Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sonya Tayeh and Nicole Scherzinger discuss about the week 5 elimination on So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) Season 8! Video Below 🙂
Summary
Wrapping up the first half of the competition brought a satisfying conclusion to some partnerships while others seemed to run out of steam and were in need of a change. The bottom 3 was relatively uncontroversial as was the elimination of Ryan and Alexander. As we discuss in the podcast, we believe the judges inadvertently set Ryan up for failure by refusing to give her constructive criticism early on in the show, which generated a fan backlash that landed the Ryan/Ricky partnership in the bottom on three separate occasions. Alexander, while never being in the bottom before, hasn’t been consistent in his ability to emote compared to the other remaining guys and this is likely why the judges sent him home.
We enjoyed the Jordan/Tadd Travis Wall piece, both of Melanie/Marko’s routines and Jess’ performance in the Christopher Scott hip-hop was the surprise of the night. We’re looking forward to mixing up the couples and the were very happy with the returning all-stars! This should rejuvenate the competition and break some of the remaining dancers out of their comfort zones and further their growth.
Please let us know your thoughts by dropping us a comment here after listening! We also encourage you to check out our blog and twitter feed to keep up to date with us!
Episode Length: 32:48
Time Stamps
0:00 – Introduction: Thoughts for Alex Wong, Emmy nominations and guest judges
4:11 – Bottom 3 couples overview
4:57 – Bottom 3: Caitlynn and Mitchell
7:36 – Bottom 3: Ryan and Ricky
11:45 – Bottom 3: Sasha and Alexander
14:27 – The elimination of Ryan and Alexander
16:38 – Performance night: Jordan and Tadd – Great Travis piece and strong opinions about using “Out Tonight” from RENT
21:32 – Performance night: Melanie and Marko – Wonderful conclusion to a great partnership
24:12 – Performance night: Jess and Clarice – Jess nailed that hip-hop piece!
27:35 – Next week’s all-stars! Melody, Allison, Comfort, Chelsie, Kathryn, Pasha, Twitch, Brandon, Robert
31:37 – Wrap-up: Leave us a comment, visit our blog to see what else we’re doing and we’re really excited to see Harry Potter this weekend!
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Over the past few years my fiancée Meghan slowly brought me into the world of television, turning me into a full-fledged fan of both scripted and reality shows. So You Think You Can Dance turned into one of my favorite reality shows as it is a competition that takes itself seriously, providing the audience with artistic choreography and talented dancers. It's certainly not something I ever expected to get emotionally invested in, but here I am! Meghan and I are very analytic when it comes to the things we enjoy. We constantly discussed and analyzed shows with each other and after doing this for a couple years, we decided that we should turn these discussions into a podcast. We created Reflections on Pop Entertainment, a podcast that provides commentary and analysis of popular entertainment as found in visual mediums, particularly television and film. So You Think You Can Dance Season 8 is the first television series we're covering with weekly podcasts and has allowed us to find our voice as well as actively contribute to the fan community. We hope that you'll enjoy our installments as they are posted to Pure So You Think You Can Dance!
I’m going to jump right in with my live thoughts. Please jump in, too, and add your thoughts in the comments!
First, I really liked the Kelly Abbey El Fuego Top 12 Group routine. It was a nice mashup of styles and I was actually thinking it might’ve been a Christopher Scott routine. I wondered why Jordan got the central role at the opening and so much face time, but she was gorgeous in the huge red skirt, to be sure. I loved the tapping and then the guys sweeping and also them all linking up to tango a bit. (I don’t know the technical name for that, hope you know what I mean).
I’m proud of SYTYCD for their 8 Emmy nominations and I loooved the clip of the routines that were nominated. Such good routines.
Spoiler line for the rest, just in case…
Well, I’m dying to see if the results of our Poll predict who’s going home tonight. According to your preferences, Ryan and Alexander should go home tonight, but we’ll see how it shakes out. And tonight, we’ll find out about the All-Stars, too.
Kelly Abbey Top 12 Group Routine: Sean Peter’s “El Fuego,” which I did not see on iTunes. Try Santana’s until I can grab it for you: 
Jason Samuel Smith and Anybody Can Get It tapped to: “Sole Sessions Part 1,” which is not on iTunes
Spoiler space for the solos…
Check out this interview with Melanie and Marko where they talk about the transformation from dress rehearsal, the final lift at the end of their performance, and the difference between the “moth dance” and the “statue dance”! From week 5 of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) Season 8. Scroll down for video 🙂
Week 5 post-performance interviews with the Top 12 and guest judge Jesse Tyler Ferguson of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) Season 8! Scroll down for video 🙂
So, this is the really tough one. I’m going to base my Power Rankings on tonight’s routines and my perceptions of the fan support the dancers/couples have and of course, my own opinions. I hope you’ll let me know what you think in the comments and I’m going to include a poll so you can pick your Top 10 at the end of this post.
Top Three
Melanie & Marko – Not only have they been the most consistent in performance and approval through the season, but they had two hands-down great routines. Their tango was phenomenal and while they’re contemporary wasn’t as mind-blowing, it was strong and beautiful.
Sasha & Alexander – Sasha seems to have been carrying this couple most of the season with Alexander flying largely under the radar. She (or they) have been picking up steam approval-wise and have had some stellar routines, two of which were tonight. While they were the first to dance in both sets, I think their performances were both memorable enough to keep them safe.
Clarice & Jess – They had a great first routine and were the last performances of the episode. While their jive at the end of the episode wasn’t all that great, they have been picking up fans as a couple. A lot of people have been vocally supporting Jess in particular lately. But mostly, every time I put them in the Bottom 3, they’re safe, so I’m going to just call them safe now.
Bottom Three
Caitlynn & Mitchell – I want them to be safe and I think there are a lot of people like me who love Caitlynn and have enjoyed watching her relationship with Mitchell grow. But, they had two sucky routines this episode. I hate to say it, but I don’t think their hip hop or even their Travis Wall were all that great. I hope people vote for them like I did, though, cause I’d love to see Caitlynn in particular in the Top 10 dancing with All-Stars (ahem, Robert).
Jordan & Tadd – Their first routine was a FABULOUS Travis Wall routine, but their second one was a kinda awful Spencer Liff Broadway. I think people are getting annoyed with Jordan and her overuse of her one leg (I couldn’t stop rolling my eyes whenever she raised her one leg in the routines), but they’re loving Tadd more than ever. It’ll be interesting to see whether Tadd’s growing popularity and their awesome first routine saves them from the Bottom 3.
Ryan & Rickey – I hate putting them here, but of all the couples, they had the two worst or least memorable routines. I liked their Spencer Liff Broadway, but the judges panned it. I didn’t love their Louis cha cha, though Rickey got put on the hot tamale train for it. Ryan’s been losing popularity big time over the course of the season, so I’m afraid they’re probably going to land in the Bottom 3 and possibly go home.
—
I think if R&R land in the Bottom 3 and the judges stick with this season’s annoying eliminating couples together policy, they’ll probably go. However, if Clarice & Jess are in the bottom, I can see them splitting a couple and eliminating Clarice and maybe Mitchell. If the Bottom 3 I’ve predicted happens, I hope they split the couples and keep Caitlynn, Tadd and Ryan. I’d be okay with Jordan, Mitchell or Rickey leaving this week.
You know, this is really hard. Why don’t you help me out here and pick who you would like to see in the Top 10 (you can pick 10 dancers).
Here’s a nifty spot for you to write in your thoughts on tonight’s performance episode. I’ll be updating my own thoughts, though I’m sure there will be a delay since I’m posting the music live as well. Get your talk on!
Okay, I gotta start. There is SO MUCH to talk about already.
First of all, Cat’s lovely and I think Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s gonna be a great guest judge. Excited to see Sonya and Cat’s response to the “mum and pop” of the panel pretending to kiss was funny. Even if Nigel and Mary aren’t funny, Cat’s always hysterical responding to them.
I wasn’t quite prepared for how quickly everything got started and I missed them saying there would be 2 performances from each couple, but yay!
Spoiler space…lalala
This may be one of the most important performance nights since we’re going to see our Top 12 cut down to the all-important Top 10. Here’s hoping the performances are amazing! I’ll be updating the music here live.
Sasha & Alexander’s Tony & Melanie Paso doble: I didn’t catch all of this, help if you can! Taylor Long & ? ‘s “Alley Dash /March of the Trolls” which is not on iTunes (that I can find)
Jordan & Tadd’s Travis Wall contemporary: Olafur Arnaldo’s “Brotsjor” –
Ryan & Rickey’s Spencer Liff Broadway: Frank Sinatra’s “All I Need Is the Girl” –
Caitlynn & Mitchell’s Christopher Scott hip hop: Lupe Fiasco ft. Eric Turner & Sway’s “Break the Chain” –
Melanie & Marko’s Louis van Amstel tango: Gotan Project’s “Triptico” –
Clarice & Jesse’s Christopher Scott lyrical hip hop: Boyce Avenue’s “Just the Way You Are” –
Sasha & Alexander’s Tyce Diorio jazz routine: Aretha Franklin’s “That’s Life” –
Jordan & Tadd’s Spencer Liff Broadway: “Out Tonight” – from the RENT soundtrack.
Ryan & Rickey’s Louis van Amstel cha cha: Enrique Iglesias ft. Ludacris & DJ Frank E’s “Tonight (I’m Loving You)” –
Caitlynn & Mitchell’s Travis Wall contemporary: Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” –
Melanie & Marko’s Dee Caspary contemporary: David J. Roch’s “Skin and Bones” –
Clarice & Jess’s Tony & Melanie jive: Robert Randolph & the Family Band’s “Ain’t Nothing Wrong with That” –
Hi everyone and happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great 4th of July holiday! As we get into Top 12 week, I thought I’d whip up a speculation post about the All-Stars! Unlike last season where Nigel gradually introduced who would be the All-Stars via Twitter, my thought is that they’re going to be introduced during the week between the Top 12 elimination (which is going to be so hard!) and the Top 10 performance show. Though, he might also just wait and introduce all of them on the Top 10 show. I’ve been wracking my brain (and watching way too much YouTube) to figure out who some of the All-Stars might be. If I had complete show control, these are some of the dancers I’d bring back:
#1 Robert Roldan: with the amount of time he’s spent on screen this season as an assistant as well as filling in for Mitchell during week 1 (he almost had to fill in on the most recent show, Mitchell’s foot was super swollen. Robert had his costume on and everything but Mitchell stepped up to the plate and delivered a fabulous performance with Caitlynn), I’d be SHOCKED if Robert wasn’t an All-Star this season. Not only is he an amazing dancer, but the public has really embraced him, even more than last year I think. Plus, he’s pretty easy on the eyes which might help dancers like Jordan and Ryan who seem to be having trouble getting the audience to vote for them.
Robert and Kathryn’s contemporary (top 6 week)-Stacey Tookey. I think this is the best he looked the whole season, and his partnership with Kathryn was absolutely amazing, the best partnership of the whole season. You can see through the whole piece how much he gives of himself to his partner, part of the reason he’d make a perfect All-Star. (sorry for the poor video quality, it was the only one I could find where embedding was allowed)
Katee Shean: I’m not sure if people remember that she actually stepped in as an All-Star last season when Allison Holker injured her ribs. She danced a Spencer Liff broadway number with Billy and the judges say it was the best they had ever seen Billy dance. Seeing her on the SYTYCD stage again made me remember what an incredible dancer she is. I’m embedding her “Imagine” number with Will from S4, a number I think should rank in the top 3 of the best dances in the history of the series. What the two of them did in that number is nothing short of extraordinary.
I would also be overjoyed to see Will as an All-Star, he’s an incredible dancer and it would be great to see how much he’s grown in 4 years since the show.
*your All-Star choices*
Kayla Radomski (S5) In the history of SYTYCD, Kayla has to be in the top 3 of the most physically talented girls ever to be on the show. For me, technique-wise, she’s tops. Kayla’s problem during her season was that she didn’t have much of a personality. She wasn’t boring, she just wasn’t very expressive and had trouble connecting to the audience. She began to break barrier near the end of the season, her jive with Evan during the finale was the most fun I saw her have on stage since her incredible week 1 samba with Max. Her partnership with Kupono was unexpectedly great and definitely kept her going in the competition.
Mia Michaels won a very well-deserved emmy for “Addiction” but it wouldn’t have been the same without Kayla and Kupono’s electric chemistry and partnership.
Janette Manrara (S5) Personality-wise, Janette is a great choice right off the bat. She’s also really good at multiple styles which is definitely a plus. If they’re doing a “pool” of all-stars, I want Janette in it because the ballroom, particularly the latin ballroom, this season has been pretty mediocre (this is me still being annoyed that Iveta and Nick were knocked out too early). For me, season 5 is a really underrated season, Jeanine, Kayla, Melissa, and Janette as the top 4 girls that season, that’s a pretty stacked group!
here’s Janette and Brandon’s Wade Robson “Ruby Blue” jazz number, my favorite of theirs from season 5, this also makes me miss the old stage and the stairs!
Ashleigh and Ryan DiLello (S6)
Ballroom is a tough category for All-Stars, since our best (Lacey, Dmitry, Chelsie) are all under contract with DWTS. I LOVED having Pasha and Anya back last season, and because of the lack of available ballroom All-Stars my best guess is that it will either be Pasha and Anya again or Ryan and Ashleigh. They’ve also been seen on camera helping out Jason Gilkison.
here’s their jive from the finale
and each with another partner doing ballroom
ryan and kathryn’s cha cha
ashleigh and jakob’s cha cha
Sara von Gillern (S3)
the idea of sara and tadd working together right now is making me giddy!! she is the only b-girl ever to be on the show, but sara’s adaptability was outstanding. I’m not really sure they could legitimately making breaking a category because it is so much about strength and practice, and we didn’t really see her do hip hop, but I would love to see her as an all-star.
I’m embedded one of the best performances in all 8 seasons, sara and pasha’s West Coast Swing 🙂
Legacy (S6)
I miss Legacy! I’m not sure any of us thought, at the top 20 announcement for S6, that he was going to go as far as he did. For as much flack as the producers got for having a fall season, the fact that 3 couples (Ashleigh & Jakob, Ryan & Ellenore, Legacy & Kathryn) were 6 of the final 8 speaks to the fact that they picked people who America loved! Personality and stage presence makes Legacy an excellent choice for an All-Star
here’s his “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” number with Ellenore (another good all-star choice!)
…this is a list in progress. hit me up in the comments with your All-Star picks and I’ll add them + videos if I can find them to our big master list!
