tonight, so I’m watching the show late, typing as I watch
So strange not to hear Cat say, “here are the girls, and here come your guys”–I guess it would look kinda funny since it’s 6 v. 2
soo sad about Alex, major fingers crossed that it’s not a ruptured achilles, that’s a bear of an injury
I actually really liked Lauren and Pasha, but wasn’t too crazy about the song. it’s a fun song, but I found the tempo to be throwing off their dancing. the costume seemed to give her a tail, it was weird.
ewww, Nigel does the creepy old man routine again, ugh. murderation? really mia, my father (former English teacher) cringed when she said that.
I’ll give Jose some props. I sort of believed him. The thing that was missing was in his eyes. He used his body in really cool ways and you could tell that he was really enjoying dancing with Lauren, but I didn’t totally believe him, his eyes weren’t sparkling like you would think they should sparkle doing a dance about soul mates.
Comfort and Kent. Huh. This should be interesting. I actually got kinda giggly watching it because I thought Kent did a more than admirable job. Dave played to Kent’s strengths, he gave him a lot more attitude and it wasn’t so much about hitting this hard tough motions. I thought the smoother moves fit him well. And it’s nice to see Comfort dancing hip hop in something other than baggy jeans or strange costumes, I thought she looked beautiful. I get the JT feel, and I think Nigel was actually right that he didn’t overact it. Well done.
Adechike and Courtney. I think the problem that happened is that he got stuck between the music and the moment of the dance. I thought they danced well together.
Spencer’s back!! Spencer’s back!! Seriously just made my day, which is a good thing because I got hit by a car on my bike yesterday so I’m banged up pretty good right now. Anyway, I LOVED Katee and Billy together, I thought everything fit. They covered the stage so well and with so much ease. I think the judges were right on (for once). LOVED IT. Can Spencer do all the broadway routines from now on? K thanks. Btw, Billy and Spencer both live in NYC, so I can definitely see them working together in the future.
So good to see Dominic back. While I didn’t quite get the yet another reference to Mr. and Mrs. Smith (uh guys, Travis did that w/ Ellenore and Legacy last year), I really liked this routine. The mixture of the humor and the hard hitting movements was great. Nigel’s right, Ashley may have been a little light in her base, but I’d like to see Nigel do what Ashley did at the end when she took her foot in her hand and basically fell into a split, wow. Great to see Alex so happy for Ashley, it can’t be easy for him to watch these.
Spencer and Sean Cheesman in the same show?! I’m in heaven! Most of our viewers haven’t seen Sean do anything other than Afro Jazz, but if you guys can find some clips online of his pieces for SYTYCD Canada, he has some incredible stuff from all different genres. I loved this piece. The concept is genius, especially for a dancer like Robert who has such an expressive face. I loved the “thread the needle” move where Robert stepped through then spun Kathryn. So cool.
Can Cat just win the Emmy already?!! Please?!! I’m SO happy someone FINALLY stood up to the judges. I haven’t been Adechike’s biggest fan, but he totally got shafted when Nigel/Mia called his Bollywood “African” and criticized him for the little funk that slipped in near the end. That’s totally not fair. I LOVED that Nakul stood up and applauded Cat, especially since he’s the choreographer of both the routines they’re talking about. Jose really hasn’t been criticized at all during the competition while poor Adechike has really taken it on the chin. With Alex automatically in the bottom 3 tomorrow, I’m worried that Adechike is going to join him, and that doesn’t seem totally fair right now. I’d much rather see Jose in the B3. I was kind of offended by Mia’s comment about missing Alex so much, but who knows, maybe Adechike would have matched Alex’s performance and technical level. I’m all for giving constructive criticism (I’ve spent years as an athlete), but Mia’s really starting to rub me the wrong way. She basically told Adechike that he blew it. Ugh. Thank goodness that Adam brought everyone back down to Earth, I thought what he said was concise and clear, finish your lines, clean it up.
Yay for Travis. What a beautiful routine he choreographed for Kent and Lauren. It was tender and innocent and yet filled with such strong movements. Granted, they’re not my favorite dancers on the show, but I thought they did a lovely job.
I find the title of the song that Robert and Ashley did their quickstep to, “The Man with the Power” kind of ironic. They both came in as virtual unknowns compared to people like Alex, Lauren, and Kent, but they’ve really come into their own. It wasn’t a trainwreck, thank goodness. I actually thought they did a decent job. I really like them as a pair, I thought, at least aesthetically, they were beautiful.
Boo! My recording shut off! Shoot! Well, from what I got to see, it certainly was an interesting night. Like Emilie said, top 8 week is often a shocker in the voting (S2-Allison voted off, S4-Will Wingfield, S5-Jason and Janette) We shall see what happens tomorrow.
BTW guys, tomorrow’s guest performance for the results show should be a blast. The cast from the touring company of the Tony-winning “In the Heights” will be performing their hit “96,000” and it’s got some great choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler who actually did some pieces for SYTYCD during S4.
KATEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m sorry, lol. My favorite SYTYCD dancer ever. I’m still pretty excited :):)
Wish the best to Allison, but seems like she’ll be fine. I am very worried and upset about poor Alex. I’m almost feeling bad, like I did it with my mind! Because I remember thinking- MAN, Alex is doing so beyond amazing, I hope he doesn’t get hurt! 🙁 I will cry if we lose him from the competition, but mostly I want him to take care of himself so he’ll be able to dance for years to come.
Yes, Cat Deeley is awesome! Just in general, but very proud of her for her “devil’s advocate” moment re: the Bollywood. @Margaret, yes, Nakul!! His reaction was the best, how he stood up and I think shouted “Thank you!” And I also agree that Adam gave the one bit of sane criticism there. When he said something about Adechike not quite having the needed “snap,” I got that. Chike may not be my favorite dancer, but he deserved some praise for the last ten seconds or so of the routine at least! Those split jumps in the air and then landing in that split position made me say “HOLY S***!” And geez, just doing those moves after your partner has had a major injury doing them (which has to mess with your head) is impressive!
But I really hope the transparent anti-Adechike/pro-Robert thing the judges have going does not adversely affect Robert, because it’s certainly not his fault! Robert is one of my favorites. And WTF. Did Nigel really read somewhere that fans think Robert is arrogant?? If you find his personality too much, that’s fine, to each his own, but he has to be one of the least arrogant people I’ve ever seen. I remember when Adam told Robert that he was the one making it into the Top 10. He said “No!”, not just shocked, but like it was a miscarriage of justice that he would beat out Billy, lol. The first week, Nigel just said something like, “I loved how you danced it,” and Robert slapped his hand over his face like he couldn’t believe it. And it was absolutely genuine.
*sigh*… I don’t want to pick a bottom two (I agree, Alex automatically in bottom 3 is lame, but at least we know, as long as he is able to dance, they will keep him). I’ll just say, for what *should* happen, though there’s no one I want to go, I think it’s time for Jose to leave this week. It might be time for Adechike the week after. (I doubt he’ll be in the bottom this week; he hasn’t been yet, and he’ll probably get more votes this week because of how mean the judges were.)
Oh, I’ll add quickly that Kent and Lauren were spectacular, not just together but in their All-Star dances as well. Ok, think I’m done, lol 😉
And I agree with all of you who miss Mary. I would love to have Mary back as judge and Mia choreographing.
Does it crack anyone else up every time Nigel gives tips on how to do better hip hop?
Ok, now I’m really done! 🙂
i still cant get over the judges’ (mainly nigel and mia) comments on adechike, therefore i went to watch the performance again. i honestly dont really like adechike but i dont think he deserves to be treated that way. nigel said that adechike makes the routine funky but putting in head movements, thus making it more like african dance? i noticed that marla also moved her head and if we look at the dances in bollywood movies, the indians tend to move their heads too when they dance, dont they? so i dont see any wrong in adechike moving his head during the routine. i enjoy seeing adechike doing bollywood, although it wasnt the best, it’s still closer to actual bollywood than jose’s performance, imho.
Aw man… I don’t think I’ll keep watching if Alex can’t come back. I couldn’t enjoy tonight’s show knowing he had to watch from the audience.
I wish the judges would stop, 100% cease, commenting on the dancers’ personalities. They really have no business assassinating their character and it’s just plain rude. Critique the dance, and let ME decide whether I like a dancer’s personality. That irks me to no end. I remember how angry I got when they’d criticize Danny and Brandon for being “arrogant”. They were each the best dancer in their respective season, yet each ended up in second place. I don’t think AdeChike is the best dancer of S7 by any means, but they still have no right to harp on his personality. If they think someone is coming across as arrogant, it would be far more appropriate to take that person aside in private and let them know they might want to work on their warmth.
Take Lauren, for example. I can’t even appreciate her dancing because I dislike her so much, yet the judges don’t harp on her for being self-involved. I was allowed to decide on my own that I don’t like her. Examples of things I found off putting: when partnered with Neil she said they’d be a good match because, “We’re both pretty;” she remarked that Neil would be easy to seduce; and said to Kent today, “I knew you liked me.” And I think there was one other example last week when she referred to herself as cute or something. Get over yourself, please. You’re not *that* hot.
One more thing: I think Mia’s been a LOT nicer this season than she’s been in the past. She hasn’t engaged in outright character assassination like she did with Brandon, and if she has issues with a dancer’s personality she tends to confine her critique to “the performance”. I am getting sick of her nonsensical critiques with made up words, but I still vastly prefer to to Mary. Yes, Mary was nice and constructive, but her laugh and that g**d**** scream were too much. TOO MUCH! I couldn’t take it. I had to watch the show with one finger on the Mute button. I’m glad she’s gone and I hope she stays gone. Bring back Dan Karaty!
@EmilyToo, I get what you’re saying about the judges. But the Lauren thing (not just to you, but others who feel that way) puzzles me, I must admit. Re: your examples, 1) was just a joke, an offhand funny thing to say when asked to comment on a partnership that hadn’t begun yet, 2) was said in character, again playful, 3) So? He said the same thing to her, and 4) I don’t remember that, but she is cute! Lol, hell, I’m cute, and I know I’m not *that* hot 😉
What about the Lauren who was having trouble learning to be sexy in her rehearsal footage with Ade, or the Lauren who apparently belches like a dude? lol
I’m reminded a bit of Katee, actually, in some ways. But I guess some people probably thought Katee was arrogant, huh? *shrugs*
I’m in no way trying to change anyone’s opinion of Lauren! I just don’t get it.
You tell ’em, Kat!
(Sorry, I’m not grabbed by Jose)
I understand the judges “feeling” someone vs. not. That doesn’t bother me; it’s human nature. It’s just like Emilie not feeling Adechike and me not feeling Billy or Lauren. They don’t do it for me.
But that’s not about their dancing. The judges we have on to discuss their dance ability and ability to meet the demands of the choreographers…when Mia “didn’t feel” Brandon, she made that clear, but then she would discuss his great dancing. And she gave him props for that. And with Melinda (aside from the “wish we would have eliminated you” part), they all talked about how her dancing was poor–and it was. But to be so blatantly hypocritical about Adechike vs. Jose in the same style in the same season (so hypocritical that even our lovely Cat felt the need to point it out) is just too much for me.
I think Adechike has the cutest personality! I think he seems funny and earnest and sweet and he works his butt off. I also have never felt the lack of connection that others have felt between him and his partner. But with that said, he did all of the moves asked of him (and some of Alex’s!!) in the bollywood and in the jazz routine. The only complaint was that he wasn’t sharp enough (fair enough) and that he “bobbled” his head (like Mara did and much of Bollywood does!!??). It’s just not fair.
I’m convinced he’ll be in the bottom three and go home this week, even though Jose’s dancing has been objectively worse over the entire season (and his solos aren’t very good). Why? Because Jose has “heart” (meaning that Adechike must not).
I am dismayed by that. And I hope that Adechike kills his solo so that people will understand what they’d miss if they make that choice.
/rant
On my calm side, I loved Lauren’s cha-cha (surprised the heck out of me!!) and I thought Lauren and Kent were cute. I thought Ashley won the night, though. She looked like a hip hop dancer one minute and a ballroom dancer the next! Great work. I thought Billy’s broadway was well danced, but I wasn’t feeling it…maybe it’s because nothing can live up to cats in my mind? 😉
Kent’s hip hop was cute, but he didn’t hit it hard enough. And it wasn’t supposed to be “cute”. Robert and Kathryn’s dance was off–the synchronization wasn’t quite right, especially at the beginning when it was really noticeable. I don’t know who was off, though. And Robert looked uncomfortable in the Quick Step. I don’t understand the “arrogant” stuff with him, but I can see how he could be perceived as annoying. (same with Lauren…she has a little bit of “Mollee” in her–sweet, cute, talented, but a little immature and irritating sometimes!!)
Jose did admirably in his contemporary, but he didn’t have to do many steps at all!! Same thing in African Jazz (which was terribly uncomfortable for me…those two were a bad match…wanted to see Robert and Billy do that dance!!)
And seeing Alex in the crowd early made me tear up…feel so badly for him.
I’m definitely echoing the sentiments of everyone who is furious about the judges’ hypocrisy when judging Adechike tonight – Nigel, if you’re reading this (and you very well might be, if you really do lurk on the net like you said you do), I hope you know that all three of you kinda made asses of yourself last night. Props to Cat for calling them out on it – I love that she’s finally stepping up this year and being more vocal in her defense of the contestants, rather than being just a talking head. And props to Nakul for cheering for it! Had to snicker when I saw Mia stammering for an explanation…sorry honey, there really isn’t a logical way to explain why it’s ok for Jose to “put his own style” into Bollywood because he’s “lovable” (and that’s debatable), while it’s not okay for Adechike to do the same thing. I’m not really an Adechike fan (no beef with him personally, but he’s just sort of a non-event for me), but I felt bad for the poor guy last night, getting raked across the coals like he did. And Adam – he’s becoming such a jellyfish. Whoever above me said that he doesn’t dare disagree with Mia is right – he looks downright scared whenever she’s watching him give his critique. Shame on all three of them and that nonsense they tried to pull last night!
I actually have to agree with them about Robert though – I’m not sure where everyone is getting the impression that he’s “arrogant”. If anything, I almost get a bit of an insecure vibe from him, and he seems to overcompensate for it by being an over-the-top goofball. It can get a bit annoying, but I wouldn’t consider it off-putting by any means. Hopefully the voters will warm up to him in the coming weeks (if he makes it through this week), because I do think he’s one of the better dancers there.
And then there’s Jose, who can do no wrong in the eyes of the judges. I will admit, he’s better than I thought he would be, but I think the judges are reaching a bit with this whole “lovable” thing, and really seem to be trying like hell to ram the “little b-boy that could” idea down our throats any chance they can get. The disparity in judging and rampant favoritism this season are starting to ruin what could have been my favorite season yet 🙁
Okay after seeing all the comments about the judges I reminded why they are there in the first place to give guidence to the dancers and how they can improve. We forget they have been watching them dance a lot longer then we have. Yes there is controversy and tough love but that happens. They have an opinion and we have ours. Adam this week seems to play right down the middle give tough love but in a nice way if that makes sense. Anyways we see the male all stars more if we didnt vote off all the girls. Billys bway and the Roberts jazz were my favorites and yes Kathryn did slip(live tv gotta love it) hate that had to happen on her birthday.
Btw… The dancer/dancer pairing totally made me miss the old format. Especially seeing Kent and Lauren doing Travis Wall’s routine. I miss being able to see the camraderie amongst the dancers and how they’re all so supportive of each other… Granted I knw this season is close bt I feel like it’s all competition. It jst felt good to see that last nght. Obviously the show is a competition bt one of the things I always thought made this show better than ABDC and DWTS is that the dancers got a long and become good friends. ***also on another side note. I got so giddy seeing the s4 girls -courtney, katee, and comfort- dancing together during the end credits. Bring katee back producers!!! She’s my favv!! 🙁
Wait… I noticed other things. I thought about them last night. Its mostly my random thoughts or things I noticed, so if I’m starting to annoy you (very likely) feel free to skip over:
Further observations/random thoughts:
– I noticed Cat cut across Adam when he said “Dominic” three times, which I found kind of rude. It was clear he wanted to say something to him.
– I remember the old Dom always wore his bandanas on his forehead. 🙁
– Dom wasn’t his usual happy, silly self last night. When Cat put her hand on his shoulder he looked at it with a blank expression. He patted her shoulder once, but with a shaky hand, then kept a o_o look for the rest of the judging. I wonder if something was bothering him? Did anyone notice this besides me? (come on… I know you did)
– Cat was talking really fast tonight! I think it’s because they had to make time for the other performances. Maybe that’s why she cut Adam off.
– It is clear the judges play favorites. Poor, poor Adechike. They seem to really hate him.
– I’m starting to not like Mia as a judge. Yeah, as a choreographer she’s great, but she should stop being so hard on the contestants. She’s starting to rub me the wrong way.
– Kent and Lauren seem to have something going on! Cat was all like, “The music stopped already!” TOO funny. 🙂
– Is it me, or do Billy and Alex talk as if they are… I don’t know, batting for the wrong team. But I love them, so it wont make a difference. But do they?
– Both the Laurens on this show were/are only 18 while competing, and both have INSANE bodies! I’m jealous!
– I really wanna see the “Make It Work” dance performed again. 🙁
– Yes, the quickstep is the kiss of death dance. But I think Ashley’s safe because of her hip hop with Dom. I don’t know about Robert, though…
– The one dance I want to see this season is the RUMBA. Both the rumbas during season 3 were insanely hot and I want to see one again.
Okay, I’m done… I think.
@Amanda – I agree that the judges are there because they know what they’re doing and have a ton of experience, but I don’t think that gives them license to be hypocrites – which is really what it seems like they were doing last night. I watched their critique again and none of them could really produce a logically sound reason for praising Jose while scolding Adechike for the same thing. It seemed very subjective, which is something I think professionals of their caliber should strive hard NOT to be.
@Lola – Not that anyone on the show’s sexuality has any bearing on whether or not I enjoy their dancing, but I do agree with you about Billy – I mentioned last week that he seems a bit more, shall we say, “sassy” than he did last season. I wouldn’t have noticed it except that it seems like a big personality change from the quieter, shyer Billy of season 6. He’s almost a sort of “Mini-Tyce” now! I don’t really notice it so much with Alex. But regardless of either of their orientation, I <3 them both 🙂
Re: Adam being afraid of Mia — wouldn’t you be?!? That woman is terrifying. She totally has mob connections. 😉
I’ve always thought that her ego demands reparations when it’s been slighted. I still think that Natalie Reed got eliminated during Vegas week in S5 because Sonya took a liking to her. Her and Brandon…and Mia tried her hardest to get rid of him, too. I think she’s one to hold a grudge for a long time, and savor revenge whenever she can get it.
I’d be worried disagreeing with her too much, too. I wish she’d leave the judges panel! Bring back rotating judges!!
@Stephanie: Do you have any “evidence” of Mia’s “mob connections” or are you just saying she seems like the type to have them? 🙂 Lol
i think it’s time for jose to say buh-bye.
as much as i love his sweet personality, he danced a low difficulty level in his contemp. piece with lauren and he was sloppy in his african jazz piece with billy last night. Nigel should keep the competition stiff and the fans buzzing by leaving adechike and robert alone tonight.
what ticks me off about the dreaded Quick Step is IF you make 1 dancer perform the stupid dance then you should make EVERY dancer do it.
do you really think everyone left will perform the quick step at some point?
@Lola, who says it’s the *wrong* team? 😉
Sorry, lol, just had to say that.
@ ahs: AH HA HA, I thought the same thing after I typed it. 🙂
BTW, I heard that SYTYCD’s ratings last night went up 5% from last week’s. I can’t remember where, but I also read that in week 2 the ratings were slightly higher. Oh my god… I wrote something about the ratings in an earlier post… I hope I didn’t jinx the show… O_O
Oh, forgot one thing… if anyone finds the hip hop routine (A&D) on YouTube, tell me, please!
@Lola Here! 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/
user/cdplayabackup2
#p/u/5/jNcX7Imj4sg
Great dancing in this episode, I think!
@Lola
this channel is the best for sytycd vids:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SYTYCDFanS07V1
here is a direct link to the Ashley/Dom hip hop routine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HGRNrFS8S8
@ahs, I can’t objectively justify my dislike of Lauren. Personalities are subjective. I know she thought she was just making jokes and being silly, but she rubs me the wrong way. Mollee had the same effect on me in her season. Lauren Gottleib bugged the heck out of me too (but she’s fine this season). …I don’t know. I just don’t like immature girls. Burping on national TV isn’t endearing to me, and I’m not interested in hearing how cute she thinks she is.
I never found Katee to be arrogant. I don’t actually have a problem with dancer’s who are “arrogant” in the way Danny Tidwell was — confident in his abilities and so dignified that he refused to pander to the audience for votes. There’s a difference in my mind between “arrogance” in your abilities and infatuation with your own attractiveness, which I feel Lauren has. I don’t think she’s arrogant as far as her skill goes. I think she’s self-involved. And why shouldn’t she be? She’s only 18. I think she’ll grow out of it. But for now — thumb’s down from me.
EmilyToo, that’s a GREAT point re: self-involved vs. arrogant.
And I agree with that.
@ lola – I’m glad you seem to have meant other. Talking about a “wrong team” rubs me the wrong way.
It should be interesting to see what happens tonight!
@EmilyToo: I agree with beth – you made a great distinction in your comment.