SYTYCD Season 9: Top 20 Power Rankings
Wow… just wow. I just wrote a few quick thoughts on all the routines of the night and tossed a few polls asking for your opinions on which routines you enjoyed, and which dancers you’d love to see move on based on what we saw tonight. What I am going to do is rank all the routines we saw tonight from what I really enjoyed to what was forgettable. Then I will rank all the guys and all the girls w/ no real commentary. Let’s see how this goes.
TOP THREE ROUTINES:
1. Lindsay Arnold & Cole Horibe – Paso Doble
I mean come on! That was almost too good to be true. Such power, such strength, such passion and fire. I knew that Cole had some prior dancing training in addition to martial arts, but I would like to think that it is because of the martial arts that he is so clearly able to bring forth the necessary power and fire that the man needs in a proper paso doble. Lindsay at first came across as a bit of a wholesome, sweet kind of girl and then she comes out all guns blazing and I feel like I am getting a bit of the case of the whiplash because I didn’t see that coming a mile away! At first I thought that of the two Ballroom Barbies, Witney would win out, but man right now? I don’t know, I think Lindsay is making a very good case for herself here… and personally I think this is going to be a very strong partnership down the road.
2. Audrey Case & Matthew Kazmierczak – Contemporary
It’s a Travis Wall routine, so what is not to love? In all honesty though, I really did enjoy this routine a lot… these two just seem to work together so effortlessly. Audrey just seems to float in the air as opposed to jumping up there. Prior to today’s routine, Audrey didn’t really seem to stick out much for me. She hasn’t much more since except when she’s dancing with Matthew and Matthew I really really liked. Granted between the two Jazz girls I see myself drawn more to Audrey over Tiffany, but that again could be because I liked this routine just slightly more than the previous one. Perhaps it is the fact that Audrey just seems to emote that much more than Tiffany did… who knows. In the end this was a very strong routine and definitely one of the more memorable ones.
3. Amelia Lowe & Will Thomas – Pop-fusion/Hip Hop
Can’t help it, I’m drawn to this dance. They looked like they were having just so much fun in this routine. I would say that they are playing a bit of a “cat and mouse” game here, except I think they are suppose to be both cats, in which case… MEOW! I didn’t know much about Will Thomas prior to the Meet the Top 20 episode and honestly, he really caught my attention right away. In this routine the craziness between Will and Amelia was just fun to watch. I am so sure that Will was having so much fun playing with Amelia. I watched the routine over and over again because I found myself just smiling as I am watching them dance.
MIDDLE FOUR ROUTINES (this is probably the most difficult four to put together)
4. Eliana Girard & Cyrus Spencer – Broadway
I’ll agree that this didn’t really show off the dancing strengths for Eliana, but dammit it was fun to watch and really that’s all that matters at the end of the day. Cyrus picked up the choreography rather well for the first time out of the gate. The thing I really like about Broadway routines is that they require a hell of a whole lot of personality, unfortunately that is also at the sacrifice of dance at times, which is what seems to be the case here. What Cyrus lacks in training, he more than makes up for it in personality, charisma and entertainment value. Eliana with her dance/performing background has charisma and entertainment value for days, so I see this as a very good match. Here’s hoping that they could do just as well in the upcoming week.
5. Janelle Issis & Dareian Kujawa – African Jazz
I might be in the minority when it comes to this routine, but I really really liked these two together. I didn’t know what to expect but the intricacies in this routine and movement really came together and if either dancer misses anything, then the whole dance is shot (much like Sean Cheesman’s other routine, but more on that later). As I said before, what these two brought to the table is chemistry and entertainment. There were a few times where they were actually off, but like I said… I really preferred this routine of the two that Sean has created and having two dancers that connect really helps the routine along.
6. Amber Jackson & Nick Bloxsom-Carter – Viennese Waltz
When I saw Nick for the first time in the Meet the Top 20 episode, I liked him, a lot. So I was a bit sad when they already started critiquing him in the Meet the Top 20 episode. Amber Jackson I remembered seeing from previous episodes but almost saw nothing of in Season 9, so when there were rumors swirling around that they were paired together I got scared because these were two fairly unknown dancers who did not have much screen time, how would they fare? Well for a Viennese Waltz they did rather well. One thing I really love about this particular dance was that it really felt like you were dancing amongst the clouds, like a dream. Personally I think they did rather well and should be ok. Only time will tell
7. Witney Carson & Chehon Wespi-Tschopp – Samba
I had a rough time between this routine and number 8. This had a lot of fire and I really love Chehon a lot in this routine. He has very good technique but I agree with the judges that he just seems to be trying too hard. If he can get his head out of the game and just feel the dance it would flow so much better. There isn’t much to say about Witney except that she did excel rather well in this number. Though Chehon seemed out of place in this routine, I don’t think it is going to be much of an issue in later routines since hopefully by then he’ll start emoting more into the dances and routines.
BOTTOM THREE ROUTINES
8. Tiffany Maher & George Lawrence II – Contemporary
The reason I ended up placing them a lot lower than I originally thought I would is because I had to separate myself from the awe that is Sonya’s reinvention of herself into this contemporary movement from the dancers themselves and how they performed the routine. I really really do like this routine, but for some reason other than the fact that this is atypical of Sonya’s routines this was just not a memorable routine for me. This couple emoted rather well overall and I really like George in this routine, but Tiffany just wasn’t memorable for me. So I don’t know
9. Alexa Anderson & Daniel Baker – Jazz
This was a very technically difficult routine and given to two really technically advanced dancers it should have shone but it fell flat. I didn’t feel any chemistry between the two of them let alone with the audience. Between the two I preferred Daniel over Alexa, but then again I think they should have been paired with different partners, perhaps they would have done better emotionally. Granted I felt that Daniel was more emotionally committed to this particular routine over Alexa, but then again I am probably in the minority in this.
10. Janaya French & Brandon Mitchell – Hip Hop
This was another rather forgettable routine for the most part. For some reason I didn’t feel a connection between the two dancers and it felt a little bit like a “dance by numbers” kind of routine with the emotions and facials becoming little more than an afterthought, particularly on Janaya’s side of the fence. I really enjoyed Brandon’s interpretation for the most part, but again the routine as a whole seemed to have fallen flat for me which is rather sad since in any other season they would have been middle of the pack or higher.
TOP THREE GIRLS Amelia Lowe Lindsay Arnold Janelle Issis |
TOP THREE GUYS Cole Horibe Cyrus Spencer Will Thomas |
MIDDLE FOUR GIRLS Audrey Case Eliana Girard Witney Carson Amber Jackson |
MIDDLE THREE GUYS Matthew Kazmierczak Dareian Kujawa Nick Bloxsom-Carter Chehon Wespi-Tschopp |
BOTTOM THREE GIRLS Tiffany Maher Alexa Anderson Janaya French |
BOTTOM THREE GUYS Daniel Baker George Lawrence II Brandon Mitchell |
Mind you this is my own opinions on the matter… why don’t you let me know yours! Until next week…
I pretty much agree with you 100% Wow. 🙂 lol
I want to add that I was disappointed in Witney last night. I mean, yes of course she’s still fabulous, but I felt she was shortcutting her movements. Looking back, I think she’s always done this, but her emoting always pulled her over the top. I wonder if it’s her immaturity showing or if it’s nerves, but she was definitely not completing everything as she should have.
Brandon: I felt bad for him Janaya is, imo, the weakest of the dancers out of her own style. That, plus I think she’s a bit forgettable personality wise (though I think she seems sweet).
I think Nick might replace Brandon in the bottom 3. Brandon, imho, was much more exciting and memorable than Janaya and Nick didn’t come across near as likable during his video package and performance. But I could be wrong.
Pretty much agree with you.
Was reading Nigel’s tweets today 4 dancers are going home due to SYTYCD not on during the Olympics. Also he agreed with someone when they said sometimes the vote is sometimes purely based on the choreography. Which I agree with…sometimes it isnt the dancers fault if a dance is bad.
Allrighty… Is it just me or do I feel as though there are a couple dancers thrown in just for the sake of being easily eliminated in the early few weeks? (Namely, poor Janaya, or Nick, or Amber?)
Anyways, there were some amazing routines this week. Christopher Scott’s Top 20 group piece was AMAZING. It was my favourite of the night, and I really love Christopher Scott’s style (he also did Misty Blue w/ Sasha/tWitch). My fav routines of the night, ranking-wise;
1. Amelia & Will, the Lovecats- i LOVED LOVED this SO much. You could tell they were having so much fun and they really pair up well. Will is totally lovable.
2. Tiffany & George, the Sonya Tayeh one- I actually thought it was a tad unfair that the judges gave Matt & Audrey a standing ovation, when in my opinion, this one was just as good.
3. Matt & Audrey, Titanic- I think you’re pretty lucky if you score a Travis Wall routine right out of the gate , and they both are incredible dancers. I personally don’t really love the use of such huge props unless they’re utilized really well, but this worked really well.
4. Cole & Lindsay, Paso Doble- Cole keeps surprising me, and Lindsay definitely has the Lauren Froderman-type of personality that could win it for her. Cole seems a little cold towards partnering and his partner, though, but I suppose that comes to be expected with his dance style.
Next week’s bottom 3, in my opinion;
GIRLS
1. Janaya French (no surprise if she leaves next week, but I feel bad for her.)
2. Amber Jackson (she has had no near the amount of screentime someone such as Eliana, Cyrus or Amelia has, and is just pretty much forgettable)
3. I’m struggling with this one, but maybe Alexa? I honestly have no clue.
GUYS
1. Nick Bloxom-Carter (he doesn’t seem to have an overwhelmingly attractive personality, and that is a huge selling point on this show)
2. Chehon Wespi-Tschopp (he got a lot of criticism and voters usually follow it)
3. Brandon Mitchell (again, near to no screen time before the Top 20)
Will the couples change if individuals are voted for?
Allrighty. Before I end, can I just say I love Amelia?
I think the bottom 3 girls could be Witney, Janaya, and…? maybe Amber. Even tho Amber danced beautifully, she’s not being spotlighted enough, and being paired with Nick is not helping. I really loved Audrey and Eliana. I think Janelle will ride pretty far on her looks alone, but not sure how well she can really dance. I don’t love Sean Cheesman, I think the people who get his routines suffer, esp because there’s no story to them. I was most disappointed with Alexa and Daniel. That pairing, the costumes, the music, it could have and should have been great, but I completely agree, it fell completely flat. There was real confusion whether they were connecting with each other, or the audience. For the boys, I think Dareian (sp?) was also underserved by Cheesman, and will turn out to be great. I think Nick and Cheon will be going. I don’t think the judges will eliminate Brandon if he’s in the bottom, and he prob will be.
@Maddy that is EXACTLY what I was thinking. I swore up and down that they only put some of these kids in there to be eliminated. Who knows, America might surprise us?
Another interesting point on personality – Matt is going to get voted through this week because of that stunning Travis Wall routine. I hadn’t noticed him at ALL before so I went to watch some interviews.. he has the worst energy! He just seemed like he really didn’t want to be there and it made me not like him anymore 😐 So I’ve been on a rollercoaster of emotion/opinion on him alone. I wonder how he’ll be on TV in the coming weeks. Although, they hardly let the kids speak anyway so who knows if this will continue to happen or if anyone will notice :p
Anyway I mostly agree with Mariana on her routine rankings.
My bottom girls:
Tiffany
Janaya
Amber
(Foggy?) Bottom boys:
Nick
Brandon
George
Shame cause I also knew nothing about Brandon from before, but he grew on me a ton!!
You’re doing an amazing job Marianya!! I mostly agree with you here. My only differences, really, is I would have switched Amber & Nick with Tiffany & George. Maybe you’re right, since it was an earlier routine, but I think that contemporary will stand out more than the Viennese waltz. I thought both Tiffany & George stood out in the contemporary, whereas Nick was the stand out in the waltz.
Here are my thoughts! A little late but I was down the shore. I’d love to see what you guys think 🙂
http://werkwirqwourque.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/sytycd-season-9-top-20-perform/