Top 16 Results Thoughts and Discussion
Here’s a spot for my thoughts and our discussion about tonight’s episode. I’ll be updating live, so there’ll be a spoiler space below. I can’t wait to see what happens and what you think about it!
First off, it’s no secret I love Cat, but I love her even more this season. “I hear ya, Murphy!”
Michael Bruni’s opening Broadway routine had some interesting elements, but was not the most striking group routine I’ve ever seen. I enjoy watching the random partnerships that happen in the group routines because they seem to mix up the couples a lot.
I love Kristin Chenoweth, but I was sadly not terribly impressed by that snippet of her music video.
And a spoiler for the results…
Of the first set of three, I’m selfishly glad that both Melanie/Marko and Ryan/Rickey are safe. I think Ashley and Chris were the right choice. I love Ryan, but I do think she’s got a lot of growing to do. All of that Melanie/Marko kissing was adorable. Man, their kiss backstage was just as sexy and intense as the one in the routine! And it was cute when Cat said, “If you kiss again, you’re safe,” and Melanie kissed Marko on the cheek. 🙂
Well, I’m 2 for 2 so far on my predictions of the Bottom 3. Miranda and Robert are in danger. and Jordan/Tadd and Sasha/Alexander are all safe. I think (and hope) they’ll kill their solos and survive. Miranda has started to grow on me a bit and many of you agree, as she’s high up there in our Favorite Dancer Poll.
Between Clarice/Jess and Caitlynn/Mitchell, it seemed like a gimme who be in the Bottom 3, but maybe I wasn’t taking into consideration that the samba was earlier and a bit more awkward. I got really scared that I’d lose one of my favorites waaay too early. AND, of course this messed up my perfect score predicting the Bottom 3.
The two dancers from AXIS Dance Company were absolutely amazing. I was mesmerized the entire time. It was, as Cat said, really creative the way it was choreographed (by Alex Ketley). Also, I loved the music they performed to.
Out of the solos, I thought Ashley’s was the weakest. She wobbled several times and it was boring. Miranda and Caitlynn really gave it their all. Chris did a good job, but Robert outdanced him and Mitchell slam dunked both of them.
Eric Luna and Georgia Ambarian were incredible! They used a lot of techniques that circus strengths pairs use, I noticed. Their lifts were just ridiculous. My mom commented on how strong Eric Luna is and I had to point out how much work Georgia Ambarian was doing on her end. That is some seriously hard stuff and the fact that they made it so graceful and gorgeous really amplies what they did.
As for the results – I do NOT agree with Miranda going home. Ashley’s solo was incredibly weak and she’s only had one memorable routine with Chris. I’m ambivalent about Robert getting cut, though I respected the way he left. We could’ve lost any of the guys and I would’ve been okay, though I was relieved that Caitlynn and Robert are staying in the competition and together. I think the only reason Miranda went home is that she and Robert have been in the bottom multiple times.
I know a lot of you are going to be disappointed, especially about Miranda. Here’s your chance to holler and shout.
Miranda shouls NOT have gone home. She was so versatile in her performances and her solo tonight was amazing! Frankly, I find Ashley and Katilin boring to watch. I think we could have gotten more memorable performances from Miranda. So annoyed right now. What a joke!
I don’t mind that Robert left but Ashley should have gone over Miranda!
I agree with sending Robert home. He’s been in the bottom twice now and I just haven’t been seeing much growth from him. The woodpecker routine (yes Nigel, it was Robert who did that, not Chris!) was the only great thing I’ve seen from him. Mitchell has been strong since coming back from his injury and I liked the samba, so I didn’t want him to go. Chris has shown some growth and I think with a different partner he’d do better. There is something missing between him and Ashley.
Like most viewers, I disagree with sending out Miranda this early. I didn’t believe she was going to win or anything, but her solo was the best tonight and she did improved a lot after the first week. I honestly think if they sent Ashley home instead and paired together Chris with Miranda we would have seen some interesting stuff from them. Unfortunately Nigel does not appear to agree with me on that one.
I gotta give it up to Eric Luna and Georgia Ambarian. Man was that some difficult stuff! And the transitions were fluid and musical, which sometimes gets lost in trick-fests such as this. So far, the most impressive guest dancers this season!
Well, I haven’t really liked Miranda that much this season just for some reason, and when they revealed the bottom 3 couples, I was thinking I wouldn’t mind seeing Miranda leave. However, after the performances, I really thought Ashley should’ve left. She’s just not that memorable. Miranda seemed to just grow on me in this single episode, so it was sad to see her dropped like that. I know people like Ryan, but I don’t know, I have this odd… dislike of her. It’s kind of weird, but I just do not like her anymore at all. Melanie + Marko = amazing! 😀 Marko is so sweet and Melanie is adorable! I think they’ll go the longhaul. You know what I thought last night? Wouldn’t it be amazing to see Melanie and Alex dance together? That’d be sick.
Oh I forgot to mention the dance performances – the first one was really kind of awkward to me, and not because of the wheelchair – I feel like the girl wasn’t that great of a dancer… But the second one, holy crap! That part where she leaned forward and he was supporting her with his arms was just amazing.
@Emily: Great minds (and the Emily-Emilie) connection. I said the *exactly same thing* about Melanie and Alex in the comments of our Favorite Dancer Poll just today. 🙂 It would be amazing!
Ha no way! I definitely didn’t see that. Someone had mentioned on here awhile ago that he should be an All-Star, and that idea has just implanted in my head. I think that would be awesome!
After the solos, Ashley should have DEFINITELY gone. What’s worse is Nigel gave individual critiques of the guys but not the girls. They did not even explain their reasoning with the girls, but did with the guys. Why? I would love to know the reasoning behind keeping Ashley. How can you tell someone they are the most improved dancer and send them home? Someone on another message board asked what Nigel was smoking b/c he mentioned to Chris he liked the Woodpecker routine. Huh?! That was ROBERT AND MIRANDA! So again, he complimented Miranda. Then he talked about Mitchell being in bottom 3 again. The only reason Mitchell was ever in bottom 3 was the week he was injured and did not dance.
I don’t know what Nigel was talking about, none of it made any sense except for giving Robert the axe.
@LisaW That is exactly what I said. Nigel had no freaking clue what he was talking about tonight. No reasoning for getting rid of Miranda (which was bull) then not knowing what the hell he was talking about with Mitchell & Chris. Getting rid of Robert was absolutely the right decision based solely on who was in the bottom 3 (I was hoping Jess and Clarice would be in the bottom. I love Clarice, but I don’t like Jess and their partnership isn’t good at all). But yeah, Nigel was on something tonight.
Just have to say, Emilie, I agree that Ashley had the weakest solo. But as far as the guys go, I feel exactly the opposite in regards to solos. I think Mitchell is a sloppy soloist, his technique, leaps, and extensions never reach their full length, and his arms go everywhere. Chris, in my opinion, had the strongest solo. I think it was the right decision to send Robet home, but I think Ashley should have been joining him.
Well, it’s encouraging that every single commenter on both this site and the other one I read for SYTYCD commentary agrees that Miranda had the strongest solo and Ashley the weakest.
Opinions seem to differ slightly about Caitlynn’s (for the record, I thought it was messy and almost as bad as Ashley) but that’s neither here nor there.
The best theory I’ve heard is that they seem really adamant about keeping couples together this season, and since Robert had a bullseye painted on him that meant Miranda had to go too…
Sigh, with the eliminations so far I’m really starting to lose hope for this season. I just hope that the next time Ryan gets a routine that’s out of her comfort zone and lands in the bottom, they will finally let her go.
They shouldn’t struggle to keep couples together. Some of the most exciting partnerships happened after initial couples got split because of eliminations–Kupono and Kayla, anyone?? And in Australia, Ivy and Robbie (ever since you brought up the piano routine, I keep getting Ice Queen/Naughty Jester flashbacks).
Someone in the comments section of Clarence’s vid postings mentioned Miranda reminding him of Kathryn McCormick, and in that broadway piece, I totally saw it. I could so see her coming through the top ten and just being this quiet star suddenly going nova out of no where–no repeats of that story, though (cry).
It’s nice to keep couples together but it’s unfair to either be in the bottom three because of your partner or stay in competition because your partner is amazing. ALL of the dancers this season are strong but I would have liked to have seen Miranda with another partner. Unless they have absolutley fantastic performances next week both Jess and Ryan should go and their partners paired up. I was so glad that Ryan made it to the top 20 but she doesn’t seem to be conveying the story behiond the dance. Melanie and Marko are my favorites! Eric Luna and Georgia Ambarian brought tears to my eyes they were so beautiful!
@emily I totally agree, i just dislike Ryan for some reason, I think it was because she is not living up to all her camera time or the judges thoughts about her.
Yeah, i thought that the girls solo’s weren’t that good at all! All of them weren’t great but i agree that Ashley should of been sent home because hers was the weakest. The guys solos were all strong and they gave it their all. I was actually really impressed with Roberts solo, and i was hoping they would send Michell home instead.
So I was really angry when Miranda was sent home, AGAIN, one of my favorites sent home… I disagree with pretty much all of Nigel’s desicions so i am pretty angry this season because I think he gets a lot of say about who goes.
Most of these comments I agree completely with! Miranda’s solo was way stronger than Ashley’s and she should have been the one sent home. Miranda never even got to show her own style! I know it wasn’t easy for her to do Jive, Hip-Hop, and then Broadway! I don’t see the whole point of keeping the couples together. Some of these couple pairs aren’t great so it would have been nice to see some new chemistry.
I agree with everyone who is questioning what is wrong with Nigel. Especially complimenting Chris on Miranda and Robert’s routine. You could tell Chris was confused. I hate the fact he never gave reasons for the girls either. Since he said they weren’t unanimous I’m guessing he just made the decision to send Miranda home which makes me even more mad.
As for some other dancers, I love both Melanie and Marko! From the beginning I assumed they would be in the Top 10 for sure if not farther. I have mixed feelings about Ryan as well as some of you have said. I liked her last year and was sad she didn’t make it. I was happy she did this year, but she hasn’t wowed me yet. I’m starting to lose interest in her. I’ll just say again I really think they made a mistake with Miranda, but I think she’ll have lots of opportunities coming her way!! She’s a strong and determined girl with an amazing talent =)
I follow Nigel @Dizzyfeet on Twitter and have read that he was quite upset with Miranda letting go, hence the mistake with Chris/Woodpecker routine.
And I agree with the other posters here, I was sad to see her leave, too.
Soem comments on the other dancers: Melanie and Marko – power couple indeed, Sasha – strong in her style but wonder how she will do in ballroom, Mitchell – I want to see want he can do with another partner, Jordan and Tadd – I like him better than her.
I have to say I am absolutely in love with Jess’ dancing and I can see he is trying hard to keep his strong facial expressions under control. I hope the audience is giving him some leeway with this because I want to see more him!
@Chad: Honestly, I’m not sure if I agree with myself on the guys solos. I just remember a passion in his solo that I didn’t feel from the others, at the moment. But what feels like passion to some can be seen as frenzy or mess to others.
@Johan: You’re right that they seem very concerned about cutting couples together. It’s a real shame, especially since they’ll be dancing with All-Stars at Top 10 instead of each other. I think Ashley should’ve gone home last night. It would’ve been interesting to see how Miranda danced with a different partner.
@NC: You make a great point about reshuffled couples sometimes being the most exciting of all. And Ivy and Phillipe are a perfect example of that, as are Kayla and Kupono. I’m glad me posting the piano video is giving you Ivy flashbacks. LOL. Sadly, if the judges are trying to keep the couples together, it’s like they’re invested in being right about their initial pairings and not willing to see what unexpected pairings can happen because of cross couple cuts.
So disappointed with judges elimination of Miranda.
Was reading that the majority of 690 comments on SYTYCD facebook wall said the same thing!
the viewers are not happy. I hope Nigel gets his brain checked soon.
@Johan-I’m close to losing hope for this season too.
🙁
So glad to see just about everyone hates these results tonight…or specifically, them sending Miranda home. I gasped out loud hearing that. After seeing her solo tonight, I had just decided – HANDS DOWN – that she was my favorite girl. At first, she seemed kind of dorky and really lacked confidence, but then, out of nowhere, she really started to bloom…and the Woodpecker routine! WOW! I did not expect that. Sorry, but watching some white girls dance hip hop can be funny…She killed it! Her last routine was so-so…Not because of her dancing, but because of the style and routine. Just didn’t play to her strong points.
I’m really, really heartbroken after this decision. You actually saw this girl get more and more confident and growing by leaps and bounds every single show. It was a beautiful thing to witness. Ashley is a good dancer, but she lacks the “Wow” factor for me. I do wish her well, though, and hope she has some epiphany about how other, stronger dancers have been sent home before her and improves her game. I’m not mad at her for this decision, but hey Ashley – Since my favorite is gone, girl – Step it up and kick some butt! Make us glad you stayed! Change our minds, we’re reasonable people! LOL – I really want to see another side of her personality. She’s a “nice” girl, but I don’t see any humor, playfulness, fierceness, etc. to her. Gotta be in there somewhere.
I am still dumbstruck at how GOOD this season is, so far. Any of this year’s cast should be proud. I haven’t seen ANY dancer where I’ve been “Just WHY are you on this show again?” this season and I can think of a few people from past seasons that were just a mess. The guest dancers also FREAKED ME OUT in a very good way, this episode. Holy gravity-defying, amazing crap! Can they just have them dance EVERY show? And can the SYTYCD wardrobe dept work on their costuming, too? Pretty please? I LOVE Eric Luna and Georgia Ambarian now…One more confession: First performance show that Melanie has grown on me. Yes, she has a cute (very familiar in a Natalie Portman way) face and personality – I get it, I get it…but her dancing is starting to shine over her face/personality now.
Miranda was my 2nd favourite girl after Melanie and I think she is leaving far too early.
Sending Miranda home was a mistake in my opinion. I was rooting for her and felt brokenhearted that she was booted, but she should have a nice career anyway. Nigel isn’t the one to blame for Miranda leaving, though. http://bit.ly/lGklz6
@ Mike: Interesting article.
While I agree that the jail routine was very good, I didn’t even remember it was Ashley who did it – it stuck in my mind as a piece of good choreography. In contrast, Miranda and Robert had to deal with a crappy pieco-of-Tyce choreo, and they made it work through sheer dancing.
Oh and going back to Emilie’s OP: yeah, what was Kristin’s video all about? When she said it was gonna be country I thought “well OK, that might kinda suit her look and her voice”, but then that… thing played and my jaw just dropped. And not in a good way. 😛
A lot of people don’t like Ryan, but don’t know WHY they don’t like Ryan. For me, it’s simple: She CANNOT control her facial expressions.
Think back to that first dance where the judges said, “Why are you smiling?” and she gave that terrible answer about being a “happy memory”. Then watch last week’s dance about the painful breakup, and several times you’ll spot that exact same plastered on smile (it’s the same fake looking face that they picked on Ashleigh and other ballroom dancers for having). For as hard as they’ve been on the guys for “not getting into the character enough,” she has been given a total pass. THAT’s why I want to see her eliminated.
I agree with the masses in being devastated by Miranda going home. She was easily in my Top 3 girls, and I would have sent either Courtney (Who needs to keep her God damn hair out of her God damn face!) or Ashley home over her. But mostly, it just needed to be Ashley.
I imagine that the judges feel like the number itself put Ashley and Chris in danger, and not anything they did, but the same can and should be said about Miranda and Robert getting Tyce “The Kiss of Death” Diorio. And when you compare their performances in similar genres (their two hip-hop numbers), it isn’t even close. Ashley and Chris’ hip-hop number was pathetic. It had no energy, no pop, no rebound. The votes didn’t show it, but it was the weakest dance of week 1. Robert might have been out hip-hopped by his partner in week 2, but he was still miles better than Chris was the week before. They sent the WRONG couple home.
Bah. Caitlynn, not Courtney. Maybe if I could ever see her face when she danced, I’d bother to learn her name.
If Clarice and Jess do well tonight, Jess is the one to watch. Technically and artisticly, this kid is amazing. You really aren’t looking because you don’t like Broadway. But I think he will blow everyone’s mind out when he shows his capabilities in all genres of dance.